Ref "Mil's" "second fleet"
As a non-mil type with a passing interest in Military history and logistics, the comment about a "second fleet" is very interesting - I've not heard anything of this before; but from an escalation point of view, the concept makes sense.
Would this have been a hotchpotch of recently decomissioned assets, rush-jobs on ships in-build/re-work and a retrenchment of extant vessels from around the world? Could we really have seen half-finished T42's with Tribals and additional Leanders etc making up a true second fleet supporting Bulwark and Illustrious?
On that note, were all RN naval assets worldwide immediately re-deployed homewards at the first sign of the troubles?
For those interested in reading about the Falklands, I recommend "Canberra, The Great White Whale Goes to War"....one of the first and still one of the best accounts of the conflict.