Engines,
“And it took the GR3s quite a few extra weeks to get there.”
Absolutely. You have to remember that the RAF’s Harrier GR3s of the period were in no way fit to operate aboard carriers without several weeks’ worth of modifications, the engineers working 24/7 to achieve this. These included replacement of corrodible metal parts, waterproofing of panels, fitting of an I-band transponder and installing Sidewinder wiring and a control panel from scratch.
All of this came about because there was no operational plan to operate RAF GR3s from carriers before 1982.
Hence the delay. The initial plan when the balloon went up was for the GR3s to embark on Atlantic Conveyor in UK. This was impossible because of the sheer magnitude of engineering work required. We caught up with the Conveyor by ferrying to Ascension, so we still didn’t arrive in theatre until 18 May.