On 2 April 1982, Argentinian troops invaded the Falkland Islands. HMS Coventry, a key warship in the British Fleet, was sent to join the conflict. Despite knowing the odds were probably against them, they were a successful and confident crew under a trusted leader – Captain Hart Dyke.

As other ships were targeted around them, the Coventry felt invincible. But their luck was about to run out.

It has taken 25 years for the Captain to be able to talk about these events on camera. Sea Of Fire is the story as seen through his eyes, and with the testimony of some of his ship’s company

At the height of the conflict, Coventry was sent on a mission to deliberately act as bait for enemy bomber-fighters. Obligingly, on 25 May, the Argentineans sent waves of Skyhawks armed with British-made bombs to take out the British destroyer.

At first Coventry had the upper hand, claiming three kills with her Sea Dart missiles, but just as Captain Hart Dyke thought he had weathered the storm, the Argentinians launched one last attack. Three bombs hit the Coventry, killing 19 men and leaving many of the crew injured. The survivors evacuated through choking black smoke and buckled ladders as the sinking ship tilted further over, finally jumping overboard into the freezing South Atlantic. Within 20 minutes, the ship had capsized.

Sea Of Fire speaks to the survivors of the bombing and sinking of HMS Coventry.