Nicholas Barker (Royal Navy officer)

Nicholas John ″Nick″ Barker, CBE (May 19, 1933 – April 7, 1997) was a senior Royal Navy officer and commanding officer of the survey ship HMS Endurance.

Nick Barker
Nicholas John Barker in Naval Uniform.
Nickname(s)‘Barkey’
Born(1933-05-19)19 May 1933
Died7 April 1997(1997-04-07) (aged 88)
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
RankCaptain
Commands heldHMS Brereton
HMS Jupiter
HMS Nubian
HMS Arrow
HMS Sheffield
HMS Endurance
Fishery Protection Squadron
Battles/warsFalklands War

While permanently stationed in the South Atlantic, he warned the British Ministry of Defence of increased activity of the Argentine forces and the potential of an invasion of the Falkland Islands.[1] Despite this vocalization, the United Kingdom took no action and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher claimed there had been no warning.[2] Barker's warnings were dismissed in Whitehall as an attempt to save the Endurance, which was due to be paid off as part of defense cuts.[3] The conflict he had tried to forewarn would later be called the Falklands War. Barker was made a Commander of the British Empire in October 1982 for his actions during the war.[1]

Career

Barker served in the Royal Navy between 1951 and 1988. Besides Endurance, he held the following commands: HMS Brereton, HMS Jupiter, HMS Nubian, HMS Arrow and HMS Sheffield. He was also commander of the Fishery Protection Squadron between 1984 and 1986.[4]

Publications
  • Barker, Nick (2002). Beyond Endurance: An Epic of Whitehall and the South Atlantic Conflict. London: Leo Cooper. ISBN 978-0850528794.

See also

References
  1. Briley, Harold (9 April 1997). "Obituary: Captain Nicholas Barker". The Independent. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  2. "War in the Falklands: Maggie's finest hour". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  3. Sloyan, Patrick (24 April 2013). "And that's the way it was: April 24, 1982". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  4. "Deaths: Capt Nicholas John (Nick) Barker". Navy News. 1997. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
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