The Falklands force operated through separate carrier, amphibious, and land task groups, with the overall task-force command retained in Britain. Michael Clapp therefore needed a headquarters for the amphibious group even though Sandy Woodward had Hermes as the carrier group's flagship. Clarke criticizes Woodward for describing himself as task-force commander and for using helicopters allocated to Clapp without consulting him. In the battleship counterfactual, a large hull could house Clapp's staff and communications equipment together. Its limited speed would be a greater liability with the carrier group than with the amphibious force. Stationed at San Carlos, it could also contribute antiaircraft weapons and heavy gunfire support. Retaining Warspite until 1982 is rejected as implausible because of her age. Vanguard is considered a more credible candidate for such a scenario.
Notable Point · 5:39:56-5:43:07
Falklands task groups and the need for an amphibious flagship
A large amphibious flagship could bring Clapp's staff and communications together while providing gunfire support, although Vanguard is a more plausible 1982 survivor than Warspite.