Admiral Sir John Forster "Sandy" Woodward, GBE, KCB (1 May 1932 – 4 August 2013) was a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the Task Force of the Falklands War.
[3] The Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, served as the Task Force commander, CTF-317.
He knew that General Belgrano, and particularly her Exocet-armed escorts, were a threat to the task force and he ordered that she be sunk.
[8] Admiral Sir George Zambellas credited "Woodward's inspirational leadership and tactical acumen ... [as] a major factor in shaping the success of the British forces in the South Atlantic".
[10] He wrote a book entitled One Hundred Days, co-authored by Patrick Robinson, describing his Falklands experiences.
[2][14][15][16] A memorial service was held for him at Chichester Cathedral on 14 November 2013, with Admiral Sir George Zambellas representing the Queen.
On 11 October 1982, Woodward was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) 'in recognition of service within the operations in the South Atlantic'.
[10] In the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).