Vice-Admiral Sir John Coward who played a pivotal role in the Falklands War has died. He was 82.

The submariner who went on to be knighted in 1990 was born in Minster on the Isle of Sheppey on October 11, 1937.

The son of a ship-broker was sent to Downside Catholic Boarding School near Bath, Somerset, and in 1954 was accepted by Dartmouth College in Devon to train as a Royal Naval officer, winning the Queen's Telescope medal at his passing out parade.

After two years on the frigate HMS Tenby he served in diesel-powered submarines from 1959 and in 1977 switched to nuclear submarines commanding HMS Valiant while working in Australia, Canada and off the north coast of Russia.

After a spell as naval assistant to the First Sea Lord he was despatched to the Falklands in April 1982 and put in charge of the anti-submarine frigate HMS Brilliant. It was part of a convoy, with the destroyers Glasgow, Sheffield and Coventry, the frigate Arrow and the tanker Appleleaf, to establish a British presence in the South Atlantic.

At the recapture of South Georgia in April, Brilliant's Lynx helicopters helped capture the Argentine submarine Santa Fe. In May, Brilliant became the first Royal Navy warship to fire Sea Wolf missiles in anger, shooting down three Skyhawk fighter bombers.

As a result, Coward was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for "exceptional professional ability, stamina, leadership. initiative and persona bravery."

He later became Director of Naval Operational Requirements in 1984 and was promoted to rear-admiral in 1987 and Flag Officer Sea Training.

After a one-year stint as Flag Officer Flotilla One he was promoted to vice-admiral in 1989 and returned full circle to became Flag Officer Submarines before being knighted.

In 1992 he was appointed Commandant of the Royal College of Defence Studies but quit the Navy two years later to find a new career back on an island as the Queen's Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey until 2000.

He died on May 30 leaving a widow, Sheppey-born Diana Taylor, and two sons.

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