# Peter Woodhead

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**Sir Anthony Peter Woodhead** (born 30 July 1939) is a former [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer who served as [Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic](/source/Supreme_Allied_Commander_Atlantic) from 1991 to 1993.

## Naval career

Educated at [Leeds Grammar School](/source/Leeds_Grammar_School), [HMS *Conway*](/source/HMS_Nile_(1839)) and the [Royal Naval College, Dartmouth](/source/Britannia_Royal_Naval_College), Woodhead joined the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) in 1962.[1] He took part in the [Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation](/source/Indonesia%E2%80%93Malaysia_confrontation) in the 1960s. He was given command of the [frigate](/source/Frigate), [HMS *Jupiter*](/source/HMS_Jupiter_(F60)), in 1974 and the frigate, [HMS *Rhyl*](/source/HMS_Rhyl_(F129)), in 1975.[1] Promotion to [captain](/source/Captain_(Royal_Navy)) followed on 30 June 1979.[2] Woodhead was recalled from [leave](/source/Leave_(military)) and appointed as Chief of staff to the Flag Officer to support the force commander, [Rear Admiral](/source/Rear_admiral_(Royal_Navy)) [Woodward](/source/Sandy_Woodward), during the [Falklands War](/source/Falklands_War).[3][4] The force had already departed so he had to fly to [Ascension Island](/source/Ascension_Island) and rendezvous with the aircraft carrier [HMS *Hermes*](/source/HMS_Hermes_(R12)) there. From 1982 to 1983 he commanded the frigate, [HMS *Avenger*](/source/HMS_Avenger_(F185)).[5] He was appointed [Director of Naval Operations and Trade](/source/Directorate_of_Naval_Operations_and_Trade_(Royal_Navy)) in 1985, Commander of the aircraft carrier [HMS *Illustrious*](/source/HMS_Illustrious_(R06)) in 1986 and [Flag Officer, Second Flotilla](/source/Flag_Officer,_Second_Flotilla) in 1988.[1] He went on to be [Flag Officer First Flotilla](/source/Flag_Officer_First_Flotilla), in 1989. From 1990 to 1991 he was [Flag Officer, Surface Flotilla](/source/Flag_Officer,_Surface_Flotilla). In 1991 he was appointed [Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic](/source/Supreme_Allied_Commander_Atlantic), before retiring in 1994 and Rear Admiral [Peter Abbott](/source/Peter_Abbott) succeeding him.[6][7] On 31 July 1988, Woodhead met with Prime Minister [Margaret Thatcher](/source/Margaret_Thatcher) and her husband [Denis Thatcher](/source/Denis_Thatcher) aboard [HMS *Ark Royal* (R07)](/source/HMS_Ark_Royal_(R07)), while the warship was docked in Sembawang Wharves, [Singapore](/source/Singapore).[8][9]

### 1983 helicopter crash

On 4 May 1983, HMS *Avenger,* and [sister ship](/source/Sister_ship) [HMS *Ambuscade*](/source/HMS_Ambuscade_(F172)), were on the Royal Navy [Armilla patrol](/source/Armilla_patrol), a permanent presence in the Persian Gulf during the 1980s and 1990s. *Avenger'*s commanding officer, Woodhead, was returning from a visit ashore in the ships [Westland Lynx](/source/Westland_Lynx), ([registration](/source/Aircraft_registration) XZ249) when it suffered a [tail rotor](/source/Tail_rotor) failure and, nose down, plunged into the sea off [Muscat](/source/Muscat), [Oman](/source/Oman).[10] The Lynx helicopter never resurfaced from its entry into the sea and for a short time there was no sign of the aircrew or ship's captain.[11] As HMS Avenger approached the crash sight the crew observed some green clothed bodies breaking the surface on the water. When it was suggested to the captain that a Westland Lynx helicopter from the [Royal Army of Oman](/source/Royal_Army_of_Oman) would be taking him and the other three crew members to the nearest hospital in Oman, he informed the medics "there is no fucking way I am getting into that helicopter".[12] Woodhead and the three other crew members survived the incident, with Woodhead sustaining a non-life changing injury to his back.[13]

## Later life

In retirement Woodhead became [Prisons Ombudsman](/source/Prisons_and_Probation_Ombudsman).[14] In 2003, Alan Travis noted in UK newspaper *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*, "Vice-Admiral Sir Peter Woodhead, had his powers so clipped by the former [Conservative](/source/Conservative_Party_(UK)) home secretary, [Michael Howard](/source/Michael_Howard), that the small and little-known club that is the British and Irish Ombudsmen Association refused him membership on the grounds that he was not independent enough".[15] From 1995-2013 Woodhead was the Director of multiple [charities](/source/Charitable_organization) and companies including [BMT Group](/source/BMT_Group),who specialise in [Maritime and Naval engineering](/source/Naval_architecture).[16] Woodhead regularly attends and is involved in the management of St Luke's Church, Prestonville, Brighton.[17][18]

## Family

In 1964 Woodhead married Carol; they have one son and one daughter.[1] Lady Woodhead died in January 2016.[17]

## References

1. Debrett's People of Today 1994

1. No. 47904. 16 July 1979. p. 8997.

1. ["Old Conways & The Falklands War 1982"](http://www.hmsconway.org/Sea%20Career%20Falklands.pdf). Retrieved 13 May 2022.

1. Thornton, Joanna Margaret (2015). ["Government Media Policy during the Falklands War. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis"](https://kar.kent.ac.uk/50411/1/198J.%20M.%20Thornton%20PhD.pdf). University of Kent. Retrieved 5 March 2023.

1. ["HMS Avenger (F185) | Type 21 Club"](https://type21club.org/hms-avenger). Retrieved 2022-05-12.

1. Whitaker's Almanack 1995

1. ["Service Appointments"](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/service-appointments-1489376.html). *The Independent*. 2 June 1993. [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/service-appointments-1489376.html) 26 May 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 May 2022.

1. ["British Prime Minister Mrs Margaret Thatcher taking a …"](https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/photographs/record-details/00a58657-1162-11e3-83d5-0050568939ad). *www.nas.gov.sg*. Retrieved 2022-09-02.

1. ["HMS Ark Royal V - 1988 Ship's Movements"](https://arkroyal.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=152). *arkroyal.net*. Retrieved 2022-09-02.

1. Ranter, Harro. ["Incident Westland Lynx HAS2 XZ249, 04 May 1983"](https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/88941). *aviation-safety.net*. Retrieved 2022-05-12.

1. ["HMS Avenger (F185) | Type 21 Club"](https://type21club.org/hms-avenger). Retrieved 2022-05-12.

1. ["HMS Avenger (F185) | Type 21 Club"](https://type21club.org/hms-avenger). Retrieved 2022-05-12.

1. ["HMS Avenger (F185) | Type 21 Club"](https://type21club.org/hms-avenger). Retrieved 2022-05-12.

1. [Jail watchdog threatens to quit](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/jail-watchdog-threatens-to-quit-1320861.html) The Independent, 25 February 1996

1. Travis, Alan (9 July 2003). ["A look inside"](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2003/jul/09/guardiansocietysupplement.prisons). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*. Retrieved 6 August 2015.

1. ["Anthony Peter WOODHEAD personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK"](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/BD8iVbwkDpDklgEKCjnfQa7sz-o/appointments). *find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk*. Retrieved 2022-09-02.

1. ["Woodhead - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements"](http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/199119/woodhead). *announcements.telegraph.co.uk*. Retrieved 2022-04-25.

1. ["People – St Luke's Prestonville"](https://www.stlukesonline.co.uk/people/). Retrieved 2022-04-25.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Peter Woodhead](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Woodhead) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Woodhead?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.