Richard S. J. Gough

The Weapon Director Richard S. J. Gough

Richard Gough was just 23 years old when the Falklands conflict took place in 1982. He was the youngest weapons director to take part in the conflict, seeing combat onboard the Type 21 frigate, HMS Ardent. Six years later as a Chief Petty Officer he protected British shipping in the Iran and Iraq tanker wars that disrupted the Gulf region for nearly ten years. His final work with the Royal Navy was to direct the acceptance firings of the fleets latest missile system, Vertical Launch SeaWolf, onboard the Type 23 frigate HMS Norfolk. His book explores the role of the weapon director in the fleet as well as revealing what it's really like to be a sailor in the modern Royal Navy.