Sam Salt

Rear Admiral James Frederick Thomas George "Sam" Salt, (19 April 1940 – 3 December 2009) was a senior Royal Navy officer of the late twentieth century. He was the captain of during the Falklands War, the first British warship to be sunk by enemy action since the end of the Second World War.

Early life James Salt was born on 19 April 1940 in Yeovil in the county of Somerset. He was the son of Lillian and a Royal Naval officer, Lieutenant Commander George S. Salt who was lost in action in the Gulf of Taranto six months after his son's birth while in command of the submarine during the Second World War. Lillian later remarried another Royal Navy officer and James was raised in a military household. Sheffield was one of three vessels guarding the western flank of the British naval force when they were attacked. Two Argentinian Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard strike aircraft attacked the vessels using Exocet missiles. One struck the ship, causing a fire. Salt and the crew attempted to save the ship, but they were forced to abandon ship. Sheffield was taken in tow, but sank several days later, becoming the first Royal Navy warship to be sunk since the end of the Second World War. Salt worked in a managerial capacity in a number of defence-related export, sales and marketing roles in the private sector, retiring from this work in 2005. Salt died aged 69 on 3 December 2009 of cancer.

Personal life Salt married Penelope M. Walker in 1975, and had four sons. In 1991, Salt was named Companion of the Order of the Bath.