In April 1982, Britain dispatched a force of more than 120 ships to retake the Falkland Islands: two carriers, more than a dozen destroyers and frigates, plus auxiliaries and requisitioned merchantmen. It did so without suspending its other commitments around the world. The operation took seventy-four days, cost 255 British and 649 Argentine lives, and proved to the planet that the United Kingdom could still project military power across the Atlantic.