LONDON, Jan. 24 (UPI) - Lord Lewin, a former top British navy officer and the lead strategist of Britain's Falkland Islands campaign, has died at age 78.
The BBC reports today that sources say Lewin, who also served as Britain's defense chief, died of cancer. The BBC did not say when he died.
Terence Thornton Lewin served in the navy for 43 years, earning a reputation as a talented strategist.
The Falklands conflict, in which British and Argentine forces clashed over the South Atlantic islands, lasted 74 days in 1982 and took 1,000 lives.
During the conflict, Lewin advised Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's War Cabinet to order the sinking of the Argentine ship the Belgrano. Lewin said the ship was a threat and he had "no qualms" about his advice, which led to the deaths of 368 people.
