On the night of June 6, 1983, the crew of the Spanish merchant ship Alraigo saw a Royal Navy fighter appear above their heads and land dramatically on the deck of their ship. The pilot, about to run out of fuel, made a desperate maneuver and managed to get the Harrier through on some containers and an old van. The scene lasted just 30 seconds and entered history as the first landing of a military fighter on a civilian vessel on the high seas. In the following hours, the plane would be transferred to Tenerife and held by the crew for several days.
