MS Baltic Ferry was built in 1978 by South Korean based Hyundai H.I. for Stena Lines who had intended her, and 10 sister ships to be used for charter or sale to other operators. She was chartered by Townsend Thoresen

European Ferries

European Ferries Group Plc was a company that operated in passenger and freight ferries, harbour operation and property management in the United Kingdom and the United States...

 in 1980, staying with them and their successor P&O Ferries

P&O Ferries

P&O Ferries is the current name for the amalgamation of a range of ferry services that operated from the United Kingdom to Ireland and Continental Europe...

 and P&O Irish Sea

P&O Irish Sea

P&O Irish Sea was the trading name of P&O Ferries in the Irish Sea from 1998 - 2010. It has now merged back to being P&O Ferries.-History:P&O Irish Sea was formed in 1998, following the merger of the Cairnryan-based service of P&O European Ferries Ltd and Pandoro...

 until 2005. In 1982 the Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

 requisitioned the vessel to transport troops to the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...

.

In July 2011 the ship was renamed Pavilion for her final journey to India for breaking.

Falklands War

In 1982, three vessels operated by European Ferries were requisitioned

STUFT

STUFT is a nautical acronym for Ship Taken Up From Trade, and applies to civilian ships requisitioned for government use.The Falklands conflict of 1982 saw a diversity of Ships Taken Up From Trade...

 by the Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

 to assist with the Falklands Campaign

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

. The three vessels were; Europic Ferry, Nordic Ferry and Baltic Ferry
The Baltic Ferry entered the Falkland Islands Exclusion zone on 25 May 1982, she had been equipped with a helipad and carried three Army helicopters, 105 troops, and 1,874 tons of stores and ammunition to Ajax Bay

Ajax Bay

Ajax Bay is a settlement on East Falkland, in the Falkland Islands, It is on the north west coast, on the shore of San Carlos Water, a few miles from Port San Carlos. It was mainly a refrigeration plant, and was developed by the Colonial Development Corporation in the 1950s, which was also...

 on 1 June 1982..

For a list of other ships requisitioned for MoD use see British naval forces in the Falklands War