Sinking of the ARA BelgranoOn the 2nd May H.M.S Conqueror, a British nuclear submarine, recieved orders from the War Cabinet that it could engage the ARA Belgrano. The Argentine navy had left port the previous day and were sailing to engage the Task Force in a pincer movement. The Belgrano was originally an American battleship, bought and converted she contained enough firepower to be able to hit the Task Force over the entire Falklands Islands, as a mobile artilley position to threaten both soldiers and boats. |
There is a small element of contraversy to this attack. The Belgrano was, at the she was hit, outside the exclusion zone and heading for port, however on closer inspection this is partially justified. The Belgrano was zig zagging in an anti submarine move and had in fact been making various movements to port, then towards the Falklands for three hours before she was hit. Her mean line of advance took her directly towards the islands.
Fieldhouse was also seriously threatened by a large scale naval battle against a much bigger Argentine navy looking to trap the Task Force. On recieving the orders to engage HMS Conquorer hit the Balgrano with three torpedoes. This action was contraversial. The ship was sinking after the second torpedoe hit, the Captain Brown fired a thrid torpedo which caused the majority of the 323 casualties, trapping them below deck and terrifying |
The attack was unquestionably a military success for the British. The entire Argentine fleet returned to ports, painfully aware of the presence of British submarines in the area. These boats were about to be given orders to harras supply lines to the Task Force when the conflict ended.
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