How the Falklands War (Thanks to a Stealthy Submarine) Could Have Gone Very Different

Onkel Neal · 11-28-16, 07:19 AM

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/how...uld-have-18495

Quote:

The brief but bloody naval war that occurred in 1982 over the Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas in Argentina, is typically viewed as a triumph of British naval power. A Royal Navy task force managed to beat off heavy air attacks to take back the South Atlantic archipelago from Argentine troops.

For most of the war, a lone Argentine diesel submarine, the San Luis, opposed the Royal Navy at sea. Not only did the San Luis return home unscratched by the more than two hundred antisubmarine munitions fired by British warships and helicopter, but it twice ambushed antisubmarine frigates. Had the weapons functioned as intended, the British victory might have been bought at a much higher cost.

Marcantilan · 12-20-16, 10:10 AM

mmm, suspicious like the article we wrote with Matt Gillis for the 2008 Subsim Almanac (http://www.subsim.com/almanac08/)

Anyway, read it first in Subsim!

Regards!

Aktungbby · 12-20-16, 12:50 PM

It actually was a submarine war allway 'round:

MAY/2/82 HMS Conqueror

sank the ARA General Belgrano

formerly the USS Phoenix, a light cruiser: 1938 commission date. with three Mark 8, designed 1925 and constantly upgraded, torpedoes two of which exploded sinking the ADM Belgrano in twenty minutes without being able to issue a MAYDAY call. Ironically the first Nuke sub to sink an enemy using WWII technology on a WWII era vessel!

Perhaps even more importantly: poor visibility meant the two escorting destroyers were unaware of the sinking until some hours later. A total of 323 men were killed. Adding to the confusion, the crew of the escrt, ARA Hipólito Bouchard, former USS Borie: commission 1944,

felt an impact that was possibly the third torpedo striking at the end of its run (an examination of the ship later showed an impact mark consistent with a torpedo). The two ships continued on their course westward and began dropping depth charges. By the time the ships realised that something had happened to General Belgrano, it was already dark and the weather had worsened, scattering the life rafts.
Conqueror's war did not end there. The crew of the submarine had to face Argentine Air Force attempts to locate her in the days after the attack, which had shocked the outraged Argentine people and ruling dictatorship. (Political consequence of a corrupt junta's regime that was forced to abdicate by 1983??!!...Warfare is 'politics by other means'??!!

) Perhaps even more importantly: Conqueror did not fire again in anger throughout the war, but provided valuable help to the task force by using sophisticated monitoring equipment to track Argentine aircraft departing the mainland-ie In warfare: "forwarned is forarmed!". Imho: one sub can make a big difference. Some serious 'skullduggery' behind the scenes: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/sinking-the-belgrano-the-pinochet-connection-7609047.html#gallery.

wiki

12-20-16, 10:10 AM	#2
Marcantilan Weps Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Posts: 374 Downloads: 3 Uploads: 0	mmm, suspicious like the article we wrote with Matt Gillis for the 2008 Subsim Almanac (http://www.subsim.com/almanac08/) Anyway, read it first in Subsim! Regards! __________________ Ultima Ratio Regis

12-20-16, 12:50 PM	#3
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 27,843 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	The one sub that made the difference! It actually was a submarine war allway 'round: MAY/2/82 HMS Conqueror sank the ARA *General Belgranoformerly the USS Phoenix,* a light cruiser: 1938 commission date. with three Mark 8, designed 1925 and constantly upgraded, torpedoes two of which exploded sinking the ADM Belgrano in twenty minutes without being able to issue a MAYDAY call. Ironically the first Nuke sub to sink an enemy using WWII technology on a WWII era vessel! Perhaps even more importantly: poor visibility meant the two escorting destroyers were unaware of the sinking until some hours later. A total of 323 men were killed. Adding to the confusion, the crew of the escrt, ARA Hipólito Bouchard, former USS Borie: commission 1944, felt an impact that was possibly the third torpedo striking at the end of its run (an examination of the ship later showed an impact mark consistent with a torpedo). The two ships continued on their course westward and began dropping depth charges. By the time the ships realised that something had happened to General Belgrano, it was already dark and the weather had worsened, scattering the life rafts. Conqueror's war did not end there. The crew of the submarine had to face Argentine Air Force attempts to locate her in the days after the attack, which had shocked the outraged Argentine people and ruling dictatorship. (Political consequence of a corrupt junta's regime that was forced to abdicate by 1983??!!...Warfare is 'politics by other means'??!!) Perhaps even more importantly: Conqueror did not fire again in anger throughout the war, but provided valuable help to the task force by using sophisticated monitoring equipment to track Argentine aircraft departing the mainland-ie In warfare: "forwarned is forarmed!". Imho: one sub can make a big difference. Some serious 'skullduggery' behind the scenes: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/sinking-the-belgrano-the-pinochet-connection-7609047.html#gallery.wiki __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness; and I'm not too sure about the Universe" Last edited by Aktungbby; 12-20-16 at 01:49 PM.