Exactly 31 years ago, in the days of May 1982, battles raged in the South Atlantic.
The Falklands Conflict refuted most of the notions of modern naval combat. Instead of a "high-tech" war with the use of radars, missile weapons and satellite communications, where every move of the enemy is calculated with pharmaceutical precision on a computer, and orders from London are sent in real time to the other end of the Earth - instead of all this, Great Britain and Argentina received a tragicomedy with non-explosive bombs, homemade rockets and sinking ships that were damaged by the slow and outdated aircraft of the Argentine Air Force.
Failure weapons, friendly fires, and the use of passenger airliners as naval reconnaissance officers are a brief description of that war. Nevertheless, Falklands-82 is of great interest:
First, this is the only naval conflict that has occurred in the past 70 years - since the end of World War II. However, even this case can be called maritime only conditionally: progress in aviation allowed jet aircraft to operate successfully from coastal bases. If the Argentines had a second operational tanker aircraft and high-quality ammunition, the British squadron would have perished in full force on the way to the islands.
The second important detail is that unlike the usual format of modern wars (USA vs Grenada), the Falklands War was a confrontation between two states of approximately equal strength. Each side had its own advantages: the British fleet - quantitative and qualitative superiority in weapons and personnel training. Argentina - numerical superiority in aviation, as well as proximity to the theater of operations. As a result, none of the outside observers dared to give a confident forecast about the timing and results of the war in the South Atlantic.
It was only when the Argentine fleet received an urgent order to return to the bases that it became obvious that Argentina would lose the war.
But what caused the sudden flight of the Argentine sailors? After all, the Argentines had a small but well-tailored fleet of outdated ships purchased from the leading maritime powers. Including: an aircraft carrier with a squadron of attack aircraft "Skyhawk", an artillery cruiser of the Second World War and even two newest destroyers URO (ironically - British Type 42, acquired 10 years before the start of the war). Complete nonsense by today's standards. However, it is quite enough to "pat" the squadron of Her Majesty in 1982.
The Queen's Fleet Goes South
The outdated ships of the Argentine Navy have been modernized, equipped with Exocet and Sea Cat missiles, modern radars and communication systems. The Argentine carrier-based aircraft established radar contact with the British formation. The enemy has been detected! A decisive attack with all available forces!
Alas, the plans of the Argentines fail completely, the ships of Argentina leave the war zone and hide in the bases. Exocet missiles are being dismantled from the ships - a transport plane will deliver them to the Falkland Islands, where they will be launched from the shore at enemy ships.
Argentine sailors are afraid to approach the water. With horror and shudder, they gaze at the rolling crests of lead waves - somewhere out there, under the surface of the cold ocean, an invisible Death is moving. Five nuclear submarines of Her Majesty's fleet.
The British pulled their trump card from their sleeve. From now on, everyone who dares to approach the Falklands will receive 340 kg of torpex on board - the warhead of a British torpedo is capable of tearing any enemy ship in two.
Submarines … it was nuclear submarines - Concaror, Korejges, Valiant, Splendid and Spartan who drove the Argentine fleet into the bases, ensuring the British complete dominance at sea - the fall of the blocked garrison in the Falklands was only a matter of time.
Everyday life and exploits
The Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was the first to die - on May 2, 1982, the nuclear submarine Concaror literally "gnawed at" it. With the bow end torn off and the engine room destroyed, the cruiser sank within 20 minutes after the torpedo attack. According to official figures, 323 sailors became victims of the incident.
A repetition of the tragedy was not required. The demonstration execution of the cruiser "Belgrano" gave impressive results: the Argentine fleet, realizing its helplessness in the face of the underwater threat, urgently hid in the bases.
The sinking of "Belgrano" initially pursued purely practical benefits: the cruiser posed a mortal threat to the British squadron, and it had to be eliminated. Fifteen 152 mm guns could easily sink all of Her Majesty's frigates, tankers and container ships - the British simply did not have the means to counter the Argentine cruiser. Clad in steel armor, the old knight was immune to the fire of 4, 5 'cannons and hits from the Exocet anti-ship missiles, which were equipped with some of the British ships. Alas, "General Belgrano" fell in an unequal battle with the nuclear submarine.
“General Belgrano” clearly did not expect such a development of events.
The entire bow of the cruiser was torn off by an explosion - up to the first main battery turret
The Conqueror submarine was a key factor in Britain's victory. But what were the rest of Her Majesty's submarines doing?
After all, 5 British nuclear-powered ships took part in the Falklands War, one British diesel-electric submarine for special operations and two Argentine "diesels" - a total of eight submarines, each of which has its own combat history. However, very little is known about their actions - thematic sources often ignore the submarine fleet, preferring to talk about surface ships.
Indeed, the story about the combat service of submarines is of little interest from the point of view of the media - British nuclear-powered ships did not receive damage from enemy actions. They did not explode, burn or drown. We did not engage in combat with Argentine aviation. They did not use their weapons - only the Conqueror nuclear submarine managed to shoot in combat conditions.
The rest of the submarines only quietly patrolled along the coast of Patagonia, sometimes performing absolutely fantastic functions. For example, they provided long-range radar detection in the interests of the British squadron.
The nuclear-powered submarines Spartan and Splendid operated in the vicinity of the Rio Grande airbase (Tierra del Fuego) - lifting retractable devices and detection equipment (periscopes, radar antennas and electronic reconnaissance systems) above the water, they continuously scanned the airspace, tracking everything movements of the Argentine aviation.
"12:15. Passenger Boeing - Heading to the Open Ocean. "14:20. Four combat aircraft heading north-east. Prepare for the visit of the guests."
Operational information from the submarines allowed the British to somehow plan to repel air attacks - knowing the estimated time of arrival of the "guests" and the most likely direction of attack, carrier-based fighters "Sea Harrier" and helicopters "Sea King" rose into the air, hanging garlands of foil over the ocean and dipole reflectors. The crews of air defense missile systems and anti-aircraft guns were preparing for battle.
However, after a while the Argentines noticed the suspicious activity of British submarines in the immediate vicinity of the Rio Grande airbase and guessed the enemy's plans. Unable to drive away the unceremonious observers, the Argentine Air Force used an elementary trick - they began to lift all their aircraft into the air every day for no reason.
"11:10. Passenger business jet took off”. "11:40. Takeoff of the four "Daggers". "11:50. Two combat aircraft heading north-east."
Panic begins on British ships - tons of foil strips are flying into the air. The sailors await a massive air attack with horror. But the enemy is nowhere to be found … the tension is growing, the nerves of the British are at the limit. "Harriers" frantically rush over the Atlantic, burning precious fuel. And so day after day.
An interesting fact - the submarine "Spartan" became the first ship of Her Majesty to arrive in the conflict area at the beginning of April 1982 - 20 days earlier than the main forces of the squadron. An invisible underwater scout surveyed the coast of the occupied Falkland Islands, calculated the approximate number of enemy forces and tracked down Argentine mine-laying ships. However, “Spartan” did not receive the order to open fire - everyone hoped to the last for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The layout of the British Churchill-class nuclear submarine (the Conqueror belonged to this type)
In addition to monitoring the Rio Grande airbase, one of the British submarines was continuously on duty at the entrance to Puerto Belgrano, the main naval base of the Argentine Navy (province of Buenos Aires). On May 5, 1982, a submarine going at a shallow depth was noticed by anti-submarine aircraft - realizing that it had been discovered, the nuclear submarine sank and … melted into the ocean without a trace. The Argentines did not manage to get rid of the intrusive and attentive "guard" until the last day of the war - any attempt to bring the fleet into the ocean meant an inevitable disaster - the underwater killer "Koreyges" would have killed all the ships of the Argentine Navy right at the exit from the base.
H. M. S. Valiant
But the most curious incident occurred with the nuclear submarine "Valiant" - in the absence of a naval enemy, the submarine was directed to the Rio Grande. Now "Valiant", "Spartan" and "Splendid" already in three periscopes monitored the situation at the Argentine air base. But the incredible happened - the Argentine Air Force returning from the combat mission "Daggers" could not find the target and decided to get rid of the dangerous cargo by dropping bombs into the ocean. The bombs fell successfully, nearly hitting a British nuclear submarine. By chance.
The hull of the steel fish shuddered from nearby explosions, the sound-absorbing coating peeled off from the outer side of the cabin. The Valiant counted combat damage. Nevertheless, the boat spent 101 days on combat patrol, thus becoming the record holder among British submarines.
H. M. S. Onyx - Oberon-class diesel-electric submarine
Separately, it is worth noting the small vicious fish "Onyx" - the only British diesel-electric submarine that took part in the conflict. Unlike her older "colleagues", the baby performed complex and risky operations directly in the coastal waters of the Falkland Islands. Already on April 20, the first group of SBS (Special Boat Service) naval special forces was landed on the island of South Georgia from the Onyx submarine for reconnaissance and survey of the coast. Then there was a long and dangerous job off the coast of the Falkland Islands. During one of the night landings, the boat ran into stones, seriously damaging the bow. Nevertheless, subsequently, Onyx was able to return under its own power to Great Britain, having covered a distance of 20,000 nautical miles during the voyage.
In addition, the Onyx submarine is known for delivering a "blow of mercy" to the heavily damaged amphibious assault ship Sir Galahed, flooding it with a torpedo in the open ocean.
Bow end of the same type boat "Oberon"
Argentine Navy submarines
The actions of Argentine submariners can hardly be called a role model. Numerous problems, outdated equipment and insufficient training of personnel - it was useless to expect any great results in such a situation. The British had a serious anti-submarine defense - 22 destroyers and frigates, modern sonar stations, dozens of anti-submarine helicopters. All this against the only active submarine of the Argentine Navy!
Nevertheless, even in these difficult conditions, the Argentine submariners were able to achieve some success: the diesel-electric submarine "San Luis" became the only ship that was able to break the naval blockade and attack the ships of the British squadron.
ARA San Luis (S-32)
Three attacks. Three torpedoes fired. Two recorded explosions. The Argentine version of events can only cause a grin.
20 hours of sticky fear. The frigates "Brilliant" and "Yarmouth" are thrown in pursuit of the boat. A series of depth charges dropped and at least one torpedo fired. The British version of events leaves no doubt - the impressions from the acquaintance with the Argentine submarine, which took place on May 1, 1982, will haunt sailors for a long time in terrible dreams.
Ten days later, another mystical incident happened - Her Majesty's frigate Arrow heard a powerful explosion astern - when they began to pull out a towed acoustic trap, it turned out that only fragments of a cable remained from it. On that day, the Argentine submariners were one step away from victory.
The most surprising thing is that after all the vicissitudes of this military campaign, the Argentine submarine "San Luis" safely returned to the base. It remains unclear why the submarine's crew carried out attacks with single shots - according to the simple rules of submarine warfare, in order to guarantee hitting the target, you should shoot with a volley - firing torpedoes in a fan towards the enemy. Perhaps the Argentines had some technical problems that did not allow them to fully realize the capabilities of the submarine.
Drawing of one of the crew members of the "San Luis"
The crew of the Argentine submarine. And also these guys play great football.
Argentine "Varyag"
For the sake of completeness, it should be added that the second submarine of the Argentine Navy, Santa Fe, took part in the conflict. Holy Faith. Alas, the pious name did not bring success to the ship - "Santa Fe" died in the first days of the war.
How could this have happened? The only fact puts everything in its place: "Santa Fe" is a former diesel-electric submarine USS Catfish (SS-339) of the "Balao" type. Launched (attention!) In 1944.
Going to sea on the Santa Fe in the age of mighty nuclear submarines and guided missile weapons was very risky on the part of Argentine sailors. The situation was complicated by the lack of radio communication on the boat (a little later the radar was out of order). But even this "old bucket" turned out to be a dangerous enemy, and its sinking turned into a tragicomedy with an enchanting ending.
ARA Santa Fe (S-21)
The first time Santa Fe secretly landed a special forces group on April 2, 1982 - during the brilliantly carried out capture of South Georgia Island.
On April 24, 1982, the boat once again delivered a group of paratroopers and equipment to the island, where it was discovered by British helicopters. The news of the Argentine submarine delighted the British so much that the frigate and tanker of the Expeditionary Force rushed over the horizon, and the military icebreaker Endurens climbed into the impassable ice field, where he spent the whole night chatting with fear. Helicopters made 8 sorties overnight to search for an enemy submarine
On April 26, the Santa Fe on the surface was spotted by a helicopter's radar. The British threw depth charges into the boat, and then drove two small anti-ship missiles into it. Despite a fire in the deckhouse fence and increasing heel and trim, the Santa Fe was able to dock at the old whaling station in South Georgia. The crew was taken prisoner.
The British did not calm down on this - the submarine standing off the coast still posed a considerable danger - 23 torpedoes, fuel, a faulty battery. The Santa Fe should be moved to safety as soon as possible. Part of the Santa Fe crew was involved in the operation to transfer the boat. According to the Argentine version, an attempt at sabotage was allegedly followed, as a result of which the Argentine sailor Felix Artuso was shot dead. Whether it was really a heroic act of Argentine sailors or a consequence of the usual mess (the Argentines did not know English, and the British - Spanish), but the damaged Santa Fe sank right in the middle of the fairway.
Here's a story.
Boat at the whaling station
The rise of "Santa Fe", 1984
