Sinking of ARA General Belgrano 1982
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 2 May 1982 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1982 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Nearest landmass | At sea (nearest continent: South America) | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | South America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Falklands War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Argentina, United Kingdom | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | -55.4000, -61.5333 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano was sunk on May 2, 1982, by the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror during the Falklands War. The sinking led to the death of 323 Argentine sailors, almost half of all Argentine casualties during the conflict, and sparked controversy, as the attack occurred outside the exclusion zone established by the British government around the islands. In the UK, some commentators have suggested that the action may have been motivated by political considerations, such as undermining peace talks or bolstering Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's popularity among the British public. In Argentina, some critics have characterized the sinking of the cruiser as a contentious act, with some even suggesting it could constitute a war crime, though this interpretation is debated and has not been legally substantiated. Some analyses argue that, from a military perspective, the sinking contributed to British naval superiority, which may have influenced the outcome of the conflict. However, this perspective remains part of broader debates about the strategic and ethical implications of the event.
The sinking of the General Belgrano was the first case of a warship being torpedoed and sunk in action by a nuclear submarine, and one of only five cases of a warship being sunk by any type of…
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Sinking of ARA General Belgrano (revision 1380046098), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Snipe incident 1958 · 360 km
Other battles of the Falklands War
- Battle of Goose Green 1982
- Battle of Mount Harriet 1982
- Battle of Mount Kent 1982
- Battle of Mount Longdon 1982
- Battle of Mount Tumbledown 1982
- Battle of San Carlos (1982) 1982
- Battle of Seal Cove 1982
- Battle of Two Sisters 1982
- Battle of Wireless Ridge 1982
- Bluff Cove air attacks 1982
All 14 battles of the Falklands War →
Browse more: battles at sea · South America · Post-1945 battles