The Port Belgrano Raid

United Kingdom
 **130 Aircraft**
60 F-14C
70 Tornado IDS
**3 Aircraft Carriers**
*Cunningham Class/CVA-01*
Cunningham
*Hermes Class*
Hermes
*Invincible Class*
Invincible
**4 Battleships**
*Thunderer Class*
Thunderer
Monarch
*Lion Class*
Lion
Temeraire
**8 Cruisers**
*Minotaur Class*
Edgar
Bellerophon
*Neptune Class*
Hercules
Ajax
Plymouth
*Tiger Class*
Tiger
Defence
Blake
**12 Destroyers**
*Type 42*
*Southampton*
*Birmingham*
Newcastle
Glascow
Liverpool
Cardiff
Manchester
*Type 82*
Bristol
Suffolk
Sussex
*County Class*
Antrim
Glamorgan
Fife
**10 Frigates**
*Type 22*
Brilliant
Broadsword
*Type 21*
Active
Alacrity
Ambuscade
Avenger
Arrow
*Leander Class*
Andromeda
Minerva
Penelope
32 Mig-25
24 Mig-23
12 Mirage III
17 IAI Dagger
**2 Aircraft Carriers**
*1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier*
Veinticinco de Mayo
Independencia
**5 Battleships**
*Littorio Class*
Buenos Aires
San Martín
*Santa Cruz Class*
Santa Cruz
Catamarca
Tucumán
**1 Cruiser**
*Galveston Class*
Pueyrredón
**7 Destroyers**
*Type 42*
Santísima Trinidad
Hércules
*Kashin Class*
Almirante Storni
Robinson
*Gearing Class*
Comodoro Py
*Allen M Sumner Class*
Comodoro Seguí
Hipólito Bouchard
**4 Frigates**
*Krivak Class*
República
Azopardo
Murature
King
**4 Submarines**
*Type 209*
Salta
San Luis
*Tango Class*
Santiago Del Estero
 0800 -Strike launched fromc carriers Cunningham and Hermes.
Aircraft stay low to the water to avoid detection.
0900 - Aircraft ascend to 500ft and launch AGM-45 anti radiation and Sea Eagle Anti ship missiles.
0902 - Radar defenses destroyed alongside the battleships San Martín, Tucumán, Santa Cruz, and destroyer Santísima Trinidad.
0903 - Aircraft scrambled from Comandante Espora air base.
0905 - Tornado aircraft close in and bomb the port.
0905 - Battleship Buenos Aires leaves mooring and attempts to escape harbor alongside destroyers Robinson, Seguí,
and Frigates República, and King.
0906 - Carrier Independencia stuck by 4 500lb bombs.
0907 - Cruiser Pueyrredón sunk after being struck with 6 1000lb bombs.
0908 - Carrier Independencia sunk due to aviation fuel fires reaching ordnance stores.
0909 - Submarine base bombed 2 Tango class Santiago Del Estero, and San Juan sunk.
0909 - Destroyers Robinson and Comodoro Seguí bombed. The former struck by 2 1000lb while the later is hit by 3 500lb bombs.
0910 - Frigates República, and King struck by 2 500lb bomb hits each.
0913 - Battleship Buenos Aires sunk after 7 bomb hits(2 1,000lb, 5 500lb).
 **13 Aircraft**
6 F-14C
7 Tornado IDS
32 Mig-25
19 Mig-23
5 Mirage III
6 IAI Dagger
**1 Aircraft Carrier**
Independencia
**5 Battleships**
*Littorio Class*
Buenos Aires
San Martín
*Santa Cruz Class*
Santa Cruz
Catamarca
Tucumán
**1 Cruiser**
Pueyrredón
**3 Destroyers**
*Type 42*
Satsima Trinidad
*Kashin Class*
Robinson
*Allen M Sumner*
Comodoro Seguí
**2 Frigates**
*Krivak Class*
República
King
**2 Submarines**
*Tango Class*
Santiago Del Estero

## Backround

After the Action of June 1st 1982, the argentine fleet retreated to Porte Belgrano. After the location of the fleet was confirmed on June 3rd 1982, the British Admiralty began lobbying to Thatcher for an attack on the Argentine fleet at Porte Belgrano. According to First Sea Lord Henry Leach, such a strike would "Effectively remove the Argentine fleet from the war." After incessant pushing from the Defence Council, Thatcher approved the strike on June 10th. Planning for the attack was complete by June 15th as multiple attack plans had been prepared since the war began.

## Attack

### Sea Eagle Attack

On the morning of June 18th the British fleet sailed of the coast of Argentina and 0800 began launching aircraft. The strike stayed low to the water to avoid radar detection. At 0900 the strike increased altitude to 500ft and launched HARM anti radiation missiles. This was followed by SEA Eagle anti ship missiles at 0901. The anti radiation missiles struck first destroying the argentine navies air defense capabilities. Next the Sea Eagle Missiles targeted the fleet. The battleships in the north basin were heavily hit. With the Flagship San Martín and destroyer Santísima Trinidad sunk along with the battleships Santa Cruz, and Tucumán. At 0902 the San Martín was struck by 7 Anti ship missiles, the destroyer was hit by 4 missiles. Other missiles struck the The missiles started fires in the San Martíns secondary magazine. The fire had spread to the forward magazine by 0906. Attempts to flood the magazine failed due to the speed at which the fire spread through the ship. The magazine detonated at 0907 filling the north basin with thick smoke. Out of a crew of 1,900 only 173 survived. The battleships Tucumán, and Santa Cruz were heavily damaged; the former being struck by 6 missiles the latter struck by 9. Both ships would sink latter in the day. The destroyer Santísima Trinidad had the misfortune of being moored alongside the doomed San Martín. The ship being struck by 2 missiles intended for the larger ship. She would be abandoned at 0910

### Bombing of Porte Belgrano

At 0905 Tornado aircraft closed in to bomb the fleet while the F-14s maintained air superiority. At 0905 the battleship Buenos Aires left her moorings and got underway she was soon joined by the destroyers Robinson, Seguí, and Frigates República, and King. While the Buenos Aires was gettin underway she was struck by 2 1000lb bombs limiting her to a speed of 18 knots. Tornados soon targeted the carrier Independencia, and at 0906 she was struck by 4 500lb bombs. These started aviation fuel fires in her hanger. By 0908 the carrier was abandoned due to fires reaching her ordnance stores. At 0907 the cruiser Prredón was struck by 6 1000lb bombs in rapid succesion. She quickly sank due to rapid flooding. At 0909 aircraft targeted the submarine base. The 2 tango class submarines in port were each struck by a 500lb bomb sinking them. Aircraft then turned their attention to the ships attempting to escape harbor. The destroyers Robinson and Comodoro Seguí were bombed. The former struck by 2 1000lb while the later is hit by 3 500lb bombs. The frigates República, and King were crippled by 2 500lb bomb hits each at 0910, forcing the crews to ground them. Then at 0910 the battleship Buenos Aires was struck by 3 500lb bombs. She soon began to list to starboard and by 0911 she had a list of 3 degrees. Damage control efforts were further hampered by 2 more bomb hits at 0912. Attempts were made to ground the ship but she sank at 0913. British forces withdrew at 0914.

## Aftermath

After this humiliating defeat the Argentine Navy ceased to be a factor in the war. Combined with the surrender of the Falkland Islands garrison 4 days earlier led to the British decision to authorize an invasion of Argentina.