San Carlos Water was the site of a major battle between aircraft and ships that lasted for five days in 1982 as a British amphibious force landed to recapture the Falkland Islands from the Argentine invaders.
For the first time in history, a modern surface fleet armed with surface to air missiles and with air cover backed up by STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) carrier based aircraft, defended against full scale air strikes. The British fleet sustained severe losses and damage, but were able to land and consolidate the beachhead.
On the night of the 21st of May 1982, and under cover of darkness, the British Task force entered San Carlos Water, an inlet on Falklands Sound, the strait between East and West Falkland and began unloading troops and equipment. The location was chosen as the terrain would protect the landing force from attack by Exocets or submarines and was also far enough distant from Stanley to prevent a rapid reaction from the troops based there.
By the end of the first day, over 3,000 men and over 1,000 tons of supplies and equipment had been landed. Rapier missile systems and 105mm howitzers were also brought ashore. A section of the Argentine 25th Infantry Regiment was based on nearby Fanning Head and spotted the landings at around 2.50am. They immediately opened fire with 81mm mortars and 105mm recoilless rifles.
They were soon engaged by British naval gunfire and a 25 man SBS team and were forced to retreat, losing their communications kit and equipment, but managing to shoot down two Gazelle helicopters with small arms fire. Their leader, 1st Lt Carlos Esteban, eventually managed to contact the Goose Green garrison and tell them of the landings at 8.22 the same morning.
The Argentine High Command based in Stanley initially considered that a landing at San Carlos was not feasible and dismissed the operation as a diversion. Finally, at 08.45am, a Pucara ground attack jet based on the islands was despatched to San Carlos on a reconnaissance flight. The pilot, Lieutenant Guillermo Crippa made two passes over the invasion fleet, strafing HMS Argonaut and the troopship Canberra with guns and rockets. Troops on Canberra had lashed 50 cal machine guns to the cruise liner’s rails and returned fire on the aircraft which was eventually shot down by one of the escorting frigates.
Due to the short length of runway at Port Stanley, the Argentineans could not base their fastest jets on the islands and had to fly all major sorties from the mainland. This seriously reduced the time pilots could spend over the islands and contributed to the eventual failure of their attacks.
Fifteen minutes later, three Pucara ground attack aircraft were launched from the grass strip at Goose Green. Their leader, Captain Benitez was immediately engaged by the guns of HMS Ardent, but it was a Stinger missile fired by an SAS section patrolling the hills above the bay that brought the Pucara down. Captain Benitez ejected and eventually made his way back to his base.
The other two Pucaras were intercepted by Sea Harriers, led by Commander Nigel “Sharkey” Ward who shot one down and damaged the other which limped back to Goose Green. Five minutes later, four Mirage 111 jets appeared north of the islands in an attempt to draw the British fighters away from the landing area to mask the arrival of a flight of 10 Mirage 5 Dagger aircraft who immediately swooped in to attack. These aircraft did not have air refuelling capacity and even with two 550 gallon drop tanks, were at the very limit of their range. The first two Daggers made for HMS Antrim and dropped their 1,000 lb bombs which failed to explode. They followed by strafing the ship with 30mm cannon fire before peeling away. Throughout the battle a total of thirteen of the total bombs dropped failed to explode. This was later discovered to be caused by faulty fuse setting and certainly saved a number of the British fleet from destruction.
Three more Daggers swept in directing their attention to HMS Argonaut and HMS Broadsword. The first, piloted by Lieutenant Bean was hit and destroyed by a Sea Wolf missile from Broadsword who also damaged the second while the third closed in to attack, but was forced away by the intensity of the anti-aircraft fire. For the troops on the ground the attacks were frustrating and they responded by firing at the aircraft with machine guns, rockets and even rifles. One Dagger was reported to have been brought down by machine gun fire by 3 Para on Fanning Head. HMS Brilliant then came under attack from the next wave of Daggers, but had a lucky escape when the planes bombs “hung up” and could not be released.
HMS Antrim was the next to come under attack. The Dagger released its bombs which again failed to explode although one did damage the stern of the destroyer. As the Daggers turned away, Sea Harriers launched Sidewinder missiles at them but they fell short. After a lull of about an hour, a flight of four A4 Skyhawks descended in attack formation, but were intercepted by the ever watchful Sea Harriers who shot two down with Sidewinders as the others retreated.
Two more Skyhawks then pounced on HMS Ardent, who was on the “gun line” to the south of the screen of fighting ships protecting the landing when she was straddled by two bombs which did not explode. By now the situation was chaotic with gunfire, smoke, explosions and weaving and darting aircraft. The ships had been under heavy attack for hours and it was a miracle that they were still afloat.
Shortly after 1.30 in the afternoon, Argonaut was struck by two 1,000 lb bomb which again failed to explode, but one crashed through her Sea Cat missile magazine, detonating two missiles and causing heavy damage.
Four fresh Daggers then arrived from the mainland and began an attack on HMS Ardent. The attack was broken up by Harriers who shot one Dagger down as the others escaped. For the next hour the attacks continued without respite, but by now the Harrier pilots were beginning to recognise the pattern of the Dagger approach corridor and Fleet Air Arm pilots Commander Nigel “Sharkey” Ward and Lieutenant Thomas lay in wait for the next arrivals. As soon as the next three Daggers appeared, they were bounced by the Harriers. The Daggers jettisoned their bombs and drop tanks in an effort to escape but were hit by Sidewinders and destroyed.
Just after 3.15, three Skyhawks led by Captain Philipi, managed to evade the Harriers and struck Ardent with several 500 lb bombs and raked the ship with cannon fire. As they attempted to escape they were attacked by the Harriers who shot down Philipi and his wingman Lieutenant Marquez. Philipi managed to bale out but Marquez was killed. The third Skyhawk, piloted by Lieutenant Arca, was damaged and he ditched in the sea, but was bravely rescued from the water by Captain Jorge “Picho” Svendsen in a Huey helicopter.
The raids continued until 5.15 with no further damage. HMS Ardent was then ordered to the north west to “split air attacks from the south”, when three enemy aircraft crossed Falkland sound from the west and then turned left in order to attack from the north east. Ardent’s Sea Cat missile system was unable to lock on to the planes in time and her 4.5 inch gun was unable to bear on the attackers. She was struck by cannon fire and three bombs, two of which exploded in the hangar area, destroying the Westland Lynx helicopter and blowing the Sea Cat launcher some 80 feet in the air before crashing back on the deck and killing a number of her crew. The third bomb crashed through the aft machinery room, but failed to explode although it severely damaged the aft switchboard which disabled the ship’s main gun.
Ardent was still in control of her engines and steering, but was virtually defenceless. She was ordered to head north towards Port San Carlos, but at 18.00, five Skyhawks attacked the frigate and dropped a number of free fall and retard bombs. A pattern of bombs exploded on the port quarter and a number of others penetrated the hull, but failed to explode. Other bombs fell close to the ship, battering the hull and causing some flooding. Much of the upperworks were shattered with many of the crew killed or injured.
Ardent limped in to Grantham Sound with the fires now out of control and the ship listing heavily. Her Commander, Alan West, gave the order to abandon ship and HMS Yarmouth came alongside to take off survivors and transfer them to Canberra. By now it was known that 22 men had lost their lives. Ardent burned throughout the night with the occasional explosion until she sank at 6.30 the next day.
Thus ended the first day of the landing. The British had taken some hard knocks, but had not been dislodged. The Argentines had lost 16 aircraft, forcing them to rethink their tactics.
On the 22nd May, bad weather over the Argentine mainland precluded any Falkland missions being flown and enabled the British to complete their deployment of Rapier surface to air missile batteries. The elimination of several Argentine observation posts by the SAS on the west side of Falkland Sound might also have contributed to the lull.
The battle resumed on the 23rd, when at 1.30 in the afternoon, four Skyhawks led by Captain Carballo appeared and attacked Broadsword and Antelope. Carballo’s plane was damaged by a Sea Cat missile from Antelope and he was forced to return to base. A second Skyhawk, piloted by Lieutenant Rinke, dropped a 1,000 lb bomb on Antelope’s side, killing crewman Mark Stephens. The third plane piloted by Lieutenant Guadagnimi was hit and killed by 20mm cannon fire from Antelope and crashed through her mainmast while carrying out his bombing run. His bombs pierced the hull, again failing to explode The ship proceeded to more sheltered waters so that two bomb technicians from the Royal Engineers could come aboard and attempt to defuse the two unexploded bombs. One of the bombs was found to inaccessible due to wreckage; the other had been damaged and was in a particularly dangerous condition. Three attempts were made by the bomb disposal team to withdraw the fuse by remote control means but failed, and a fourth attempt to kill the fuse with a small explosive charge resulted in the bomb detonating, killing Staff Sergeant James Prescott and injuring Warrant Officer Philips. The explosion tore the ship apart from waterline to funnel, starting major fires which spread very quickly and her commander, Nick Tobin, gave the order to abandon ship. He was the last to leave and just minutes after his departure the missile magazines began exploding.
Explosions continued throughout the night. She was still afloat the following day, but her back was broken and her superstructure melted into a heap of twisted metal. She sank later that day.
A further flight of four Skyhawks, led by Captain Tabanos, then attacked Broadsword and Yarmouth, but were driven off. Ironically, one of the four pilots, Captain Zubizaretta, was killed when his parachute failed to fully open after he ejected from his Skyhawk due to a tyre bursting on landing with his bombs still loaded. The plane stopped by itself and did not suffer further damage. During further attacks throughout the afternoon, another Dagger was shot down by Harriers and the pilot killed.
On the morning of the 24th, in a change of tactics, the fighting started at 10.15 when five Skyhawks attacked ships inside the bay. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Sir Lancelot was hit by a 1,000 lb bomb which failed to explode. Two LCUs (Landing Craft Utilities) were also hit. Shortly after, two Daggers attacked and damaged RFA Sir Bedivere inside the bay, while two others dropped bombs in the landing area. Three more Daggers were intercepted by Harriers and shot down, one of the pilots being killed and the other two ejecting.
More Skyhawk attacks were made throughout the morning, now concentrating on the landing ships. Sir Galahad came under attack but escaped serious damage. The increasingly frustrated Argentine pilots were spending longer seeking to break through the Sea Harrier defences and consequently were running short of fuel and had to be rescued by KC 130 tankers flown out from the mainland for mid air refuelling to enable them to reach home.
There was much unrest among the Argentine pilots who felt that they were fighting the war alone with no help from the army or navy. The unrest was spreading to near mutiny until the Argentine high command intervened and calmed the situation down.
Fighting continued on the 25th, with Skyhawk attacks beginning at 9.00am and HMS Coventry shooting down the first of the day with her Sea Dart missiles, killing the pilot Captain Palaver. Coventry, together with Broadsword, had been ordered to the north west of Falkland Sound to act as decoys to draw Argentine aircraft away from other ships in San Carlos Water. Later that morning three more Skyhawks arrived and attacked ships inside the bay. HMS Yarmouth shot down the first with a Sea Cat, while a second was struck and destroyed by one of Coventry’s Sea Darts. The third was damaged and losing fuel, but was rescued by a KC 130 tanker who fuelled her and escorted her home. That afternoon, two Skyhawks managed to get through the defence screen and attacked Broadsword, damaging her communications equipment and destroying the ship’s helicopter. The attack also caused her missile system to “lock out” and could not be fired.
The last attack of the day came at 3.20pm when Skyhawks piloted by Lieutenant Velasco and Ensign Barrionuevo, attacked HMS Coventry. The planes flew so low and at a 20 degree angle to her port bow that Coventry’s radar could not distinguish them from the surrounding land and could not lock on and turned hard to starboard to reduce her profile. Broadsword managed to reset her missile system and acquired the targets, but could not fire as Coventry’s turn took her directly into the line of fire. Coventry fired her 4.5 inch gun at the attackers as well as small arms fire. Her port side 20mm Oerliken jammed, but she continued firing with machine guns. Three bombs then struck her just above the waterline on the port side. One exploded beneath the computer room, destroying it and the adjoining operations room, injuring most of the senior officers. The others entered the forward engine room and exploded, causing the ship to list heavily to port. The third bomb failed to explode. With such damage the ship could not survive. The crew abandoned ship and within 20 minutes Coventry had capsized. Nineteen crewmen died on Coventry and a further thirty three injured.
The fighting had proved the worth of the Harriers. Their ability to virtually stop dead in a dogfight, (a procedure known as “viffing”, VIFF – Vectored in Forward Flight) and launch their latest version Sidewinders at the faster enemy jets, caused many nations to rethink their fighter policy. The Harriers are credited with destroying 16 confirmed kills, plus one probable with their missiles. Their guns accounted for 4 confirmed kills, plus 2 probable.
The British warships, although themselves bearing the brunt of the attacks, did succeed in keeping the strike aircraft away from the landing fleet inside the bay and enabled British troops to establish themselves on Falklands soil. The land battles that followed ended in the Argentine surrender in Port Stanley on June 14th.
Britain had successfully completed an amphibious landing 8,000 miles from base against a determined enemy, proving to the world that Britannia still had teeth and despite the considered opinion of the US Navy who had declared such a mission “militarily impossible”.
The retaking of the Falklands cost British forces two destroyers, two frigates, two landing craft and a container ship, together with twenty helicopters and ten fighters. The Argentines lost a cruiser, a submarine, four cargo vessels, two patrol boats, together with twenty five helicopters and seventy five assorted fixed wing aircraft.
The Argentine Air Force and Navy pilots showed great courage in their raids on the invasion fleet, but were severely hampered by the short “time over target” available due to fuel constraints. The Skyhawk, is a formidable attack aircraft, but even fitted with two 295 gallon drop tanks, still needed aerial refuelling twice during missions to the Falklands. These planes were also carrier capable, but the Argentine High Command was unwilling to risk sending their own carrier into the war zone. During the conflict the Skyhawks were fitted with the British made 1,000 lb bomb (Mark 17) or the 227 kilo Spanish/American built retarding tail bomb. They were armed with two 20mm Colt Mark 12 cannons.
The Israeli built Mirage 5 Dagger did not have aerial refuelling capability and despite being fitted with two 550 gallon drop tanks, was flying at the absolute limit of its range. It too carried the 1,000 lb bomb load and was armed with 30mm DEFA cannon.
The Argentine FM 1A-58 Pucara was a turbo prop ground attack aircraft and operated from a grass airstrip at Goose Green during the conflict. It was armed with rocket pods, two 20mm cannon and four 7.62 machine guns.
Britain has now abandoned the formidable Harrier, and indeed, the ships from which to fly them. It will be some years before we have the proposed two carriers commissioned and even longer to receive aircraft for them. We can only hope that the endless cuts to the most professional fighting forces in the world, does not backfire on us.
It is doubtful, should a similar event such as the Argentine invasion of the Falklands take place in the future, whether Britain could mount an operation such as the Task Force that so bravely set out from Portsmouth in 1982.
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