Battle of Seal Cove
Battle of Seal Cove | |||||||
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Part of Falklands War | |||||||
Sketch depicting the chase of the Argentine coastal vessel Monsunen by British frigates Details
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Belligerents | |||||||
United Kingdom | Argentina | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Captain Anthony Morton (HMS Yarmouth) Captain John Coward (HMS Brilliant) |
Captain Jorge A. Gopcevich-Canevari (ARA Monsunen) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 Type 22 frigate 1 Rothesay-class frigate | 1 armed coastal ship | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
None |
1 coastal ship beached (later taken in tow and rescued by ARA Forrest) 1 wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Seal Cove was a minor naval action west of
Background
The ARA Monsunen was a 326 ton British coaster vessel owned by the Falklands Islands Company that had been captured in the course of the Argentine invasion. The ship was spotted by a RAF GR.3 Harrier[1] while sailing from Fox Bay towards Stanley with a cargo of 150 drums of fuel and 250 sacks of flour.[2] Her commander, Captain Jorge Gopcevich-Canevari claims that his ship had evaded the vigilance of a British frigate in the same area while carrying out a similar mission on 14 May.[3]
The engagement
At 4:00 am
HMS Yarmouth began to fire her 4.5-inch (114 mm) guns on the Argentine vessel, forcing her to manoeuvre in order to avoid the incoming rounds. When the distance fell to four nautical miles (7.4 km), Gopcevich decided that the only way to deceive the British radar was to beach Monsunen on Seal Cove, a large inlet nearby.[1][2]
Shortly after he succeeded in running aground his ship and ordering the crew to abandon her, the British shelling resumed. The fire was inaccurate and aimed at the general area of landing. In the process of evacuating the vessel, one of the ratings fell overboard and suffered some serious bruises, but he was successfully rescued by a young sailor.[7] The crew members took refuge in an improvised inland shelter.[2]
According to Vázquez, the British squadron fired 100
The British warships eventually called off a second SBS assault on the grounded Argentine vessel as it was unclear whether troops on board "could have stay behind in ambush".[8]
Aftermath
The British frigates gave up their chase and withdrew from the area before sunrise; Yarmouth, with the SBS detachment aboard, headed to San Carlos waters, while Brilliant joined the carrier group for refuelling.[1][8][9] Monsunen was found by her complement at dawn, with her engine still running; apparently after refloating by the rising tide. However, a sling had become entangled with her propeller, disabling the
With the ship's speed now dramatically reduced, Gopcevich radioed for help to Stanley.[2]
A few hours later, another British coastal supply ship seized by the Argentine Navy, ARA Forrest, towed Monsunen to Darwin.[4] The much needed cargo was uploaded by ARA Forrest, which made for Stanley. The coaster successfully completed Monsunen's relief mission on 25 May.[2] ARA Monsunen was later recovered at Darwin by British forces on 29 May, after the Battle of Goose Green.[8]
The action is thought to be the only naval encounter between armed surface ships in the war.[10] Jorge Gopcevich-Canevari was awarded the La Nación Argentina al Valor en Combate cross.[11]
Gallery
Notes
- ^ a b c d Freedman, p. 473
- ^ a b c d e f g Mayorga, pp. 378-380
- ISBN 978-987-8918-21-1.
- ^ a b Smith, p. 81
- ^ The improvised ship's gunners were an army sergeant and a conscript who served the 12.7 mm machine gun that shot at the Lynx. The Argentine crew claim that the helicopter's fuselage was hit by the tracer bullets.(Webpage with some photos of the ship and her crew) (in Spanish)
- ^ ISBN 978-987-8918-21-1.
- ^ This serviceman was honored with the highest Argentine Congress decoration after the war. He committed suicide in January 2006. "El suicidio de un soldado distinguido con la medalla de honor en Malvinas" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Southby-Tailyour and Clapp, p. 247
- ^ HMS Yarmouth: Captains Diary Archived 21 March 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Naval-History.net
- ISBN 950-899-060-0(in Spanish)
References
- Mayorga, Horacio A. (1998). No Vencidos. Ed. Planeta, Buenos Aires. ISBN 950-742-976-X(in Spanish)
- ISBN 0-7146-5207-5
- Smith, Gordon (2006). Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982 by Land, Sea and Air. Lulu.com. ISBN 1-84753-950-5
- ISBN 0-85052-420-2
- "Falkland Area Operations, 22nd-23rd May 1982"
- Apostadero naval Malvinas (in Spanish)