ARA Santa Fe
Encyclopedia
The ARA Santa Fe was an Argentine
Balao-class submarine which was lost during the Falklands War
. Built during the Second World War, the submarine served in United States Navy as before being commissioned into the Argentine Navy
in 1971. She served until 1982 when she was captured by the British
at South Georgia after being seriously damaged and subsequently sank along a pier, with just her sail visible above the waterline. The submarine was raised, towed out of the bay and scuttled in deep waters in 1985.
, USA and was launched on November 19, 1944. Commissioned into the US Navy
as , the submarine entered service in March 1945. As Catfish the submarine took part in the closing stages of the Pacific war against Japan
. Afterwards she served in the US 7th fleet in the Pacific Ocean
seeing service in the Korean War
. After this period the boat was given a Guppy III conversion.
In 1971, Catfish was decommissioned and sold to Argentina where she was renamed ARA Santa Fe.
In 1982, the Santa Fe took part in the Falklands War
alongside the ARA San Luis
, the only two operative submarines in the Argentine Navy. The Santa Fe supported the Argentine invasion
by landing tactical divers
on Yorke Bay, who marked the beach for the main amphibious force and seized the lighthouse. Later she departed from the islands and stayed on station in the nearby area as a large British task force approached the South Atlantic.
On April 12, the Santa Fe was ordered to ferry a party of marines based at Puerto Belgrano
and supplies to Grytviken
, in South Georgia. She departed from Mar del Plata
on the first hours of April 17.
On April 23 the Royal Navy
ships, ; ; ; and the ice patrol boat were sent to retake the island of South Georgia with a detachment of Royal Marines
and Special Boat Service
commando
s. The threat of Santa Fe forced the British ships to keep a distance as they landed troops on the island.
The Santa Fe accomplished the resupply mission and landed the marine troops on April 25. Members of the Argentine garrison had salvaged a crippled BAS
launch, which was used to download the cargo. Some hours later, after leaving Grytviken, Santa Fe was detected on radar by Lieutenant Chris Parry
, the observer of the Westland Wessex
HAS.3 anti-submarine helicopter from , and attacked with depth charge
s. This attack caused extensive internal damage, including the splitting of a ballast tank, the dismounting of electrical components and shocks to the machinery. As the submarine struggled to return to Grytviken on the surface, launched a Westland Wasp HAS.1
helicopter, and launched a Westland Lynx HAS.2
. The Lynx dropped a Mk 46 torpedo, which failed to strike home, but strafed the submarine with its pintle-mounted 7.62 mm L7 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). The Wessex also fired on the Santa Fe with its GPMG. The Wasp from HMS Plymouth as well as two other Wasps launched from fired AS-12 air-to-surface
anti-ship missile
s at the submarine scoring hits. Santa Fes men and the marines onshore attempted to fight off the attack by firing their rifles, machine guns and an old Bantam antitank missile
on the aircraft, but the Argentine boat was damaged badly enough to prevent her from submerging or even from sailing away. The crew abandoned the listing submarine at the jetty at King Edward Point
on South Georgia and surrendered, along with the Argentine garrison, to the British forces.
Whilst under guard on the submarine by a British Royal Marine, engineer Petty Officer
Felix Artuso was shot dead in the mistaken belief that he was trying to sabotage the vessel. He is now buried in Grytviken
Cemetery. According to some members of her crew, in the middle of the confusion that followed the incident, a number of valves and hatchways were left open. The submarine flooded and eventually sank alongside the pier, with only her combat-damaged conning tower showing above the surface.
Later on booby trap
s were rendered safe and removed. After the conflict had ended, the Santa Fe was considered to be worthless as a war prize because she was non-standard, obsolete, badly damaged and too expensive to repair. As a result, the submarine was temporarily raised by the British, towed into deep water and scuttled
on February 10, 1985.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Balao-class submarine which was lost during the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. Built during the Second World War, the submarine served in United States Navy as before being commissioned into the Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
in 1971. She served until 1982 when she was captured by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
at South Georgia after being seriously damaged and subsequently sank along a pier, with just her sail visible above the waterline. The submarine was raised, towed out of the bay and scuttled in deep waters in 1985.
History
The submarine was built during the Second World War by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, ConnecticutGroton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
, USA and was launched on November 19, 1944. Commissioned into the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
as , the submarine entered service in March 1945. As Catfish the submarine took part in the closing stages of the Pacific war against Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Afterwards she served in the US 7th fleet in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
seeing service in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. After this period the boat was given a Guppy III conversion.
In 1971, Catfish was decommissioned and sold to Argentina where she was renamed ARA Santa Fe.
In 1982, the Santa Fe took part in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
alongside the ARA San Luis
ARA San Luis
The ARA San Luis is a Type 209 diesel-powered submarine of the Argentine Navy. Built in Germany, San Luis has a displacement of 1,285 tonnes and was introduced to the ARA in 1978. She was struck in 1997 after an incomplete overhaul.- History :...
, the only two operative submarines in the Argentine Navy. The Santa Fe supported the Argentine invasion
1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands
On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings of the Falkland Islands . The invasion involved an initial defence force organised by the Falkland Islands' Governor Sir Rex Hunt giving command to Major Mike Norman of the Royal Marines, the landing of Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo...
by landing tactical divers
Tactical Divers Group
The Tactical Divers Group is the premier special operations force of the Argentine Navy. The Buzos Tácticos are based at Base Naval Mar del Plata on the Atlantic coast of Argentina. Its men are highly qualified combat divers, EOD/demolition technicians, and parachutists.The APBT was the first...
on Yorke Bay, who marked the beach for the main amphibious force and seized the lighthouse. Later she departed from the islands and stayed on station in the nearby area as a large British task force approached the South Atlantic.
On April 12, the Santa Fe was ordered to ferry a party of marines based at Puerto Belgrano
Puerto Belgrano
Base Naval Puerto Belgrano is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires...
and supplies to Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
, in South Georgia. She departed from Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
on the first hours of April 17.
On April 23 the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships, ; ; ; and the ice patrol boat were sent to retake the island of South Georgia with a detachment of Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
and Special Boat Service
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s. The threat of Santa Fe forced the British ships to keep a distance as they landed troops on the island.
The Santa Fe accomplished the resupply mission and landed the marine troops on April 25. Members of the Argentine garrison had salvaged a crippled BAS
British Antarctic Survey
The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica....
launch, which was used to download the cargo. Some hours later, after leaving Grytviken, Santa Fe was detected on radar by Lieutenant Chris Parry
Chris Parry (Royal Navy officer)
Rear Admiral Christopher J. Parry CBE is a British former naval officer who was the first Chair of the UK Government's Marine Management Organisation until 2011.-Education:...
, the observer of the Westland Wessex
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British turbine-powered version of the Sikorsky S-58 "Choctaw", developed under license by Westland Aircraft , initially for the Royal Navy, and later for the Royal Air Force...
HAS.3 anti-submarine helicopter from , and attacked with depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s. This attack caused extensive internal damage, including the splitting of a ballast tank, the dismounting of electrical components and shocks to the machinery. As the submarine struggled to return to Grytviken on the surface, launched a Westland Wasp HAS.1
Westland Wasp
The Westland Wasp was a British small first-generation, gas-turbine powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland Helicopters, it came from the same P.531 programme as the British Army Westland Scout, and was based on the earlier piston-engined Saunders-Roe Skeeter...
helicopter, and launched a Westland Lynx HAS.2
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
. The Lynx dropped a Mk 46 torpedo, which failed to strike home, but strafed the submarine with its pintle-mounted 7.62 mm L7 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). The Wessex also fired on the Santa Fe with its GPMG. The Wasp from HMS Plymouth as well as two other Wasps launched from fired AS-12 air-to-surface
Air-to-surface missile
An air-to-surface missile is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft and strike ground targets on land, at sea, or both...
anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missile
Anti-ship missiles are guided missiles that are designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea-skimming type, many use a combination of inertial guidance and radar homing...
s at the submarine scoring hits. Santa Fes men and the marines onshore attempted to fight off the attack by firing their rifles, machine guns and an old Bantam antitank missile
Bantam (missile)
The Bantam or Robot 53 was a Swedish wire-guided anti-tank missile developed in the late 1950s. It served with the Swedish and Swiss armies from 1963 and 1967 respectively. It can either be deployed by a single man carrying a missile and control equipment or from a vehicle. It has been fitted to...
on the aircraft, but the Argentine boat was damaged badly enough to prevent her from submerging or even from sailing away. The crew abandoned the listing submarine at the jetty at King Edward Point
King Edward Point
King Edward Point is a promontory and settlement with port facilities on the northeastern coast of the island of South Georgia. It is located at in Cumberland East Bay...
on South Georgia and surrendered, along with the Argentine garrison, to the British forces.
Whilst under guard on the submarine by a British Royal Marine, engineer Petty Officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
Felix Artuso was shot dead in the mistaken belief that he was trying to sabotage the vessel. He is now buried in Grytviken
Grytviken
Grytviken is the principal settlement in the British territory of South Georgia in the South Atlantic. It was so named in 1902 by the Swedish surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson who found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. It is the best harbour on the island, consisting of a...
Cemetery. According to some members of her crew, in the middle of the confusion that followed the incident, a number of valves and hatchways were left open. The submarine flooded and eventually sank alongside the pier, with only her combat-damaged conning tower showing above the surface.
Later on booby trap
Booby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
s were rendered safe and removed. After the conflict had ended, the Santa Fe was considered to be worthless as a war prize because she was non-standard, obsolete, badly damaged and too expensive to repair. As a result, the submarine was temporarily raised by the British, towed into deep water and scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
on February 10, 1985.