What Was The Belgrano?

The ARA Belgrano was an Argentine cruiser sunk by a British submarine during the Falkands war in 1982. Originally a U.S. ship named the U.S.S. Phoenix, the Belgrano was sold by the United States to Argentina at the end of the Second World War and renamed after an Argentine general.

The Belgrano formed part of a small group of Argentine ships at the time it was sunk. In total there were almost 1100 people on board the Belgrano, 323 of whom died during the incident, the others making their escape on life rafts and eventually being picked up by Argentine and Chilean vessels.

The sinking of the Belgrano became enormously controversial in Britain because it was located outside of the 200-mile Total Exclusion Zone which had been imposed by Britain around the Falkland islands; and because it was travelling away from the Falkland islands at the time it was sunk.

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