ARA Isla de los Estados facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
 Argentina |
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| Name | Isla de los Estados |
| Namesake | Isla de los Estados |
| Builder | Sociedad Metalúrgica Duro Felguera, Gijón, Spain |
| Yard number | 122 |
| Launched | 1975, as Trans-Bética |
| In service | 22 December 1980 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7403718 |
| Fate | Sunk, 11 May 1982 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 3,900 GRT |
| Length | 81.4 m (267 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 13.4 m (44 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion | Diesel engine, single screw |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Complement | 27 |
| Service record | |
| Part of: | Argentine Navy, Naval Transport Service |
| Operations: | Operation Rosario |
The ARA Isla de los Estados was an Argentine Navy ship. It was a supply ship, meaning it carried important goods. This ship was sunk during the Falklands War.
History of the Ship
The ship was built in 1975 in Gijón, Spain. Its first name was Trans-Bética. The Argentine Navy later bought it. They renamed it after Isla de los Estados, an island east of Tierra del Fuego.
The ship joined the Naval Transport Service on December 22, 1980. Its job was to carry supplies regularly. It traveled between the Falkland Islands and the mainland.
The Falklands War
On March 28, 1982, the Isla de los Estados sailed from Puerto Deseado. It was part of Operation Rosario. This operation was about the Falkland Islands. The ship arrived on April 4, three days after the first landings. Its task was to move supplies around the islands.
The ship carried many important things. It transported soldiers to Darwin, Goose Green, and Fox Bay.
Between April 15 and 17, the ship helped place mines in the waters near Stanley. These mines had been brought by another ship, the ARA Bahia Buen Suceso.
How the Ship Sank
The Isla de los Estados was sunk on May 11, 1982. It happened during the early hours of the morning. The British ship HMS Alacrity attacked it. This took place north of the Swan Islands in Falkland Sound.
The Alacrity fired its 4.5-inch gun at the Isla de los Estados. After several hits, the cargo on the Argentine ship caught fire. It was carrying jet fuel and ammunition, which exploded. Only two of the 24 people on board survived. Fifteen crew members and seven servicemen were killed or went missing. These servicemen were from the army, navy, air force, and the coast guard.
See also
- List of auxiliary ships of the Argentine Navy
