ARA Santa Fe (S-21) facts for kids
Catfish underway, during her visit to the Far East, 1956.
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 United States |
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| Name | USS Catfish |
| Builder | Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut |
| Laid down | 6 January 1944 |
| Launched | 19 November 1944 |
| Commissioned | 19 March 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 1 July 1971 |
| In service |
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| Stricken | 1 July 1971 |
| Identification | SS-339 |
| Fate | Transferred to Argentina, 1 July 1971 |
 Argentina |
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| Name | ARA Santa Fe |
| Acquired | 1 July 1971 |
| In service | Falklands War |
| Fate | Captured by British during Falklands War and scuttled |
| General characteristics (As completed) | |
| Class and type | Balao-class diesel-electric submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m) |
| Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m) |
| Draft | 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h) |
| Endurance |
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| Test depth | 400 ft (120 m) |
| Complement | 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| General characteristics (Guppy II) | |
| Class and type | none |
| Displacement |
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| Length | 307 ft (93.6 m) |
| Beam | 27 ft 4 in (7.4 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | 15,000 nm (28,000 km) surfaced at 11 knots (20 km/h) |
| Endurance | 48 hours at 4 knots (7 km/h) submerged |
| Complement |
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| Sensors and processing systems |
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| Armament |
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The ARA Santa Fe was a submarine with a long and interesting history. It was built by the United States during World War II and first served in the United States Navy as the USS Catfish (SS-339). In 1971, it was given to the Argentine Navy and renamed Santa Fe. The submarine was later involved in the Falklands War in 1982. During this conflict, it was badly damaged by British forces and eventually sank. Its conning tower (the top part) was visible above the water for a while. The Santa Fe was later pulled out of the water and sunk in deeper ocean in 1985.
Contents
The submarine, originally named Catfish, was built by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. It was launched on November 19, 1944, and officially joined the Navy on March 19, 1945.
Early Missions and Training
Catfish left New London in May 1945 and arrived at Pearl Harbor in June. After some training and getting new equipment, it went to Guam. On August 8, it started its first war patrol, looking for a minefield near Kyūshū, Japan. When the war ended on August 15, it was sent to the Yellow Sea for patrol and to help rescue downed pilots. It returned to Guam in September and then sailed to Seattle, arriving on September 29.
Based in San Diego, Catfish practiced its skills along the west coast. It also made two trips to the Far East, where it did practice war patrols and helped the Seventh Fleet.
Modern Upgrades and the Korean War
Between August 1948 and May 1949, Catfish received a big upgrade called a GUPPY II conversion. This made the submarine much faster and able to stay underwater for longer periods. While on another trip to the Far East, the Korean War began. Catfish was already in the area and helped the United Nations forces by doing reconnaissance patrols. It returned to the U.S. on October 20, 1950, and was based in San Diego.
After the Korean War, the submarine continued to train with the Naval Reserve off the west coast. It also worked with the Canadian Forces on joint exercises to fight submarines. Catfish made several more trips to the Far East.
On July 1, 1971, Catfish was officially taken out of U.S. Navy service and transferred to the Argentine Navy.
Recognized for Service
The USS Catfish received several awards for its service, including:
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one battle star
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Medal with "ASIA" clasp
- China Service Medal
- National Defense Service Medal with star
- Korean Service Medal
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with star
- Vietnam Service Medal with two campaign stars
- United Nations Korea Medal
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
When Argentina received the submarine in 1971, it was renamed ARA Santa Fe (S-21). Its sister ship, the USS Chivo (SS-341), was also acquired by Argentina and renamed ARA Santiago del Estero (S-22). Both were Balao-class submarines.
The Chile Conflict of 1978
In 1978, there was a disagreement between Argentina and Chile. The Argentine Submarine Force sent all four of its submarines, including Santa Fe and Santiago del Estero, to patrol the conflict area. Luckily, peace was reached on December 21, partly thanks to the Pope's visit and diplomatic efforts. War was avoided, and all Argentine ships returned to port safely.
The Falklands War in 1982
In March 1982, Santa Fe took part in a training exercise with the Uruguayan Navy. Its sister ship, Santiago del Estero, was no longer in use. Santa Fe then played a role in the Falklands War, which began on April 2, 1982. It was one of only two operational Argentine submarines during the conflict.
Supporting the Landings
Santa Fe helped with the landings on April 2 as part of Operation Rosario. It carried special divers from the Agrupacion de Buzos Tacticos to Playa Roja (Yorke Bay). The divers marked the beach for the main landing force. This important task was completed by 3 AM, and the main assault began at 6:30 AM. As part of this operation, the Santa Fe divers also took control of the lighthouse at Cape Pembroke. After finishing its mission, the submarine returned to Argentina, arriving on April 7.
Mission to South Georgia
On April 12, Santa Fe was ordered to take Argentine marines and supplies to Grytviken on South Georgia Island. This island is located far southeast of the Falklands. Santa Fe left Mar del Plata on April 16. It carried old torpedoes from World War II and the Cold War, along with supplies for the Argentine soldiers already on the island.
On April 24, the submarine reached the island and began unloading. Soldiers on the island used a small boat to help move the cargo. This included heavy equipment like anti-tank missiles and a recoilless rifle, which had to be carefully moved through the submarine's hatch. This part of the mission finished at 5:44 AM on April 25. Santa Fe then quickly left, trying to get to deep water where it could safely submerge.
The Attack and Surrender
Around 6 AM on April 25, after leaving Grytviken, Santa Fe was spotted by a British Westland Wessex helicopter from the ship HMS Antrim. The helicopter attacked the submarine with depth charges. This caused a lot of damage inside Santa Fe, including a broken ballast tank and damage to its electrical systems.
As the submarine struggled to return to Grytviken on the surface, other British helicopters joined the attack. A Westland Wasp helicopter from HMS Plymouth and a Westland Lynx helicopter from HMS Brilliant fired at the submarine. The Lynx dropped a torpedo that missed, but it also shot at the submarine with its machine gun. The Wessex helicopter also fired its machine gun. Other Wasps fired AS-12 missiles at Santa Fe. One Argentine soldier was badly wounded during the attack. The submarine tried to fire back with its own machine guns as it retreated to Grytviken.
Once ashore, Santa Fe's crew and the Argentine soldiers on South Georgia tried to fire their rifles and machine guns at the attacking aircraft, but they missed. The submarine was too damaged to move. The British aircraft stopped their attack and returned to their ships. The crew then left the damaged submarine at the Grytviken pier. At 5 PM on April 25, the Argentine commander at Grytviken surrendered.
After the Conflict
A British Royal Navy officer asked Santa Fe's captain, Horacio Bicain, to help move the submarine from the main pier to another dock. A small crew, including Captain Bicain, was assigned to this task with British guards. On April 26, an Argentine Navy Petty Officer named Felix Artuso was accidentally shot and killed by a British Royal Marine while under guard. It was believed he was trying to damage the submarine. His body was buried at Grytviken Cemetery.
After this sad incident, some valves and hatches on the submarine were left open by mistake. The submarine filled with water and sank next to the pier, with only its damaged conning tower showing above the surface. Felix Artuso is the only Argentine buried in South Georgia and the only Argentine submariner who died in a war.
Before the war ended on June 14, the crew of ARA Santa Fe were taken as prisoners of war to Ascension Island. From there, they were flown to Uruguay. The half-sunken submarine remained in Grytviken. In June 1982, tugboats moved it to a shallow area called Moraine Fjord, where part of its top was still visible.
The submarine was not considered valuable to keep because it was old, badly damaged, and too expensive to fix. Also, it still had torpedoes, leaking oil, and dangerous battery acid inside. To prevent pollution, the British Ministry of Defence decided to remove the submarine in 1985. This operation was called Operation Okehampton. A special ship, MV Salvageman, and another government ship, RMAS Goosander, along with divers and special equipment, were used to lift the submarine. On February 11, the submarine was temporarily raised. Over eight days, the polluting materials were removed. Finally, on February 20, 1985, the submarine was towed about 5 miles out into deep water north of South Georgia and intentionally sunk.
See also
- Argentine Submarine Force
