Bluff Cove air attacks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bluff Cove air attacks |
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| Part of Falklands War | |||||||
 RFA Sir Tristram after the Argentine air attack |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Argentina |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Jeremy Moore Michael Clapp Julian Thompson Tony Wilson |
 Ernesto Crespo Mario Menendez Juan Lombardo |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 56 killed 150 wounded 1 landing ship lost 1 LCU sunk 1 helicopter written off 1 landing ship badly damaged 1 frigate damaged |
3 killed 3 aircraft lost |
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The Bluff Cove air attacks happened on June 8, 1982, during the Falklands War. British ships carrying troops were bombed by the Argentine Air Force (FAA). This happened while the ships were unloading at Bluff Cove. The attacks caused a lot of damage and many people were hurt or killed.
Contents
Why the Attack Happened
By June 1, 1982, more British soldiers had arrived on the Falkland Islands. About 5,000 new troops from the 5th Infantry Brigade joined the fight. This meant Major General Jeremy Moore had enough soldiers. He could now plan a big attack on Port Stanley.
Small groups of soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment moved ahead. They found that Fitzroy and Bluff Cove were clear of Argentine forces. The plan was to send the 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards and 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards to help them.
However, a ship called the Atlantic Conveyor had been sunk. This meant there was only one large British helicopter left. It was an RAF CH-47 Chinook called Bravo November. So, supplies and more soldiers had to be moved by ships. These ships belonged to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. They were operated by regular civilian sailors, not military personnel.
The Air Strikes Begin
On June 8, the British ships were unloading their cargo. Suddenly, they were attacked by Argentine planes. These were Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft from the Argentine Air Force. They flew in two waves, each carrying three bombs.
Argentine commandos had spotted the ships from Mount Harriet. They called in the airstrikes. The planes took off from Río Gallegos airbase. A British nuclear submarine HMS Splendid was watching this airbase.
The first group of planes had eight aircraft. But three of them had to turn back because of refueling problems. So, only five Skyhawks continued towards Bluff Cove. On their way, they flew over a Scout helicopter. The helicopter had to land quickly because of a problem. It was later too damaged to be used again.
At the same time, six Argentine IAI Dagger fighter jets took off from Río Grande. A Learjet guided them. One Dagger also returned to base due to refueling issues. Before the main attack, four other Dagger fighters flew a "decoy" mission. They flew over the north of the islands. This was to trick British Sea Harrier jets away. This way, the Skyhawks and Daggers could attack without being bothered. An Argentine destroyer also tried to block British radio signals. A British nuclear submarine, HMS Valiant, tracked the Dagger fighters. But its report did not reach the British forces at Bluff Cove in time.
First Attack Wave
Around 2:00 PM, the ships RFA Sir Tristram and RFA Sir Galahad were hit. Five A-4B Skyhawks attacked them. Three Skyhawks targeted Sir Galahad. It was hit by three bombs. The other two planes attacked Sir Tristram. It was hit by two bombs.
The explosions and fires caused a lot of damage. On Sir Galahad, 48 people were killed. This included 32 soldiers from the Welsh Guards. It also included 11 other army staff and five crew members. Two of the crew were sailors from Hong Kong. On Sir Tristram, two crew members were killed. They were also Hong Kong Chinese sailors.
Second Attack Wave
At 4:50 PM, a second group of four A-4B Skyhawks attacked. They hit and sank the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Foxtrot-4. This landing craft belonged to HMS Fearless. It was carrying vehicles and communication gear. Nine soldiers from the 5th Brigade's headquarters were also on board. Six crew members were killed.
This time, British Sea Harrier jets were already in the area. They fought back. Three Skyhawks were shot down. Their pilots were killed. The fourth Skyhawk was damaged and lost a lot of fuel. But it managed to fly back to the mainland with help from a refueling plane. A third wave of Argentine planes arrived minutes later. They attacked targets on the ground but did not cause much damage.
Attack on HMS Plymouth
Separately, the frigate HMS Plymouth was sailing through Falkland Sound. It was attacked by Dagger jets. The ship was hit by four bombs. It was badly damaged, and five crew members were hurt. Luckily, all the bombs did not explode. However, one depth charge on the ship's deck did explode.
What Happened Next
In total, 56 British servicemen were killed. Another 150 were wounded. This was the biggest loss of life for British forces in one event since World War II. It accounted for about one-fifth of all British deaths in the Falklands War.
The ship Sir Galahad was too damaged to be fixed. It was later sunk on June 21. But its sister ship, Sir Tristram, was rebuilt after the war.
BBC television cameras filmed the rescue efforts. Royal Navy helicopters were seen pulling survivors from the burning ships. These images were shown all over the world. General Mario Menendez, the Argentine commander, heard that hundreds of men had been killed. He thought British morale would drop, and their advance would slow down. But the attacks only delayed the British advance on Port Stanley by two days. Argentine forces on the islands surrendered six days after the attack.
Brigadier Julian Thompson said that his soldiers had not seen the Argentine Air Force in action before. Bad weather had kept the planes away for five days. He said, "I can tell you, if I'd have been on board that ship I would have swum ashore rather than stay there."
Among the wounded was Simon Weston. He suffered severe burns. He later appeared in a BBC show about his treatment. Simon had 75 operations over 22 years. In another show, he met the pilot who bombed his ship, Carlos Cachón. They have since become friends.
A memorial was built at Fitzroy for the British servicemen who died in the attack. There is also a separate memorial for the ships' crew who lost their lives.
Images for kids
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Mk. 82/Snakeye I 500-lb bomb with tail retarding device
