Corbeta Uruguay base facts for kids
The Corbeta Uruguay base was a small military outpost set up by the Argentine military in November 1976. It was built on Thule Island, which is part of the South Sandwich Islands. This area is also known as Southern Thule.
The base was closed down and mostly taken apart in 1982. This happened after Britain won the Falklands War against Argentina.
Building the Base
Before Corbeta Uruguay, Argentina had another summer station nearby. It was called Teniente Esquivel and was set up in January 1955. This earlier station was located at Ferguson Bay on the southeast coast. However, it had to be closed in January 1956. This was because a volcano erupted on Cook Island, which is a neighboring island.
The Corbeta Uruguay base was built in 1976 by the Argentine government at the time. They wanted to show that Argentina claimed these British territories in the South Atlantic Ocean. The British government found out about the base in December 1976. They tried to find a peaceful, diplomatic way to solve the issue until 1982.
The Base During the Falklands War
Early in the Falklands War, 32 special soldiers from Corbeta Uruguay were sent to South Georgia. They traveled on an Argentine Navy ship called the Bahía Paraíso. These soldiers landed at Leith Harbour on March 25, 1982.
Argentine personnel continued to staff Corbeta Uruguay until June 20, 1982. At that time, British forces sent a group of ships and soldiers to the base. This was after Britain had won the main part of the Falklands War.
The Argentine soldiers at Corbeta Uruguay surrendered to the British. After that, the base was left empty.
What Happened to the Base?
In December 1982, the Royal Navy largely destroyed the base. A British warship, HMS Hecate, was patrolling the area. Its crew discovered that someone had taken down the Union Flag (the flag of the United Kingdom) from the base's flagpole. Instead, they had raised the flag of Argentina. Because of this, the British decided to demolish most of the buildings.
The base was named after an Argentine ship, the ARA Uruguay. This ship was a corvette, a type of small warship. In 1903, the ARA Uruguay rescued Otto Nordenskjöld and his crew. They were stranded in the Antarctic Peninsula, near where the Esperanza Base is today. The ARA Uruguay ship is now a floating museum. It is permanently docked in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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