ARA Narwal was an Argentinian fishing trawler, equipped for ELINT purposes during the Falklands War and captained by Asterio Wagata.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Argentina | |
| Name | ARA Narwal |
| Owner | Cia Sudamericana de Pesca |
| Builder | Beliard-Murdoch, Ostend |
| Launched | 1962 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5247445 |
| Fate | Sank on 10 May 1982 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 1,398 GRT |
| Length | 231 ft (70 m) |
| Beam | 38 ft (12 m) |
| Draught | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Installed power | 2330 h.p. |
| Propulsion | 2 x diesel engines |
Operational history
editThe ship had been given the task of shadowing the British fleet and performing ELINT operations along with other trawlers, and was observed for the first time by British air patrols on 29 April 1982.[1]
Narwal was heavily damaged in an attack by British Sea Harriers from HMS Hermes on 9 May 1982. The ship was hit by a 1000-pound bomb, but it failed to explode as it had been released below the lowest prescribed height and did not arm in time.[2] The bomb caused heavy damage and the Harriers then strafed the Narwal with their 30mm guns. The aircraft were Sea Harriers of Fleet Air Arm 800 Naval Air Squadron, flown by Fl Lt Morgan and Lt Cdr Batt. The two Harriers had been dispatched to Port Stanley for a bombing mission, but the mission was not completed due to low clouds over the target area. On the return leg to Hermes they discovered the ship and obtained permission to engage the target.[3]
A boarding party of British SBS men reached the target via a Sea King Mk.4 of 846 Naval Air Squadron and captured the ship dead in the water, taking off all of the men, and the body of Omar Alberto Rupp, the boatswain of the Argentine trawler, killed by the impact of the bomb. The Narwal was taken in tow, but sank the next day, 10 May.[3] Among those captured was Captain Juan Carlos González of the Argentine Navy's information services,[4] who was released after the war.[citation needed]
Aftermath
editOmar Alberto Rupp was buried at sea by the British on 10 May.[5] Meanwhile, an Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma of the Argentine Army was sent to recover the crew of Narwal after receiving a distress signal, but was shot down by destroyer HMS Coventry with a Sea Dart missile, killing all three members of the crew.[5]
References
editNotes
edit- ^ One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander. pp. 126–127.
- ^ Sea Harrier Over The Falklands.[page needed]
- ^ One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander. pp. 191–195.
- ^ a b "El hundimento del pesquero Narwal en la Guerra de Malvinas" [The sinking of the fishing vessel Narwal in the Falklands War]. EL MALVINENSE (in Spanish). 8 May 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
Bibliography
edit- Ward, Commander Nigel "Sharkey" (2003). Sea Harrier Over The Falklands. London: Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-35542-6.
- Woodward, Sandy with Patrick Robinson (1992). One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-652-3.