Battle of Seal Cove

Battle of Seal Cove
Part of Falklands War

Sketch depicting the chase of the Argentine coastal vessel Monsunen by British Frigates

1
The coastal ship ARA Monsunen, after sailing out from Fox bay, is tracked by the British frigates HMS Brilliant and HMS Yarmouth under orders of capturing her.
2
The British force pin up the supply vessel off Lively island
3
The Brilliant Sea Lynx helicopter, with SBS troops onboard, is forced to withdraw under heavy machine gun fire.
4
The Monsunen radar detects the two frigates about 8 miles behind her and approaching at high speed. The warships start to shell the small vessel, which evades the British salvos by running aground on Seal Cove, blinding the British radar
5
After further shelling, the British gave up their chase, making back to San Carlos. ARA Monsunen is rescued by another coastal ship, ARA Forrest, and taken in tow to Darwin.
6
After uploading Monsunens cargo, Forrest managed to reach Port Stanley on May 25.
Date 23 May 1982
Location Off Lively Island, Falklands Islands
Result Argentine tactical success
Supply ship avoided capture
and completed her mission
Belligerents
United Kingdom Argentina
Commanders and leaders
Captain Anthony Morton
(HMS Yarmouth)
Captain John Coward
(HMS Brilliant)		 Captain Jorge A. Gopcevich-Canevari
(ARA Monsunen)
Strength
1 Type 22 frigate Frigate
1 Rothesay class Frigate		 1 Armed coastal ship
Casualties and losses
None 1 Coastal ship beached
(later taken in tow and rescued by ARA Forrest)
1 wounded
Falklands War campaign

The Battle of Seal Cove was a minor naval action west of Lively Island, during the 1982 Falklands War. On May 22, 1982, while supporting Operation Sutton off San Carlos Bay, the British frigates HMS Brilliant and HMS Yarmouth received orders to stop and seize the Argentine armed coastal supply boat ARA Monsunen. The coaster Monsunen was actually a small British vessel that had been captured in the course of the Argentine invasion. The ship was spotted by a RAF Harrier[1] while sailing from Fox Bay towards Stanley with a cargo of 150 fuel drums and 250 flour sacks.[2]

Contents

The engagement

On the very first hours of May 23, a Sea Lynx identified the Monsunen while the latter was heading to the north, west of Lively Island. After a surrender order was radioed to the motorboat, another helicopter transporting a SBS team tried to intercept her. The aircraft was greeted with heavy machine gun and small arms fire, so it was forced to abort the mission.[3][4] At the same time, the coastal ship’s radar detected the British squadron about eight miles to stern and approaching aggressively.[2]

Almost immediately, HMS Yarmouth began to fire her 4.5 inch (114 mm) deck gun on the Argentine vessel, forcing her to manoeuvre in order to avoid the incoming rounds. When the distance fell to 4 miles, Captain Gopcevich, the Argentine commander, decided that the only way to deceive the British radar was to beach the boat on Seal Cove, a large inlet nearby.[1][2]

Shortly after he succeeded in running aground his ship and ordering the crew to abandon her, the British shelling resumed. The fire was inaccurate and aimed at the general area of landing. In the process of evacuating the vessel, one of the ratings fell overboard and suffered some serious bruises, but he was successfully rescued by a young sailor.[5] The crew members took refuge in an improvised inland shelter.[2]

Aftermath

After effectively losing the track of their small enemy, the British frigates gave up and returned to San Carlos waters.[1][6] Monsunen was found by her complement at dawn, with her engine still running, apparently after refloating by the rising tide. However, a sling had become entangled with her propeller, disabling the transmission.

With the ship's speed now dramatically reduced, Gopcevich radioed for help to Stanley.

A few hours later, another British trawler seized by the Argentines, ARA Forrest, towed the Monsunen to Darwin.[3] She was later recovered there by British forces on May 29, after the Battle of Goose Green.[7]

The much needed cargo was uploaded by ARA Forrest, which made for Stanley. The coaster successfully completed Monsunen's relief mission on May 25.[2] The action is thought to be the only naval encounter between armed surface ships in the war.[8] Jorge Gopcevich Canevari was awarded the La Nación Argentina al Valor en Combate cross.[9]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Freedman, p. 473
  2. ^ a b c d e Mayorga, pp. 378-380
  3. ^ a b Smith, p. 81
  4. ^ The improvised ship’s gunners were an army sergeant and a conscript who served the 12.7 mm machine gun that shot at the Lynx. The Argentine crew claim that the helicopter's fuselage was hit by the tracer bullets.(Webpage with some photos of the ship and her crew) (Spanish)
  5. ^ This serviceman was honored with the highest Argentine Congress decoration after the war. He committed suicide in January 2006.Clarín newspaper, 26 January 2006 (Spanish)
  6. ^ In the case of Brilliant, she was later ordered to rejoin the main Task Force group, east of the Falklands, for refueling. (HMS Yarmouth: Captains Diary)
  7. ^ Southby-Tailyour and Clapp, p. 247
  8. ^ Naval-History.net
  9. ^ Cavalieri, Daniel (2005).Deuda de sangre: historia naval y amnesia en la Argentina : 1810-1893 y 1982. Instituto de Publicaciones Navales, p. 357. ISBN 9508990600 (Spanish)

References