| Deception Island incident | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom |  Argentina  Chile | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Maj. Edwards | Lt. Chihigaren | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 35 Royal Marines HMS Snipe | 2 Argentine sailors | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 prisoners | |||||||
The Deception Island incident took place in February 1953 when a group of British Royal Marines landed on Deception Island in Antarctica, took two Argentine sailors prisoner and destroyed an Argentine Navy base. A nearby Chilean base was also destroyed.
In 1943, the United Kingdom launched Operation Tabarin, with the goal of asserting its claim to a portion of Antarctica, which was also claimed by both Argentina and Chile. For the next few years, British warships would patrol the region, destroying Argentine and Chilean sovereignty markers. As part of this operation, British forces built a base on Whalers Bay, Deception Island, called Station B (62° 59′ S, 60° 34′ W) [1] [2] The island was considered to be of strategic importance due to its naturally protected deep water harbor. [3] Despite these efforts, both Latin American countries continued to expand their presence in Antarctica, building more bases and installing new sovereignty markers. [2] [4] In early 1948, the Argentine Navy established a permanent base on the island, close to Fumarole Bay (which they called Primero de Mayo Bay) called Deception Station, garrisoned by ten men. [2] They also built smaller shelters and depots in Telefon Bay and Pendulum Cove. [5]
As part of its summer campaign of 1952-53, the Argentine Navy dispatched several ships to Antarctica to rotate garrisons, resupply and repair their bases, and begin the construction of a new facility in Deception Island to perform scientific work. [5]
On 13 January 1953, Argentine transport ship ARA Bahia Aguirre tried to enter Whalers Bay to unload men and supplies in order to build the new facility, but the bay was blocked by large chunks of ice; personnel and materials had to be transferred to the much smaller trawler ARA Chiriguano, which took over the operation. Construction began on 14 January. [6] The site was located roughly 365 meters (1200 ft) from the British Station B [7] and adjacent to a runway that the British garrison used to launch reconnaissance flights. [3] Part of the runway was also used as a football field. [6]
British personnel in Station B noticed the construction and Base Leader W. Clarke delivered a note of protest later that day, claiming the island was British territory. The Argentines replied with a note of protest of their own. [5] ARA Chiriguano left Deception Island on the 16th to assist ARA Sanavirón (also a trawler) which was trying to return to Ushuaia at 2 knots per hour after three of its propeller blades suffered damage hitting a chunk of ice in the vicinity of Hope Bay, 186km (115 miles) from Deception Island. [5] Construction finished on the 17th, and the base was inaugurated early on the 18th by Captain Rodolfo N. Panzarini, commander of the Argentine Navy's Antarctic Task Force. The base was named "Teniente Cándido de Lasala" [2] after a Navy officer who died in the British invasions of the River Plate. [8] [9] It would be garrisoned by four men- one officer (Lieutenant Jorge D. Chihigaren) [5] two sailors (Corporals Acosta and Blázquez) and one scientist (Geologist Luis Vullo). [6] ARA Bahia Aguirre left Deception Island on the 19th to help trawl the Sanavirón. On the same day, British frigate HMS Snipe (U20) arrived to Whalers Bay and delivered a new note of protest to the base, claiming that the Argentines were trespassing on British territory. In response, tanker ARA Punta Ninfas (which had been assisting the Sanavirón) sailed to the island and delivered a response to the Snipe, claiming that it was the British who were trespassing. [10] On 23 January, Chilean ships Lientur and Leucotón moored close by and began building their own base 200 meters (660 ft) west of the Lasala installation. They left on 7 February. [2] [10]
On 30 January, the British Colonial Office sent a telegram to the Falkland Islands administration, saying: "Latest Argentinian and Chilean landings in Deception Island appear to be deliberately provocative, and ones we should not tolerate." and plans were made to send troops to the island. No warning was given to the Argentine and Chilean governments to safeguard the element of surprise. [11] On 15 February at 14:05, thirty-five Royal Marines under the command of Major C. Edwards [6] landed on the island from HMS Snipe. [4] The marines were equipped with Sten guns, rifles, bayonets and tear gas. [11] They surrounded the Lasala base and took Acosta and Blázquez prisoner; the Argentine flag was lowered and seized, along with weapons, ammunition, documentation and Vullo's scientific equipment. Lt. Chihigaren and Vullo were in Deception Station, taking inventory of some construction materials. [6] Before leaving, the marines set both the Argentine and the Chilean bases on fire. Chilean personnel were not present at the time. [4] The next morning, Lt. Chihigaren returned from Deception station and found his base destroyed. [2] He then walked to Station B to find out what had happened and was told by Clarke that his men had been taken to South Georgia. He returned to Deception Station and reported what had happened. [5] [6]
Transport ship ARA Bahía Buen Suceso along with ARA Chiriguano and ARA Sanavirón (repaired on February 9th) [5] were immediately ordered to sail towards Deception Island. [10] ARA Bahía Aguirre was sent to reinforce Half-Moon Island, 50km (31 miles) from Deception Island; the Argentine Navy was building a base there (Cámara Base) and believed HMS Snipe could be heading there to attack it. [10] The Navy tried to launch reconnaissance flights from Deception Station using two Grumman G-21 Goose flying boats, but bad weather made it impossible. [6] Argentine bases in Antarctica received orders via radio to not surrender if attacked. In Port Belgrano Naval Base, the Argentine Navy began to increase its state of readiness in preparation for a broader conflict, but the Chiefs of Staff announced that a decision had been made to resolve the incident diplomatically. [4] Lt. Chihigaren and Captain Panzarini were ordered to deliver a note of protest to Station B, which was received by Clarke and Maj. Edwards. [5] On 18 February, HMS Snipe released Acosta and Blázquez in Grytviken, where they were picked up by Argentine tanker Quilmes. HMS Snipe then sailed back to Deception. [6]
Argentine President Juan Perón was visiting Chile when news of the attack reached the continent. Together with Chilean President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, they issued a strong protest to the British embassy, demanding an apology, and discussed a possible joint response. The Chilean Foreign Minister insisted on sending ships to Deception Island, and resigned when Ibáñez del Campo ultimately decided not to, calling it a "cowardly" decision. [3] Avro Lincoln bomber aircraft of the Argentinean Air Force overflew Deception Island on 25 February; two days later, tensions reached their peak when warning shots were fired at ARA Chiriguano. HMS Bigbury Bay arrived to Whalers Bay on 16 March, reinforcing HMS Snipe. [6]
Major Edwards and the Royal Marines left the island aboard the HMS Bigbury Bay on April 16. Their mission was considered a success, and they were congratulated by Sir Anthony Eden. [11] Plans to set up a permanent detachment of 12 Royal Marines in Deception Island were shelved to prevent an escalation. [12] The Argentine Navy re-inaugurated the Lasala base on December 30, during their 1953-1954 summer campaign. It was used by the Naval Hydrographic Service for a few years before being abandoned. A volcanic eruption destroyed it in 1967. [13] [14] The Chilean base was rebuilt in 1954. [10]
The United Kingdom eventually returned the items and weapons taken from the Lasala base. [6] The flag is now exhibited at the William Brown naval museum in Buenos Aires. [15]
The island, like the rest of Antarctica, is currently administered under the Antarctic Treaty System, pausing all territorial claims.
The Antarctic Treaty and related agreements, collectively known as the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), regulate international relations with respect to Antarctica, Earth's only continent without a native human population. It was the first arms control agreement established during the Cold War, designating the continent as a scientific preserve, establishing freedom of scientific investigation, and banning military activity; for the purposes of the treaty system, Antarctica is defined as all the land and ice shelves south of 60°S latitude. Since September 2004, the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which implements the treaty system, is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Deception Island is in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula with a large and usually "safe" natural harbor, which is occasionally affected by the underlying active volcano. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969. The island previously held a whaling station. It is now a tourist destination with over 15,000 visitors per year. Two research stations are operated by Argentina and Spain during the summer season. While various countries have asserted sovereignty, it is still administered under the Antarctic Treaty System.
Grytviken is a hamlet on South Georgia in the South Atlantic and formerly a whaling station and the largest settlement on the island. It is located at the head of King Edward Cove within the larger Cumberland East Bay, considered the best harbour on the island. The location's name, meaning "pot bay", was coined in 1902 by the Swedish Antarctic Expedition and documented by the surveyor Johan Gunnar Andersson, after the expedition found old English try pots used to render seal oil at the site. Settlement was re-established on 16 November 1904 by Norwegian Antarctic explorer Carl Anton Larsen on the long-used site of former whaling settlements.
This article describes the composition and actions of the Argentine naval forces in the Falklands War. For a list of naval forces from the United Kingdom, see British naval forces in the Falklands War.
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of 3,687 km2 (1,424 sq mi). They lie about 120 kilometres north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between 430 and 900 km southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for non-military purposes.
Operation Tabarin was the code name for a secret British expedition to the Antarctic during World War Two, operational 1943–46. Conducted by the Admiralty on behalf of the Colonial Office, its primary objective was to strengthen British claims to sovereignty of the British territory of the Falkland Islands Dependencies (FID), to which Argentina and Chile had made counter claims since the outbreak of war. This was done by establishing permanently occupied bases, carrying out administrative activities such as postal services and undertaking scientific research. The meteorological observations made aided Allied shipping in the South Atlantic Ocean.
Corbeta Uruguay base was an Argentine military outpost established in November 1976 on Thule Island, Southern Thule, in the South Sandwich Islands. It was vacated and mostly demolished in 1982 following Britain's victory against Argentina in the Falklands War.
Argentine Antarctica is an area on Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. It consists of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South parallel. This region overlaps with British and Chilean claims in Antarctica. None of these claims have widespread international recognition.
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Seven sovereign states – Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the United Kingdom – have made eight territorial claims in Antarctica. These countries have tended to place their Antarctic scientific observation and study facilities within their respective claimed territories; however, a number of such facilities are located outside of the area claimed by their respective countries of operation, and countries without claims such as China, India, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa (SANAE), Poland, and the United States have constructed research facilities within the areas claimed by other countries. There are overlaps among the territories claimed by Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom.
British sovereignty of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is disputed by Argentina. The United Kingdom claimed South Georgia in 1775, annexed the islands in 1908, and has exercised de facto control with the exception of a brief period during the Falklands War in 1982, when the islands were partially controlled by Argentina. The dispute started in 1927 when Argentina claimed sovereignty over South Georgia, and subsequently expanded in scope with Argentina claiming the South Sandwich Islands in 1938. The islands have no indigenous population, and currently only have about 30 inhabitants.
The Instituto Antártico Argentino is the Argentine federal agency in charge of orientating, controlling, addressing and performing scientific and technical research and studies in the Antarctic. It is under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Worship.
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HMS Snipe was a modified Black Swan-class sloop of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by William Denny and Brothers, Dumbarton on 21 September 1944, launched on 20 December 1945 and commissioned on 9 September 1946, with the pennant number U20.