Corbeta Uruguay

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Spanish language map

Corbeta Uruguay was an outpost of the Argentine military on the South Sandwich Islands , which was established in 1976 on the flat southeastern peninsula ( Spanish Península Corbeta Uruguay ) of the Morrell Island . The establishment of this base was carried out on the orders of the then military junta of Argentina, which wanted to make clear its claim to the British territories in the South Atlantic. The base, with a permanent crew of eight, was discovered by the United Kingdom in 1976 and prompted the British government to carry out Operation Journeyman in 1977 , as this landing was seen as a first step towards an invasion of the Falkland Islands by Argentina. Until the end of the Falklands War in 1982, attempts were made, but unsuccessfully, to reach a diplomatic solution.

Corbeta Uruguay remained under Argentine administration until June 20, 1982, the last day of the Falklands War. After the British forces regained control of the Falkland Islands, a combat force was sent to South Thule to end the Argentine presence there. After the Argentine garrison surrendered, all personnel were withdrawn from Port Faraday and the station remained unmanned. In December 1982 the station was largely destroyed by the Royal Navy after a warship on patrol ( HMS Hecate ) observed that the Union Jack on the flagpole of the garrison had been replaced by the flag of Argentina .

The name of the station is reminiscent of the corvette Uruguay , with which Otto Nordenskjöld and his crew were rescued from the Antarctic Peninsula near today's Esperanza station in 1903 . This corvette is now in Puerto Madero ( Buenos Aires ) and functions as a museum ship .

From January 1955 to January 1956 there was a small, also Argentine base, Refugio Teniente Esquivel , about 300 meters to the west , which had to be evacuated because of the eruption of the Mount Holdgate volcano on the neighboring island of Cook Island to the east .

Picture gallery

  • The station before its destruction in 1981

  • The previous station, Refugio Teniente Esquivel, 300 meters west, 1955

  • The eponymous corvette Uruguay

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Secret Falkland Fleet revealed BBC News June 1, 2005
  2. ↑ map

Web links

Commons : Corbeta Uruguay Station  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 59 ° 27 '24.3 "  S , 27 ° 18" 40.8 "  W.