Sinking of the Belgrano, The

Synopsis

An investigation into the sinking of the Argentinian battleship General Belgrano which was torpedoed by a British submarine during the Falklands War of 1982. Controversy still surrounds the incident since it remains unclear whether the ship was adopting a threatening position at the time its destruction was ordered. Using sonar and a remotely-operated submersible, undersea explorer Curt Newport searches for the wreck.

In the programme, the commander of the Argentine ship reveals that the Belgrano was not retreating from the British Task Force; the change of direction was purely temporary. Talking on British television for the first time, Captain Hector Bonzo explains that on 2 May 1982 (one month into the war) he was under orders to fire on any British warships that came within range. War historian Martin Middlebrook describes the fatal impact the Belgrano could have had: rather than the ill-equipped training vessel of popular belief, it was a fully-armed warship, accompanied by two destroyers armed with Exocet missiles. Had the ships managed to position themselves within range of the Task Force, the British operation would have been jeopardised. This evidence suggests that the sinking of the Belgrano wasn’t the arrogant act of an ageing colonial power but a very necessary and thought-out move that saved the lives of countless British servicemen.

The programme includes interviews with naval participants, including members of both crews, archive footage and re-enactments of events before and after the attack to try to give an unbiased account of the events.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain; United States

Year of release

2004

Year of production

2004

Notes

Broadcast on Channel 4 on 5/7/2004

Subjects

Archaeology; History; Politics & government; Military Science

Keywords

Falklands War (1982); marine archaeology; naval battles; Belgrano

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£12.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

54 minutes

Year

2004

Type

VHS

Format

PAL

Price

£12.99

Availability

Sale

Duration/Size

54 minutes

Year

2004

Sponsor

Name

Channel Four Television

Phone

071-396 4444

Address

LONDON
SW1P 2TX

Name

National Geographic Society

Notes

Programmes distributed in the UK by Quadarant Video

Distributor

 

Available from retail outlets

Name

Simply Media

Contact

Laura Smith

Email

info@simplymedia.tv

Web

http://www.simplymedia.tv/ External site opens in new window

Phone

0203 542 3722

Address

Highlight House
57 Margaret Street
London W1W 8SJ

Notes

Formerly known as DD Home Entertainment or DDHE