"Cast the Belgrano!": The order that decided on his sinking and martyrdom of 323 heroes of the Malvinas

Your sailors know the rules of the game. They expect, with this tension that oscillates between life and death, that there is no underwater attack.

In Argentina it is four o'clock in the afternoon.

But while they wait and pray, in London, the same Sunday, May 2, 1982 at nine o'clock in the evening, Margaret Thatcher neither waits nor hesitates. The order is direct, clear and terrifying:

The captain receives it Chris Wreford Brow, commander of the nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror. And start writing the requiem.

A torpedo pbades under the Belgrano hurts vital parts and removes energy: a dark prelude. The captain of the conqueror shouts "fire!" twice more. The second and devastating ghost Erase fifteen meters of bow. The third does not touch him. But the damage is irreversible.

Twenty-three minutes after the first explosion, the captain Héctor Elías Bonzo orders to leave the cruise.

The Belgrano – a legend – already tilted after the first torpedo, suffered a second explosion.

He is condemned: he will die. He will die in this furious sea and this implacable wind and among the desperate cries of his men. The most fateful scenario: to save yourself is almost impossible.

The 62 lifeboats – the cruise counts 72, but a dozen are reserved – seem smaller and more fragile.

Of the 1093 crew members, 323 die.

But the numbers, although scary, do not reveal the real hell: only the first torpedo Kill 274 men …

The lifeboats are attached, but it is urgent to cut the lines to prevent one from slipping the others during the sinking.

Some sailors arrive at the boats with a wounded companion on the back. The rapid escape prevents many from reaching the boats with warm clothes. The cold is incredible. Atrocious Many die frozen on the roof of the boats. Others are heated with their own urine and morphine is used to calm the burned.

A little after five o'clock in the afternoon, at the time of the house, the Belgrano goes to the dark and icy cemetery that the sea reserves for fallen warriors.

An old wrestler 185 meters long finds his grave 44 years after his birth. And with him, Argentine sailors who could not escape the trap.

Boats comes a cry:

Built in New York, he entered service in March 1938 with his first name: Phoenix. Anchored in the bay of Pearl HarborOn December 7, 1941, he escaped brutal Japanese bombardment: 353 aircraft in two waves. Four battleships sank, nine ships were damaged and 2403 Americans died in water and on land. In 1951, Argentina bought it, baptized it on October 17 and later received its final name ARA General Belgrano.

Infobae I'm speaking with Pedro Luis GalazMe, his second commander on the last and fatal journey. Strange symmetry. Galazi was born on March 12, 1938: the same day, the same month and the same year as the launch of Belgrano …

– How did the story begin?

-The ship was in full maintenance and its crew reduced to four hundred men. But at dawn on March 15 or 16, they called me from the Sea Fleet Command. Urgent meeting.

– He imagined for what?

-Never. My generation has gone through all the revolutions and I thought it might be something like this.

– The cruise had been abandoned to go to the Malvinas?

Yes But little by little, the navy badigned more men and we arrived at 1091. On the 4th or the 5th of April, they ordered us to act quickly to repair and direct us to the zone of the island of the States. and wait for orders.

– The crew was well prepared for what happened?

-C & # 39; was very heterogeneous. Different ages, different degrees of training, conscripts in second year of service and others without experience … Many did not know how to swim!

– Did everyone understand what they could face?

-The trained sailors, yes. But the youngest ones do not do it. The 62 boats look small and fragile in a storm

-Have they attacked a submarine attack?

-We have hardly set sail, we started the tasks to prevent this kind of attack. Worst…

– Was it a war crime? Because the Belgrano was outside the exclusion zone … (Note: Arrested by England on April 30, 1982)

-The area of ​​inclusion was unacceptable. Because at that time, both on the mainland and in the Malvinas, the Argentine authorities ruled. Sovereignty was ours … But in a war, keeping the zone of inclusion is impossible …

-Because? In which case?

-When one side is able to shoot.

-What did you think of the last moment? What feelings have dominated?

– In a similar tragedy, it is impossible to think of anything. Only in the concrete action. There is no time for more. But today, when I meet a survivor, we kiss and cry.

Production and interview: Fernando Morales