Frigate Captain
Frigate captain is a naval rank in the naval forces of several countries. Corvette captain lies one level below frigate captain.
It is usually equivalent to the Commonwealth/US Navy rank of commander.
Countries using this rank include Argenti ...
Augusto Bedacarratz is a former Argentinian naval aviator who led the mission on 4 May 1982 that sank during the
Falklands War
The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...
using the
Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from Warship, surface vessels, Submarine, submarines, Helicopter, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guil ...
AM.39 anti-ship missile. It was the first sinking of a
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
ship in four decades.
Early life
He was born in Villa Maza, but moved to
,
La Pampa Province
La Pampa () is a sparsely populated province of Argentina, located in the Pampas in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise San Luis, Córdoba, Buenos Aires, Río Negro, Neuquén and Mendoza.
History
In ...
when he was a child. He lived and studied there until secondary school, . Then he moved to the
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
province where he attended high-school at Euskal-Echea college in Llavallol. Currently, he lives there but visits
frequently because he has a country farm and friends there. The airclub of
was called "Augusto Bedacarratz" in honor of him.
Biography
/ref>
Career
He joined the Argentine Naval Academy, graduating first in his class in 1965.
Attack on HMS ''Sheffield''
On 4 May 1982, an Argentine scout plane located ''Sheffield''. Bedacarratz and Lieutenant Armando Mayora Armando may refer to:
* Armando (given name)
* Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd
* Armando (producer)
Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...
were the two pilots on duty in the Search and Attack Naval Squadron, and were ordered to take off. Neither pilot had fired an Exocet
The Exocet () is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from Warship, surface vessels, Submarine, submarines, Helicopter, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
Etymology
The missile's name was given by M. Guil ...
missile before. The two Super Etendard
Super may refer to:
Computing
* SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter/player
* Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages
* Super key (keyboard button ...
planes detected ''Sheffield'', out of sight, from 20 miles away. Four seconds after Bedacarratz pressed the release button, the Exocet left his aircraft. Lieutenant Mayora, after seeing the Exocet launch, fired his own Exocet.
Afterward, both aircraft turned home for their base, but flew at 15 metres above the sea in the direction of the Antarctic to confuse the Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
. ''Sheffield'' was with and . The two approaching aircraft had been picked up by ''Glasgow''; ''Sheffield'' was twenty miles away at the time and its operations room was not fully staffed so that not everything ''Glasgow'' sent was received by ''Sheffield''. At the time, ''Sheffield'' was sending a message back to Britain via satellite, meaning that it could not see anything on its radar. There were 281 on board, and 20 sailors were killed, with 26 injured.
Bedacarratz retired from the Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...
in 1991, with over 3,500 military flying hours and 200 carrier landings.
Personal life
He has two daughters, a son and three granddaughters.
References
External links
BBC Twenty Years On in 2002
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedacarratz, Augusto
1943 births
Argentine military personnel of the Falklands War
Argentine Naval Aviation
Argentine Navy officers
Falklands War pilots
People from Macachín
Living people