The Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana, together with the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Juan Martín Paleo; to the Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Navy, Admiral Julio Horacio Guardia; and survivors of the sinking of the ARA cruiser “General Belgrano”, sailed aboard the ARA icebreaker “Almirante Irízar” to the exact place where the ship was attacked and sunk by the British, to pay tribute to the 323 sailors who died during the War of Malvinas.

“Today we came here, accompanied by some of the survivors of the 'Belgrano', veterans, to pay our tribute to the 323 heroes who lie at the bottom of the sea and challenge us to continue firm in the commitment to defend our sovereignty. We "They challenge us so that we do not give up in our political and diplomatic efforts to recover effective sovereignty over our islands," said Minister Taiana. And he continued: "Today, 40 years ago and at this time, the ARA cruise ship 'General Belgrano' was cunningly sunk by the submarine 'Conqueror', thus demonstrating the British determination to continue occupying our land, exploiting our resources, mocking International Law and maintaining a colonial situation that is shameful for these times."

“We came to tell the 323 heroes that we will never forget them, that their example will always be present. This is a tribute that we owed to our heroes and we had to do it on this 40th anniversary,” highlighted the Minister of Defense after the emotional ceremony. , along with the authorities and Veterans present. For his part, the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy stated: “ The cruise ship 'General Belgrano' was a colossus of the seas and had the nobility to remain afloat for almost an hour so that "Even the last of those who had been left alive could disembark. Today, those of us who crew the Navy, men and women, in all destinations and components, have the cruiser 'General Belgrano' as an example to follow." Finally, Admiral Guardia recognized the “323 men who lost their lives in this event and who from that moment on are on eternal patrol in our seas, like other sailors who have given their lives in compliance with their sacred oath, among them, the 44 crew members of the ARA submarine 'San Juan'.”

The journey to honor the fallen and War Veterans began from the port of Ushuaia to the geographical coordinates where the ARA cruiser “General Belgrano” was attacked and sunk on the afternoon of May 2, 1982.Its sinking became the greatest naval tragedy in the history of the Argentine Navy, but also one of its greatest tests of heroism since, in the context of strong storms and extreme temperatures, in less than 48 hours more than 700 were rescued. crew members who survived the sinking.

Por Agenda Malvinas