Birth name Augusto Bedacarratz Rank Capitán de Navío | ||
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Battles/wars Falklands War• Sinking of HMS Sheffield Awards El Honorable Congreso de la Nación a los Combatientes | ||
Frigate Captain Augusto Bedacarratz is an Argentina naval aviator, who led the devastating mission on 4 May 1982 on HMS Sheffield (D80), during the Falklands War, with the Exocet AM.39 anti-ship missile. It was the first sinking of a Royal Navy ship in four decades.
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Early life
He was born in La Pampa Province.
Career
He joined the Argentine Naval Academy, graduating first in his class in 1965.
Attack on HMS Sheffield
On 4 May 1982, a scout plane had detected the target of HMS Sheffield. Bedacarratz and Lieutenant Armando Mayora 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 missile before. The two Super Etendard planes detected HMS Sheffield, out of sight, from 20 miles away. Four seconds after Bedacarratz pressed the release button, the Exocet left the aircraft. Lieutenant Mayora, after seeing the Exocet leave the other aircraft, fired his Exocet.
After both Exocets were fired, 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. HMS Sheffield was with HMS Coventry and HMS Glasgow. The two approaching aircraft had been picked up by HMS Glasgow; HMS Sheffield was twenty miles away at the time and its operations room was not fully manned so that not everything HMS Glasgow sent was received by HMS Sheffield. At the time HMS Sheffield was sending a message back to Britain via satellite, so that it could not see anything on its radar. There were 281 on board, and 20 sailors were killed, with 26 injured.
He retired in 1991, with over 3,500 military flying hours and 200 carrier landings.
Personal life
He has two daughters, a son and three granddaughters.
