ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS

The VELUX 5 Oceans race site reports: Shortly before 21:30 UTC last night, the Swiss skipper scorched passed the Horn on a single gybe at 16 knots, leaving the infamous island to port. ….The 10:20 UTC position poll places Stamm just past the Isla de Los Estados, north-east of Cape Horn in the South Atlantic.

This great achievement by Bernard Stamm brings significant memories back to me and I know a select band of others .... but for a completely different reason.

Here is a summary of an event in the area not far away on 10 May 1982:
That night as HMS ARROW moved to the north end of Falkland Sound, sister ship HMS ALACRITY prepared to sail right through from the south for the first time to flush out any supply ships. As she passed up the Sound, ALACRITY detected a small ship apparently heading for Port Howard, and using her single 4.5 inch, illuminated with star shell. Refusing to stop, the target was engaged in the only surface action of the war and after a number of hits, exploded and sank with heavy casualties. Reportedly there were only two survivors from what turned out to be the naval transport ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS carrying fuel and military supplies. ALACRITY carried on through to meet ARROW, and on Tuesday morning, both ships headed back to the carriers.

Being a member of HMS ALACRITY’s ship’s company I can tell you we were doing more than ‘flushing out’ enemy ships. Prior to the planned landings at San Carlos, up to date information was required on the threat of mining in the narrow straits to the north of the Sound. Frigates aren’t normally used as minesweepers and no one on board needed to be told what our mission really was.

It turned out that ISLA DE LOS ESTADOS’ cargo included mines due to be laid in the Sound. There can be no better example of the perfect way to sweep mines than sink the ship carrying them. It therefore gives me great pleasure to refute CURMUDGEON’S OBSERVATION in Scuttlebutt 2268 published 26 January 2007 when they stated:
Any ship can be a minesweeper. Once.
WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

For information, 2007 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Falkland’s War