San Carlos Landings ('Bomb Alley')

May 21, 1982 · San Carlos Water, Falkland Islands Theater

May 21, 1982

Operation Sutton landed some 4,000 British troops at San Carlos Water on East Falkland in darkness and relative surprise. Argentine aircraft responded throughout the day with repeated, extraordinarily courageous low-level attacks that sank HMS Ardent and later damaged or sank HMS Antelope and HMS Coventry. The narrow waters of San Carlos — quickly dubbed 'Bomb Alley' — became a fierce air-sea battle. Despite their losses, Argentine pilots frequently failed to arm their bombs on time for such low-level releases, and hundreds of bombs simply passed through ships without detonating. The beachhead held.

• ●San Carlos Landings ('Bomb Alley')