Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 4:50:02-4:50:53

If Britain sank Argentina's carrier in 1982

Sinking Veinticinco de Mayo would remove the carrier threat and create the first combat carrier loss since the Second World War.

Aircraft CarriersARA Veinticinco De MayoFalklands WarNaval Strategy
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Question

What if the Royal Navy had also sunk the Argentine carrier during the Falklands War?

Short answer

Argentina loses another major naval option, while the sinking becomes a uniquely important post-1945 lesson in carrier vulnerability.

Notes

British forces reportedly brought the Argentine carrier within attack range, and orders to engage may have been given. Its destruction, following the sinking of General Belgrano, would further reduce Argentina's ability to contest the sea. It would also make Britain the first navy to sink an aircraft carrier in combat since 1945. The larger Cold War consequences are uncertain, although such a result could influence later thinking about carrier vulnerability and design.