Notable Point · 2:05:12-2:09:24

HMS Conqueror, Belgrano, and the cost of revealing a submarine

The Falklands War demonstrated a nuclear submarine's anti-ship power while underscoring the risks of exposing an expensive, ammunition-limited boat.

Anti Ship Warfare ARA General Belgrano Cold War Intelligence Exocet Missile Falklands War Harpoon Missile HMS Conqueror Mark VIII Torpedo Naval Doctrine Naval Logistics Nuclear Attack Submarines Nuclear Submarines Royal Navy Rules Of Engagement SSN Submarine Ammunition Submarine Stealth Torpedoes Weapon Compatibility

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Notes

Conqueror's sinking of General Belgrano returned a nuclear submarine to the visible ship-killing role, using older torpedoes that persistent logistics had kept compatible with its tubes. The attack helped reinforce a Royal Navy expectation that SSNs could shoulder anti-ship work even as other ship- and aircraft-launched weapons declined without immediate replacement. The difficult question is when a submarine should reveal itself and expend one of the relatively few expensive weapons it carries. After an attack it cannot simply surface for a gunfight and must evade escorts, so a spectacular sinking can obscure the risk and opportunity cost imposed on the boat.