Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did HMS Conqueror sink the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano during the Falkland Islands conflict?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
submarine
The former USS Nautilus, launched in 1954, being towed to Groton, Connecticut, to become a museum, May 1985.
On May 2, 1982, during the Falkland Islands conflict, the British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano. The vessel was struck by torpedo attacks while positioned outside the declared 200-mile war zone.1
Following this event, the Argentine navy largely withdrew its surface fleet to port, limiting its subsequent contributions to the conflict to its naval air force and the deployment of a newer diesel-electric submarine.1