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Sink the Belgrano
On the evening of 30 March 1982, Commander David Hall, chief engineer of the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror, received a telephone call giving him the order to "store for war." At first he didn't believe it. In the early hours of 2 April, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands.
On 4 April, HMS Conqueror sailed out of the Faslane naval base to begin her 8,000-mile journey to the South Atlantic. She was sailing towards war and towards one of the most iconic battles of the Falklands conflict, an encounter that would result in the torpedoing of the first warship since the end of the Second World War.
When the order was given to sink the Belgrano, the British nuclear submarine began a cat-and-mouse game with the Argentine warship. Conqueror stalked the Belgrano for two days, sometimes sailing as close as fifty yards to the warship's stern before the torpedoes were fired.
For the first time, we hear from the sailors on both vessels as they tell their own stories of the events of that day. We witness behind-the-scenes arguments and power broking that would culminate in the launch of three torpedoes from the Conqueror, and a vivid picture of the terror, confusion, and courage that marked the attack that left 340 of the Belgrano's crew dead. "Sink the Belgrano," written with all the pace and tension of a thriller, is the definitive retelling of those dramatic events.
On 4 April, HMS Conqueror sailed out of the Faslane naval base to begin her 8,000-mile journey to the South Atlantic. She was sailing towards war and towards one of the most iconic battles of the Falklands conflict, an encounter that would result in the torpedoing of the first warship since the end of the Second World War.
When the order was given to sink the Belgrano, the British nuclear submarine began a cat-and-mouse game with the Argentine warship. Conqueror stalked the Belgrano for two days, sometimes sailing as close as fifty yards to the warship's stern before the torpedoes were fired.
For the first time, we hear from the sailors on both vessels as they tell their own stories of the events of that day. We witness behind-the-scenes arguments and power broking that would culminate in the launch of three torpedoes from the Conqueror, and a vivid picture of the terror, confusion, and courage that marked the attack that left 340 of the Belgrano's crew dead. "Sink the Belgrano," written with all the pace and tension of a thriller, is the definitive retelling of those dramatic events.
397 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 26, 2026
The book caught my attention at the University second-hand bookstore just a few days after the US Navy sank the IRIS Dena at the start of the Iranian conflict. The book starts off by explaining the evolution of submarines and nuclear-submarines and then goes on to explain the details and the crew of the HMS Conqueror, and the ARA General Belgrano.
I did enjoy the quick summaries of the actions of the Falklands War even though the book did not focus on that. It was unneeded but was a nice touch to know what was happening at the same time of HMS Conqueror and ARA Belgrano's voyages.
I'm glad that Mike Rossiter manages to interview the crews of the submarine and the stricken vessel, it's a nice touch that adds personality to the stories onboard the warships and previously untold stories. Although the book is about the sinking of the Belgrano, I was very surprised to see how much the HMS Conqueror went through to aid in the liberation of South Georgia before the Falklands.
The three best chapters of the book focused on the hours leading to the sinking, the sinking, and the post-sinking and the rescue of the crew of the ARA General Belgrano. Reading it I was very tense and felt as if I was onboard the HMS Conqueror and the Belgrano itself, the writing style is fantastic.
My only gripe with the book is that I believe it should have included more maps and charts to make it more easily understandable as to what was going on.
8/10
I did enjoy the quick summaries of the actions of the Falklands War even though the book did not focus on that. It was unneeded but was a nice touch to know what was happening at the same time of HMS Conqueror and ARA Belgrano's voyages.
I'm glad that Mike Rossiter manages to interview the crews of the submarine and the stricken vessel, it's a nice touch that adds personality to the stories onboard the warships and previously untold stories. Although the book is about the sinking of the Belgrano, I was very surprised to see how much the HMS Conqueror went through to aid in the liberation of South Georgia before the Falklands.
The three best chapters of the book focused on the hours leading to the sinking, the sinking, and the post-sinking and the rescue of the crew of the ARA General Belgrano. Reading it I was very tense and felt as if I was onboard the HMS Conqueror and the Belgrano itself, the writing style is fantastic.
My only gripe with the book is that I believe it should have included more maps and charts to make it more easily understandable as to what was going on.
8/10
May 24, 2026
I had learned about this book after finishing _Vulcan 607_. In the back of that book, there was a blurb for _Sink The Belgrano_ (an old way of finding books that ebooks don't do). I'm interested in submarines and another aspect of the Falklands war. The Falklands was something through but didn't fully grasp what happened. I'm now learning more.
_Vulcan 607_ focused on the Royal Air Force trying to get a single bomber over Port Stanley. _Sink The Belgrano_ is about the Royal Navy and its lack of ability to easily project power 8000 miles from home. Here we learn of the journey of the nuclear submarine Conqueror, its deployment, and sinking of the Argentine warship. It isn't pretty. The submarine was supposed to go through a lot of maintenance, but was put back together fast in order to be on station as quickly as possible. The rush to get Conqueror and her sister subs to the Falklands caused a ripple effect of issues that the crew had to grapple with.
Everything about the war was a mess. The Belgrano, the Santa Fe sub, and other ships of the Argentine navy were from WW2. Upgraded, but still very old. The torpedoes used by Conqueror to sink the Belgrano were also WW2 vintage. The computer used to update the firing solution was analog. The crew of the Conqueror knew what they were doing and followed their training, resulting in the impact of all three torpedoes on the hull of the Belgrano.
As the book covers the Royal Navy, I hadn't realized just how vulnerable the task force ships were to aircraft. Their surface-to-air missiles barely worked. The Argentine A-4's were dropping gravity bombs on the ships and hitting them, that is how bad the Royal Navy's anti-air shield was. Because of this, the Royal Navy lost a lot of ships. In the end, they were very lucky.
Part of the problem was the micromanaging of the submarines from Northwood, Navy headquarters for the task force. The submarines were told were to go, with changes in orders every 6-12 hours at times. The local task force commander wasn't allowed to work directly with the submarines & the submarine commanders were not given latitude to prosecute their patrol boxes. The folks in Northwood had very little perspective of what was going on, actually holding back the submarines in many cases.
As a submarine book, the author takes us right into the good and bad aspects of Conqueror's mission. You get to feel for the crew as they battle unstable communication, a steam fitting issue in the reactor core, plus the failure electrolysis system. At the same time the crew continually worked the problems and remained ready to carry out their orders. It is a testament to their training that they were successful.
_Vulcan 607_ focused on the Royal Air Force trying to get a single bomber over Port Stanley. _Sink The Belgrano_ is about the Royal Navy and its lack of ability to easily project power 8000 miles from home. Here we learn of the journey of the nuclear submarine Conqueror, its deployment, and sinking of the Argentine warship. It isn't pretty. The submarine was supposed to go through a lot of maintenance, but was put back together fast in order to be on station as quickly as possible. The rush to get Conqueror and her sister subs to the Falklands caused a ripple effect of issues that the crew had to grapple with.
Everything about the war was a mess. The Belgrano, the Santa Fe sub, and other ships of the Argentine navy were from WW2. Upgraded, but still very old. The torpedoes used by Conqueror to sink the Belgrano were also WW2 vintage. The computer used to update the firing solution was analog. The crew of the Conqueror knew what they were doing and followed their training, resulting in the impact of all three torpedoes on the hull of the Belgrano.
As the book covers the Royal Navy, I hadn't realized just how vulnerable the task force ships were to aircraft. Their surface-to-air missiles barely worked. The Argentine A-4's were dropping gravity bombs on the ships and hitting them, that is how bad the Royal Navy's anti-air shield was. Because of this, the Royal Navy lost a lot of ships. In the end, they were very lucky.
Part of the problem was the micromanaging of the submarines from Northwood, Navy headquarters for the task force. The submarines were told were to go, with changes in orders every 6-12 hours at times. The local task force commander wasn't allowed to work directly with the submarines & the submarine commanders were not given latitude to prosecute their patrol boxes. The folks in Northwood had very little perspective of what was going on, actually holding back the submarines in many cases.
As a submarine book, the author takes us right into the good and bad aspects of Conqueror's mission. You get to feel for the crew as they battle unstable communication, a steam fitting issue in the reactor core, plus the failure electrolysis system. At the same time the crew continually worked the problems and remained ready to carry out their orders. It is a testament to their training that they were successful.
June 16, 2022
More reading on the Falklands War, which ended 40 years ago this month. This book takes on the saga of the Argentina Navy's cruiser "General Belgrano", which became the first warship sunk by a submarine since the end of WW2 when it was torpedoed by the British nuclear attack submarine "Conqueror". The story is told from both the Argentine side aboard the cruiser and the British side aboard the submarine. The book also covers the politics and decision-making of both national governments. Many fascinating details are provided about the operations and life aboard both vessels. Four out of five stars.
May 18, 2020
Great read
The sinking of the Belgrano was something I had always wanted to know more about. This book gives a good account of both sides in the fighting and made for a compelling read throughout.
The sinking of the Belgrano was something I had always wanted to know more about. This book gives a good account of both sides in the fighting and made for a compelling read throughout.
December 30, 2019
Read this on a cruise ship. It was in the ship's library.
October 1, 2020
A very decent book on a specific event in the Falklands conflict which is perfect for academic study as well as an interesting read.
April 8, 2024
A great read about the submarine war in the Falklands, and the trials and tribulations faced by Conqueror during her mission.
March 13, 2017
A very good book. It tells the story of the voyage of the HMS Conqueror - the submarine which sank the Belgrano - from start to end so it is about much more than just the sinking of the Belgrano. Well written non-fiction book that puts this controversial subject into perspective now that several facts that were then kept secret are out in the public domain. And many great interviews with men who ere there.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
January 6, 2017
The sinking of this Argentine warship became a very controversial issue at the time and became the mother of some conspiracy theories.
All these years later it was good to read Mike Rossiter's gripping account of the events from both the British and Argentinian naval personnel involved.
The author also includes developments from the outbreak of hostilities in South Georgia and follows the political and military issues of both sides. Through the fog of war it is quite eye opening how many military cooks were spoiling the broth in London and Buenos Aires. However it is the ship and crew of the nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror that takes centre billing in 'Sink the Belgrano'.
A brief history of the Falkland Islands/Malvinas is included to explain the outbreak of hostilities, as well as the military developments on land, sea and air. Many aspects of the sinking of the 'General Belgrano' are clearly explained and reasons given for the action. I felt that better maps could have been provided with clearer co-ordinates following the tracks of Conqueror and Belgrano around the vital time of the attack. The map in the book is too small and vague.
All these years later it was good to read Mike Rossiter's gripping account of the events from both the British and Argentinian naval personnel involved.
The author also includes developments from the outbreak of hostilities in South Georgia and follows the political and military issues of both sides. Through the fog of war it is quite eye opening how many military cooks were spoiling the broth in London and Buenos Aires. However it is the ship and crew of the nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror that takes centre billing in 'Sink the Belgrano'.
A brief history of the Falkland Islands/Malvinas is included to explain the outbreak of hostilities, as well as the military developments on land, sea and air. Many aspects of the sinking of the 'General Belgrano' are clearly explained and reasons given for the action. I felt that better maps could have been provided with clearer co-ordinates following the tracks of Conqueror and Belgrano around the vital time of the attack. The map in the book is too small and vague.
September 17, 2011
This is a well written book, very easy to read. Although it largely concentrates on HMS Conqueror, it does cover other aspects of the war. The descriptions of life aboard Conqueror and the problems its crew faced are interesting, though there is relatively little about the crew of ARA General Belgrano. This is unfortunate - it would have been interesting to have as much detail about Belgrano as about Conqueror.
There is a slight formatting issue on the Kindle edition - the first letter of each paragraph should presumably be a drop capital, but actually appears on one line, with the rest of the paragraph on the following line.
There is a slight formatting issue on the Kindle edition - the first letter of each paragraph should presumably be a drop capital, but actually appears on one line, with the rest of the paragraph on the following line.
February 7, 2014
As an author of submarine history, I was delighted to read Sink the Belgrano. I expected less detail as much of SSN operations are classified, so it was of great interest to learn as much as I did. The juxtaposition of the information about the Argentine navy's operations was helpful and eye-opening.
Author, Mike Rossiter, had done significant research with both nations' navies involved in the conflict, and I appreciated the human touch of the reactions of the sailors on both sides. They added greatly to the story. Recommended to naval history buffs.
Author, Mike Rossiter, had done significant research with both nations' navies involved in the conflict, and I appreciated the human touch of the reactions of the sailors on both sides. They added greatly to the story. Recommended to naval history buffs.
November 18, 2012
A detailed look at part of the Falkland's war and the way we won with tin cans and bits of string.
October 27, 2013
Brilliantly written describing the horrors of war.
December 14, 2015
Great book told from both the British and Argentines side and is written very unbiasedly. Great read for anybody interested in the Falklands war definitely recommended.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews