Argentine Defence minister ‘ashamed’ of the Santisima Trinidad sinking in port
Argentine Defence Minister Arturo Puricelli said that the sinking of the destroyer ARA Santísima Trinidad could have been a planned sabotage attack, but also confessed that when President Cristina Fernandez asks him why the ship sank his face drops with embarrassment.
“When the president asks me, she will witness my face drop when having to tell her that an anchored ship in a port sank,” the Puricelli told radio reporters on Wednesday morning.
Nonetheless, the official did point out that the ship docked at the naval base of Puerto Belgrano was “out of service,” and on its way to the scrap yard.
According to a report, the ship started to sink because of a broken pipe inside of a damaged compartment. That said, Puricelli has ordered that the Navy carry out a full investigation, in order to fully define the causes of the incident.
The ARA Santísima Trinidad has been out of service since 2004 and anchored in the central navy base close to the town of Bahía Blanca. She had been cannibalized so that her sister ship ARA Hercules could remain operational.
ARA Santísima Trinidad is a Type 42 destroyer, the only of her class built outside Britain. She participated in the 1982 Falklands war. Her sister ARA Hercules was built at Vickers in the UK.
However despite Puricelli’s comments an independent lawmaker, Pino Solanas said that if it is true that the vessel went down because of an act of ‘sabotage’, the minister should then “sack all of the Navy’s ranking officers”.
“Puricelli’s statements and excuses are regrettable and pitiful” said Solanas adding that he should really be ashamed because “we have become the laughing stock of the world, our men-o-war sink in our main naval base”.
He recalled other events involving the Argentine navy such as the impounding of the flagship ARA Libertad in Ghana; the corvette ARA Espora delayed 78 days in South Africa because of lack of spares and now the Santisima Trinidad.
“This only goes to show the negligence and irresponsibility of those accountable for Defence”, said lawmaker Solanas.
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61 comments Feed
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Well said Mr Solanas. Its about time that the Argentine government started accepting RESPONSIBILITY for their actions instead of always looking around for someone else to blame.
Until they do, Argentina will never improve.
you must of known about it,
and you did nothing,
perhaps if you people cared more for your very own things , equipment,
and stop worrying about the British falklands,
that poor abandoned loney sick unloved ship, would be in a better position today,
would it not .
It is quite simple.
Ships, even when in port, require maintenance, especially if they are old.
Neglect that, and the sad sight of a Destroyer trying to turn belly up is the result.
The poor girl should have been scrapped years ago.
Pretty bizzare really as there is lots of US$$ in scrap.
Here here!
Either that or CFK will sack him anyway.
She sank 38 years too late....
www.clarin.com/politica/Santisima-Trinidad-Cristina-Olivos-Puricelli_0_853114836.html
How else does he survive? Espora, Liberturd and now this... an incompetent bufoon in charge of an incompetent military. Anyone other than a selfserving peronista snotgob would have resigned long since.
@5 I neglected to mention all the ex naval hulks behind the naval academy at La Plata... you have to wonder why Davidoff felt the need to go to South Georgia.
You say...:
“An incompetent bufoon in charge of an incompetent military.”
I say...:
I agree completely...
Even a yanki turnip has his moments!
or maybe to say the vessel was sabotaged is the first rule in the Argentine book of politics on “How to cover ones arse” closely followed by “How to pass the book”.
Try paying your maintainence on your navy and maybe just maybe they will be afloat long enough to be sunk at the RNs discretion.
SELF-DETERMINATION!
Here's a tip, Putrid. Rename yourself Minister of Slobs. It would best describe your “forces”. They might be good at intimidating and killing civilians. Crap at opposing a real army. Or marines. Or air force. Or navy. And we've never sent our Armoured Division.
@10 Then don't try to threaten. We'll wipe the floor with you and then crap on your remains. There is NOTHING in or about arsieland that we give a toss about. In Afghanistan, we are being “nice”. Don't expect the same. YOU threaten OUR people. YOU are NOTHING. Walking targets. Running targets. Hiding targets. Just targets!
Actually, we didn't build ARA Santísima Trinidad. This was the one they built.
ARA Hercules is still afloat because it has “MADE IN BRITAIN” stamped on the bottom!
It's like Monty Python, but better.
ROFLMFAO
Answer - Entertainment, pure entertainment.
I am Latino and temperamental .. I could not live the life that you live complacent whites .. In your country, you drive by your lane, you get to the corner for the light to give you the green light, you go home, your neighbor greets you, you go turn on the light, you turn the heat, you take a hot shower and then view TV news ... A total boredom! But here, the cars come in without warning, crossing red traffic lights, your neighbor or you go you either challenged by anything, open the door and you have light, you cut off the gas, the water pipe is broken, the Cable you stole it .. Here's more fun my friend ... LIVE HERE!
And you wonder why the Falkland Islanders don't want to be Argentine?!
Only a madman would live in a society where it is every person for themselves and the head of state steals hundreds of millions to stash them in a Swiss bank, is actually certifiably mad, a bi-polar mad woman off her medication, with a fat psychotic son in charge of a group of murdering thugs who act as her private Mafia. Whilst all other politicians are either toads & yes men who do her bidding, or cowards incapable of organising a Coup d'etat to depose her with a military that was neutered to prevent them starting another Junta.
You should work for the Argentine tourism industry “hey a sunk ship, gas cut off, no cable, it's all part of the rich tapestry of Argentine life”
Lol, once again, pure entertainment!
One, to make sure there is a record of it should his post disappear,
Two, to make sure I wasn't dreaming it.
'' 20 XAVIERV (#) Jan 25th, 2013 - 12:05 am Report abuse
@ 19
I am Latino and temperamental .. I could not live the life that you live complacent whites .. In your country, you drive by your lane, you get to the corner for the light to give you the green light, you go home, your neighbor greets you, you go turn on the light, you turn the heat, you take a hot shower and then view TV news ... A total boredom! But here, the cars come in without warning, crossing red traffic lights, your neighbor or you go you either challenged by anything, open the door and you have light, you cut off the gas, the water pipe is broken, the Cable you stole it .. Here's more fun my friend ... LIVE HERE!''
Can you guarantee that I will be repeated in the outskirts of London?
@22
I think you're peeing out of the jar. Never occur to us to be Argentine or take our “chaotic” culture. Can remain English, Chilean or Pakistani if you wish. Because here it is common nationality of the inhabitants of the islands but the possession of the same.
@23
In like working in tourism. But my profession is more entertaining, I teach math. My task is commendable I tame a wild, barbaric and disrespectful Argentine adolescents. Surely it could not be in an English school where sophistication reigns of manners.
@ 25
Could you tell me what is your IQ?
@ 26
Here is a man with discretion. I tip my hat to you sir Frank.
Just look at some of the posters on here. They have always been a bit wacky, but as an example, Nutjob the 8th has really looked as though he is suffering mental health problems over the last few days. I am actually quite worried about him.
If this is deliberate sobotage by CFK, then she is to be applauded
Maybe sticking them in the international equivelant of a padded cell to calm down might be the best thing for everyone.
I kinda like the chaos of BsAs too but I find it frustrating after a few months; as do many Argentines. It would be a dull world if all cultures were the same.
Talking to one of my Argentine friends living in BsAs last night mostly about personal stuff but she did say, “It is getting edgy here, people want Cristina out”.
Subject to the usual caveats... access to unlimited $US.... etc
Even those former die hard and supercilious Kirchner admirers in the form of BK, Think and Dover seem to be losing the faith. Or perhaps Old Cristina's just stopped paying them.
How many times to you have to be told that the Falkland Islands are NOT a colony but a SELF-GOVERNING Overseas Territory. The difference is so obvious that a single celled amoeba could understand.
I know the standard of education in Argentina is poor, but I didn't think it was this bad. If you have difficulty with the big words you could try looking them up in a dictionary.
p.s. You also need glasses and an urgent psychiatric assessment too.
I need a white cat to stroke.
Actually the standard of education in Argentina is not poor - compared with many developing nations its education system is quite advanced.
Their problem is their arrogance - they really and truly believe they are the greatest nation in the world!
About time SPECTOR got in on the act!
The list of Non Self Governing Territories named by a totally discredited sub- committee of the United Nations which consists of representatives of countries which can hardly been deemed to be “democratic” (Cuba?) does include several former British colonies none of which would appear to have been consulted about this designation. Furthermore, the chairman of this committee is an Ecuadorian politician who has never visited the Falkland Islands in spite of having been invited by the authorities of this Self Governing Territory.
Once this committee shows it really knows what it is talking about then perhaps it will be deserving of some respect.
“No, Mr Timerman, I expect you to die”
@42 Got what off Wikipedia? The list of NSGT? Oh really. And as we are in questioning mood, just who is this Head of the UN who has the power to declare an end of the matter, in your opinion?
Antigua & Barbuda, Bolivia, Chile, China, Congo, Côte D'Ivoire,
Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Grenada, India, Mali,
Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation,
Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone,
Syrian Arab Republic, Timor-Leste, Tunisia,
United Republic of Tanzania and Venezuela.
With a few exceptions it is a group of countries upon which one can hardly rely for democratic decisions. Furthermore, it seems to exist solely at the request of Argentina as no other country seems to bother so much about falsely claiming sovereignty over any of the other countries/colonies on the list provided by this group of misfits. Spain would have to renegotiate the Treaty of Utrecht in order to recover Gibraltar as in said treaty the Rock was ceded to Britain in perpetuity according to the terms of said treaty.
However, as the General Secretary of the UN has clearly stated that “self determination” is the first priority which affects the Falkland Islands then we must just await developments. I look forward to seeing Argentina with “egg on its face”!
@46 The SG was anything but clear in his recent statement to the press. I recall it had something to do with developing competencies first, though.
It's all a red herring anyway, Commander. The key issue for the decolonization process isn't the precise nature of the constitutional arrangements between the metropolitan country and the (former) colony or NGST, it's the fact that those arrangements are freely chosen by the inhabitants of the latter.
No wonder the Malvinistas, their agents, sympathisers, and sock puppets are so desperate to undermine the referendum.
*an electorate that first generation immigrants freely admit is tightly controlled to prevent the wrong inhabitants joining the electorate.
> this is not about what the electorate (*) wants but about the legal or illegal possession of territory
Indeed, it's a good solid Argentine viewpoint that the electorate don't count.
The only thing is, this viewpoint is inconsistent with the other good solid Argentine viewpoint that the Falklands question falls under the UN decolonization process. That process, after all, is entirely about what the electorate wants.
Bit of a Malvinista conundrum there. The dratted referendum has exposed a basic contradiction. Either the issue is legality, in which case the locals don't count, or it's decolonization, in which case, unfortunately, the locals do count.
But then the decolonization song is the one that plays best at the UN, especially when on the legal issue you have barely a leg to stand on.
If it were me with a Malvinista case to support, I guess I would try to square the circle by claiming that constitutional arrangements keep the issue in the decolonization process, while snidely suggesting the referendum is rigged, or the electorate undeserving. It would be helpful too if a Brit could be found to push the sort of unreconstructed imperialist view that delights anglophobes everywhere
.
It was the UK that introduced the Falkland Islands Crown Colony and the others to the UN decolonisation process. That is not my opinion, it is in the official UN record. We are the ones that have failed to work the system ( a system very much of our own post war making) sufficiently well enough to correct that mistake.
The Referendum is just another tactic that I predict will fail to move the debate forward. It isn't exercising self determination, it is a consultation and the true purpose is so transparent as to be embarrassing to anyone with experience of multinational organisations. No wonder the Minister who sanctioned it was moved on and the FCO civil servant who recommended it has been sentenced to live with his mistake.
Only Independence or Integration will put an end to this decolonisation circus and the UK Government is historically and currently against both. This needs to change and so a NO vote and a debate is needed.
To be clear, I don't believe the Referendum will be rigged in any procedural sense. I have never hinted snidely or otherwise that it would be. There is no need to rig it for the reason we both know. Neither is the Electorate undeserving of the opportunity to express an opinion, which it has every four years or every year if you count the Assembly members as delegates of the Electorate. To have an unconstitutional referendum in March and a constitutional election in November of the same year only highlights the PR nature of the Referendum.
As for the suggestion that I have been “found” to advance the Argentinean cause you are mistaken. I am an unequivocal advocate of integration into the UK of all the British Overseas Territories (TLA for colonies). Any coincidence of interest with Argentina is both incidental and irrelevant.
This is false. There are 4 ways a territory can decolonise, not 2. It is the C24 which is failing to fulfil its obligations, not the UK.
“No wonder the Minister who sanctioned it was moved on and the FCO civil servant who recommended it has been sentenced to live with his mistake”.
What makes you think this is factual. Do you have a link?
The Referendum will be of benefit if only to demonstrate to a wider audience the idiocy of Arturo Puricelli, who once said that the UK was using military force “to keep the Falkland Islanders as hostages”. Has he been moved on or is he simply living with his mistake(s).
Whatever you and Argentine countrymen believe, self determination is a powerful and compelling argument and it is important that the true views of the Islanders are heard. Who knows one day “self determination” may work in Argentina's favour.
Argentina might not like the result in this instance but then if it had behaved properly and not resorted to blockades and blackmail, the Islanders may well have viewed Argentina and Argentinians differently.
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