MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Next of kin of the only Argentine combatant buried in South Georgia visit his grave

Artuso children and ex members of submarine ARA Santa Fe honor his grave covered with an Argentine flag at Grytviken cemetery

Forty years after the end of the South Atlantic conflict, the children of Argentine Navy NCO Felix Oscar Artuso were able to visit the grave of their father, the only Falklands combatant buried in South Georgia island.

NCO Artuso was an experienced member of the submarine ARA Santa Fe which on 25 April 1982 was attacked and neutralized by Royal Navy helicopters, as part of the recovery of the South Georgia Island which had been occupied by the Argentine forces.

However Artuso was not killed in combat but the following day when the captured ARA Santa Fe was ordered to move from a jetty. The British officer who was watching Artuso, mistook the maneuver as an attempt to scuttle the sub and shot the Argentine NCO.

Artuso was then buried with full military honors at the Grytviken cemetery. Argentina has since declared April 26, the Day of the Naval Engineer and bestowed on Artuso the title of “national hero”

But it was only four decades later that his children Christian, Karina and Carolina were able to visit his grave in South Georgia for the first time, following many years of private requests.

Finally this week the Argentine navy had the next of kin flown to Ushuaia where they boarded the Canadian cruiser, “Ocean Diamont”, together with other former submarine crew members and were able to visit and honor the grave of NCO Artuso.