MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Navy pulls 1982 War sloop from auction for scraps

The Sobral's captain Sergio Gómez Roca and seven other crewmembers were killed in action during the 1982 South Atlantic war

Argentina's Defense Ministry Wednesday announced it was pulling the the decommisioned sloop ARA Alférez Sobral from a list of old units to be auctioned for scraps, given the vessel's historic participation in the 1982 South Atlantic conflict over the Falkland Islands. The decision was adopted by Minister Luis Petri himself, it was explained through a statement. The ship is now expected to be turned into a museum.

The auction of four units -including the Alférez Sobral- is scheduled for Sept. 13 at the Mar del Plata Naval Base, according to the Official Gazette. The Argentine Navy fetched a minimum of AR$ 14.2 million (around US$ 11,000 at the unofficial exchange rate known as “blue,” a euphemism for “black market”).

The sale for scraps of the other three decommissioned ships - two corvettes plus an hydrographic vessel - is to proceed as scheduled, while the Sobral is to be handed over to the highest bidder for the development of a museum in a separate tender. Institutions and private citizens interested in the project may submit their proposals until Dec. 16, the Argentine Navy also explained. In the meantime, parts of the ship such as the bell and a cannon are to undergo restoration.}

On the night of May 2, 1982, the Sobral was rendered unusable after damage to her bridge and navigation systems from two British missiles fired from a helicopter. The Sobral's captain Sergio Gómez Roca and seven other crewmembers were killed in action.

Built in the United States in 1944, the 43.6-meter long and 10.3-meter wide vessel served as the USS Salish where in the Pacific Ocean theater before being delivered to the Argentine Navy in 1972, where she was name after Ensign José María Sobral, a military explorer and geologist who stood out for his involvement in activities concerning Antarctica.