I have no photos but some info. They were received in three differents batchs.
The first one came with the delivery of 36 F-4C in the early seventies. They were 4 RF-4C. In the late eighties 8 ex-US National Guard RF-4C were received. In the early nighties 6 more ex-USAF were received. They were finally retired with no sustitution except 4 recce pods from Israel to be used by EF-18A. During the seventies and eighties they shared the recce role in the spanish air force with 18 RF-5A manufactured by CASA around 1970.
Regards

On 13th june, one british soldier from 2 Para was hurt. He´s private Steele. The investigation was made by David Neil Aldea.

Argentinean air force didn´t know about the success or not of their actions till BBC made its bulletins.

Hi Ken:
I found aditional info about Canberras at Falklands and 1st may and 13th june missions(in spanish):
http://www.angelfire.com/ga4/aerovirtual/htm/Info_Canberra.html

There is a testimony from Rivolier (I´ll try to translate as best I can):

“Eran cerca de las once de la noche y unas cinco millas antes de llegar al punto tiramos, porque hay que tener en cuenta que las bombas en su caída libre hacen un vuelo. Yo fui el primero en tirar, porque el “Baco” 1, esto lo supe después, se había desviado un poco al este. Cuando viro para salir por el mismo lugar por donde había entrado, veo cinco resplandores intensos que correspondían a las explosiones y pocos segundos después veo otra serie de resplandores. Era el otro Canberra que también había tirado.”

It was around 11 pm and just 5 miles befor get the target we dropped because it´s needed to know that a bomb in free fall makes a flight pattern. I was first to bomb as Baco 1, and I knew this after, had deviated himself just a little towards east. When I turn to go back by the same way where I have came, I saw 5 intense flashes from the explosions of my bombs and a few seconds shortly, another serie of flashes. They were from the other Canberra that also had bombed.

“Hasta ahí todo había andado bárbaro, los Mirage nos estaban cuidando y de repente cuando los ingleses se dieron cuenta de que no era una maniobra de diversión, que realmente habían tirado con bombas, dijeron “¡A estos tipos los tenemos que bajar!” y ahí empezó el drama de los misiles. E1 operador del radar Malvinas nos advirtió “cañitas voladoras en el aire” y el jefe de la sección de Mirage nos confirmó luego que vio cinco misiles. Yo personalmente sólo vi uno.”

Till then everything was right, Mirage were looking after us and suddenly when english noticed this was not a diersionary sortie and we had really bombed them, told themselves “These guys have to be downed”, and there started the missiles drama. Malvinas radar operator advised us “fly pipes in the air” and Mirage leader confirmed after he saw 5 missiles. I personally only saw one.

“Entonces eyecto los tanques suplementarios (de combustible) y cuando estoy en el viraje veo una luz roja que se aproxima desde la derecha, indudablemente era un misil. Le digo al navegador que largue las contramedidas y así lo hace, pero el misil no nos alcanza porque aparentemente había superado su alcance y agotó el combustible.”

Then I jettissoned my tip fuel tanks and during my turn I see a red light closing from the right, undoubtable a missile. I told my navigator to drop countermeasures and he makes it, but the missile didn´t hit us cause apparently had exceeded its range and was ran out of fuel.

According to this, did Major Sánchez confuse the 5 flashes from bomb explosions from Canberra with a volley of missiles?
In an account from “Falklands witness of battles” he talks about one erratic missile too.

Regards

Creaking Door I agree with you conclussions. HMS Brilliant crew member account (thanks to Griffiths 911), Brilliant´s Lynx report and Nogueira words point in that way. The only that doesn´t match is the damaged wing and the side in which Nogueira turned, but I suspect he´s wrong about it in his testimony.

Another conclussions would be that that they circled the ships farer than 6km, what would explain they weren´t fired Sea Wolf or Sea Cat, but not too much as they were clearly seen as well as they distinguished the bow of Brilliant and the air objects. The second ship seen in the distance seems to be Yarmouth, and the air object, the Sea Lynx. The missiles would be the rockets.

It would be interesting to place the ships, cause I think they were N-NE from East Falklands. It would mean that Canberras were following a northern course they had to be in order to arrive Berkeleys Sound, the place where their targets were suposed. The second trio also seems to be flying a wrong course.

Santiago, Nogueira´s testimony, apart the link above, it´s in Carballo´s book.

Hi again.

There is a report of a wreckage in Lively islands. It was fuel drop tanks from the Dagger of Ardiles. He probably jettisoned them before combat against Penfold-Hale.

Griffiths911, I saw the correction you made to Cardiff position on map during 13th june night. In that place, Penelope and the ferry would have to locate at Berkeley Sound, closer to shore in order to see the Sea Dart in his way towards the Canberra and confuse it with a hostile one.

In major Sánchez account of facts, there is a mention to an erratic missile, and a volley of two right towards him. Do you think that Rapier missiles from Fitzroy could play into action that night?. Or well, did he see Sea Cats from Penelope? During 13th june A-4B raid against Thomson HQ in Two Sisters area there is a report to Rapier launchings, so may be they also could be fired. In all cases, argentineans planes were out of range for that SAMs (Rapier and Sea Cat).

Santiago, welcome to the forum.
Rivas, Cicalesi and Núñez Padín are one of the most considered argentinean air historicians. Salvador Mafé, my spanish compatriot, is also an expert in Falklands war. He has published many articles about the conflict in spanish and foreign magazines.

On 1st may I think the first trio of Canberras were not fired missiles. On HMS Yarmouth and Brilliant webpages there are reports of chaff rockets launchings at the time of Canberra sorrrounding (probably feared an Exocet attack). Perhaps they were confused with SAM and then turned violently scrapping the waves and deflecting the wingtip. The sound he heard could be the impact against sea. What do you think? Is there any photo of that wing after landing at Puerto Deseado? I listened some opinions from argentineans in the way that the damage seemed as caused by an impact not by a explotion.

The second trio was intercepted just 24 miles from Invincible according to Ward. Do you think they made an erroneous northern navigation than the first trio (in both cases the target were the same suposed british landing ships in Berkeley Sound) that guided them in the Task Force heart?
May be Ward is wrong in the distance? Such a number of miles from a carrier would be where type 42 were suposed to be and argentinean pilots didn´t watch them. What do you think?

Regards

Hi again.

My memory may be wrong here because I remember the raid being 20 or so degrees on our starboard bow tracking left to right passing 15nm to starboard. This does not fit with what I have read recently but that is what I remember.

This means Cardiff was eastern. On the right of the axis of the attack (it´s the way to watch them passing from left to right).

Our gun crews opened fire to Starboard at flashes on the horizon. There were only three ships in that vicinity, Cardiff, Exeter and Avenger (transiting towards the inshore gunline) and none were in visual range of Cardiff. It is not possible to see a ship launch chaff beyond the visual horizon.

What´s about Tinkler´s book claim of an Exocet falling 400 yards from them in this raid? Do you think he is wrong? Or perhaps he mixed the date of the failed MM-38 Exocet attacked from shore on 1st june?

According to FAA pilots, the visual range was about 8-9 miles that day. But although low, they had a better point of view flying over 30-45 feet higher.

I suspect you were NE from Exeter. This would let you to see the raid from left to right. Also let to see the Sea Darts following a NW to SE course. But
15 miles doesn´t match. If then, you should have shot at them. It would be in the range of you Sea Dart. Except for a failure in the system (not rare at all). A kind of triangle: Avenger south. 12,5 miles NW from her Exeter and in an unknown distance but just north from Avenger and NE from Exeter, Cardiff.
The distance to detect a low level raid must be around 25 miles at most (the horizon radar is around that distance for very low level target as this was). You place the target at 15miles. So your relative position from Avenger could be in the range of 15-25 miles. What do you think? Is it reasonable?

Cardiff was not in company with the frigates inshore that night which included
Penelope, Avenger, Ambuscade and Active. These little warriors were conducting Naval Gunfire Support (NGS) or on escort duty. Is it possible the pilots were seeing muzzle fire and fall of shot from 4.5″ shells, not to mention all the ships launching chaff including HMS Fearless? Some distance offshore away from all this commotion Cardiff, the only vessel that could have caused any damage to the enemy formation launched a single missile, it was a very calm and simple engagement. I was reporting the raid to all ships on HF radio and one of the carriers launched a single Harrier that eventually turned back as it had no chance of catching up with the outbound raid. It has always been a mystery to me why the Arg pilots reported what they say they saw and I suspect they did not see the single Seadart that impacted with B-108.

I tell you my particular point of view. Mirages were some miles behind Canberras. Only one of them turned on his radar in order to follow “Bacos”. So we have two separated pairs of planes. The leader of second pair emiting a Cirano IIB radar signal with his wingmen following him in visual contact.

The ingress route was from Lively island to Mt Longdon. When Canberras dropped their bombs from high altitude (40000 feet) probably made it from a medium way betwen Fitzroy and Longdon. Then, turned 180º to come back for the same way. This means that Mirages, which were separated from them some miles, probably never overflew farer than Fitzroy.

By the other hand Canberra fell to sea south Fitzroy so probably impacted just north from it while heading south. Cardiff detected Cirano IIB emisions.
Is there a possibility that Cardiff engaged the southern pair (Mirages)?

I remember (don´t ask me where) discussions on the net (I know not the best source) about this that placed Exeter on scene. Exactly north, north-east of Stanley. Do you have a way to contact your friend on her to confirm they weren´t close to shore that night?

About the incident of Penelop and Nordic Ferry:
http://www.rna-10-area.net/falklands.html

Penelope launched Sea Cats or chaff rockets against the suposed hostile missile they saw. Could it be your Sea Dart flying from east to west heading for the target (according to your map)?
Were short range Sea Cats the missiles seen by Mirage pilots?

If they were close to Fitzroy, could they be fired by SAM Rapiers (on 8th june they were deployed in that area). Although again they are too short range to hit at such a high altitude as both pairs of planes (Bacos and Plutons) flew the raid.

Regards

Thanks a lot for your answer Griffiths911. I thought your mention to “gun crew” was refered to the vickers 4,5″ one. My english must improve 😉

About the Sea Dart range I was talking about effective range against low level targets. More or less the horizon radar. If I would be the Task Force commander I wouldn´t place two type 42 less distance than the double of such a effective range at low level. In that way both ships would cover totally his horizon with no gaps betwen them. That´s why I think les than 50 miles betwen 2 Type 42 appears to be not logical except for a transit. In a more or less static defensive position in the outer ring, they had to be further than a visual range such a one that let Cardiff gunners observe and even fire against Exeter´s Sea Darts. And even more, if you watched it means you were more or less close to the trajectory the missiles followed from NW to SE.

Thanks again.

Regards