Wreck of Río Iguazú (GC83)

 navy, shipwreck

The Río Iguazú was a Argentine Coastguard Patrol Boat operating as part of the occupation & security force during the Falklands War in 1982. On May 22nd she was making a run from Stanley to Darwin carrying two 105mm field artillery pieces onboard when she was attacked and severely damaged by 3 British Harriers in Choiseul Sound.

The lightly armored ship was torn to shreds by the Harriers 30mm cannons and her captain beached his ship in Button Bay shortly after the attack began due to her rapid intake of water and damaged engines. The ship was abandoned by her crew as the British planes made repeated strafing runs on the hulk before breaking off the attack and returning to their carrier. One crewmember of the Río Iguazú was killed in the attack.

Argentine forces re-boarded the Río Iguazú and were able to remove both of the valuable 105mm guns by helicopter. These guns were later used to shell advancing British troops as they assualted Darwin, but were eventually captured by British Forces. The Río Iguazú herself was left derilict on the beach at Button Bay until her capture by the British, however they had no use for the ship and left it to rot on the tidal flats.

The hulk remained on the beach in her sad state for another 22 days when she was attacked again, this time being hit by a Sea Skua missile fired by a British Helicopter on June 13th, 1982, which mistook the wreck for a active warship. Following the conclusion of the Falklands War, the hulk of the Río Iguazú was towed by British Forces to Goose Green, where it was beached again and scrapped postwar.

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