World History
Sea Bed Mission Stirs Falklands Ghosts. This is an article from the Guardian that recounts a 2003 National Geographic Society mission to visit the wreck of the General Belgrano. This ship had been sunk by the British in the Falklands Islands War of 1982.
During the attack, 323 Argentine sailors died. It was the heaviest loss of life for either side from any single engagement during the war. (It is worth noting that the General Belgrano had previously been the USS Phoenix and it had survived the Pearl harbor attack in 1941.)
What really caught my attention was this paragraph from the article. It reads, "According to the Argentinean navy, the Belgrano was steaming out of the 200-mile maritime exclusion zone fixed by Britain, and therefore there was no reason to attack it...But in July 2000 two Argentinean families filed a lawsuit against Britain for sinking the Belgrano outside the 200-mile exclusion zone, on the grounds that it violated their sons' "right to life", protected under the European convention on human rights."
What? If I remember this correctly, Argentina and the United Kingdom were at war. As such, it seems perfectly reasonable and legal to sink a ship from the other side regardless where it is at. Argentina also sank a few ships including the HMS Sheffield and the HMS Antelope. I do not suppose any British families sued Argentina for the wrongful loss of life.
Fortunately, the case brought by the Argentinean families was dismissed. But you have to wonder what the families were thinking when they brought this frivolous case to court. Did they really think they could win?
- Biography Of José De San MartÃn
A well done history site is Biography of José de San Martín. It is by Pablo A Chami and it is on his personal site. That might mean this site vanishes shortly after I link to it here but as it has been around a few years I trust it may remain in place...
- Pearl Harbor: Strong Reactions Still
(The USS Arizona Memorial on 6 January 2008.)For the last several years, this blog has featured a post on Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii every December 7th. I did so again recently in 2007. However, I am going to post about it again now. Recently,...
- Memorial Day Special - Pacific Battle Islands Of World War Two
Memorial Day Special - Pacific Battle Islands of World War Two. Today is Memorial Day in the United States of America. The World History Blog salutes the soldiers who are defending America by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and solemly remembers those...
- History Of Falkland Islands
History of Falkland Islands. This is a short history to the still disputed British territory of the Falkland Islands. Or, as Argentina calls it, the "Islas Malvinas." From the site: The Falkland Islands were first seen by Davis in the year 1592 and Sir...
- History Of Argentina
History of Argentina. This is a nice brief overview of the history of Argentina. From the site: Europeans arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci. Spanish navigator Juan Diaz de Solias visited what is now Argentina in 1516....
World History
Sea Bed Mission Stirs Falklands Ghosts
Sea Bed Mission Stirs Falklands Ghosts. This is an article from the Guardian that recounts a 2003 National Geographic Society mission to visit the wreck of the General Belgrano. This ship had been sunk by the British in the Falklands Islands War of 1982.
During the attack, 323 Argentine sailors died. It was the heaviest loss of life for either side from any single engagement during the war. (It is worth noting that the General Belgrano had previously been the USS Phoenix and it had survived the Pearl harbor attack in 1941.)
What really caught my attention was this paragraph from the article. It reads, "According to the Argentinean navy, the Belgrano was steaming out of the 200-mile maritime exclusion zone fixed by Britain, and therefore there was no reason to attack it...But in July 2000 two Argentinean families filed a lawsuit against Britain for sinking the Belgrano outside the 200-mile exclusion zone, on the grounds that it violated their sons' "right to life", protected under the European convention on human rights."
What? If I remember this correctly, Argentina and the United Kingdom were at war. As such, it seems perfectly reasonable and legal to sink a ship from the other side regardless where it is at. Argentina also sank a few ships including the HMS Sheffield and the HMS Antelope. I do not suppose any British families sued Argentina for the wrongful loss of life.
Fortunately, the case brought by the Argentinean families was dismissed. But you have to wonder what the families were thinking when they brought this frivolous case to court. Did they really think they could win?
- Biography Of José De San MartÃn
A well done history site is Biography of José de San Martín. It is by Pablo A Chami and it is on his personal site. That might mean this site vanishes shortly after I link to it here but as it has been around a few years I trust it may remain in place...
- Pearl Harbor: Strong Reactions Still
(The USS Arizona Memorial on 6 January 2008.)For the last several years, this blog has featured a post on Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii every December 7th. I did so again recently in 2007. However, I am going to post about it again now. Recently,...
- Memorial Day Special - Pacific Battle Islands Of World War Two
Memorial Day Special - Pacific Battle Islands of World War Two. Today is Memorial Day in the United States of America. The World History Blog salutes the soldiers who are defending America by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and solemly remembers those...
- History Of Falkland Islands
History of Falkland Islands. This is a short history to the still disputed British territory of the Falkland Islands. Or, as Argentina calls it, the "Islas Malvinas." From the site: The Falkland Islands were first seen by Davis in the year 1592 and Sir...
- History Of Argentina
History of Argentina. This is a nice brief overview of the history of Argentina. From the site: Europeans arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci. Spanish navigator Juan Diaz de Solias visited what is now Argentina in 1516....