The ARA General Belgrano (C-4) was an Argentine Navy light cruiser that served from 1951 until its sinking in 1982. Originally built in the United States as USS Phoenix, she was a Brooklyn-class cruiser constructed by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, beginning in 1935. Launched in March 1938, she was part of the Pacific theater during World War II, surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor unscathed and earning nine battle stars for her service. After the war, she was placed in reserve at Philadelphia in 1946 and decommissioned later that year. In 1951, she was sold to Argentina and renamed 17 de Octubre, later rebranded as General Belgrano after the Argentine independence hero Manuel Belgrano. She was a significant naval asset during the Argentine military coup of 1955 and was involved in a collision with her sister ship, Nueve de Julio, in 1956. During the late 1960s, she was upgraded with the Sea Cat anti-aircraft missile system. Her most notable service was during the Falklands War in 1982. Following the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, she was part of the naval forces patrolling the South Atlantic. On 30 April 1982, she left Ushuaia, and on 2 May, she was sunk by the British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror outside the designated exclusion zone. The attack involved three torpedoes, two of which struck her, causing catastrophic damage. The explosion tore a large hole in her hull, leading to rapid flooding and the loss of 323 lives, including crew and civilians. The sinking was significant as she was the only ship to be lost during military operations by a nuclear submarine and the second submarine attack on a surface ship since WWII. The destruction of General Belgrano marked a pivotal moment in the war, influencing subsequent naval engagements and international debates over the legality of her sinking. The ship remains a symbol of Argentine maritime history and the tragic costs of the Falklands conflict.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.