Operativo Alfil
Operation Bishop (Spanish: Operativo Alfil) was the Argentine addition to the coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. The operation was composed of four warships and two helicopters.
| Operation Bishop (Spanish: Operativo Alfil) | |
|---|---|
| Part of Operation Desert Shield | |
_during_Operation_Desert_Storm.JPEG.webp) Alouette III helicopter onboard USNS Comfort in 1991. | |
| Operational scope | Operational |
| Location | |
| Commanded by | Ship-of-the-line Captain Eduardo Rosenthal September 1990-February 1991 Ship-of-the-line Captain Rodolfo Hasselbag February 1991-May 1991 |
| Objective | Control maritime traffic and enforce the seizure of materials, merchandise and cargo that went to or came from Iraq or Kuwait |
| Date | September 1990-August 1991 |
| Executed by | 88.0 Task GroupSeptember 1990-February 1991 88.1 Task Group February 1991-May 1991 |
| Outcome | Designation of Argentina as Major non-NATO ally |
| Casualties | One Alouette III helicopter damaged |
| Statics | |
|---|---|
| Part of | Operation Bishop |
| Commanders |
Ship-of-the-line Captain Eduardo Rosenthal Ship-of-the-line Captain Rodolfo Hasselbag |
| Operations | 570 interceptions and 17 escort missions |
| Victories | 29 vessels successfully escorted |
Mission
On September 18, 1990, Argentine President Carlos Menem ordered the enlistment of vessels to support the Operation Desert Shield within the Gulf War. The operation was called "Bishop" (Spanish: Operativo Alfil) by the Argentine Navy.[1] To carry out the operation, Task Group 88.0 was created, under the command of Ship-of-the-line Captain Eduardo Rosenthal.[2] The TG was composed for:
- ARA Almirante Brown Almirante Brown-class destroyer - Frigate captain Alejandro Tierno
- ARA Spiro, Espora-class corvette - Frigate captain Oscár González
- Two Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters (3-H-109, 3-H-112) - Corvette captain Alomar
In a week they enlisted, and on September 25 they sailed. To reach the area of operations, a longer prima facie route was chosen, along the African and Mediterranean coasts, but it was possible to have close points of possible logistic support, to incorporate communications equipment from the US Navy at the base of Rota and perform the degaussing (measurement and calibration of magnetic signature for mine warfare) in the polygon of La Spezia.
The mission was to control maritime traffic and enforce the seizure of materials, merchandise and cargo that went to or came from Iraq or Kuwait.
From January 15, 1991 the mission was extended to the maintenance of the maritime communications lines for the Coalition forces, patrol of area in support of these forces and escort of the logistic train from Oman to the Kuwaiti coast, where they were in station of the coalition carriers, cruisers and helicopter carriers. This expansion of the mission was originally allowed by Law 23904 of the National Congress, which empowered the PEN to authorize a more active participation in the operations.
It was operated alongside ships of the Belgian, Spanish, English, Australian, Canadian, Danish, Norwegian, American, French, Italian and Dutch navies. In communications, an acceptable level of team interaction was achieved, but not optimal. This prevented GT 88.0 from carrying out missions in the northern mouth of the Gulf, near the Kuwaiti coast. The greatest compatibility problem occurred in the refueling, since the GT 88.0 used the NATO Quick Release system while tankers used the RAS (Refueling Along Side) probe as standard, forcing the tank to fit its probes in each operation.
As for the weapons systems on board, 20-millimeter guns were added on the sides as a means of defense against terrorist attacks, divers or smaller vessels, mainly at the entrances and exits to port, where ships are more vulnerable . These measures were correct, because this is a permanent danger in this sensitive region. In other systems, the SEWACO software was modified to have an automatic response to the missile threat, given that Iraq made profuse use of the anti-ship missile AM-39 Exocet, a weapon whose lethality the ARA knew to be the endowment of the Super Etendards of the EA32 that sank HMS Sheffield and SS Atlantic Conveyor in the Falklands War. At the same time, the systems of CBRN defense were explored.
In February, a new Task Force set out to relieve 88.0, which ended Phase 1 of the Alfil operation and retreated to the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base. ARA Almirante Brown returned on 25 April 1991, and ARA Spiro on 24 May 1991.
The GT 88, under the command of Captain Rodolfo Hasselbag, had a different composition due to the evolution of the military situation, the group's destroyer (ARA La Argentina) was changed for a transport loaded with medicines, food and humanitarian aid material. Thus, the group was constituted by:
- ARA Rosales Espora-class corvette - Frigate Captain Héctor Tebaldi (until 31 May 1991); Since 1 June 1991: Corvette Captain Pablo C. Rossi
- ARA Bahía San Blas
ARA Rosales carried out patrols and escort missions, added to the multinational naval command. The ship made about 326 interceptions. Later, the vessel made combined maneuvers with the Spanish, English and American navies. ARA Rosales received logistical support from French and Australian vessels. The return order of GT 88.1 was issued on May 23, 1991. Its arrival took place in Buenos Aires in July 1991. By August 2, 1991, the mission of GT 88.1 was completed.
See also
References
- "La Argentina enviará tropas al Golfo Pérsico". 13 February 1998. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- Santiago L. Aversa. "La Armada Argentina en el Golfo". Fuerzas Navales (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.