Cannon Fire on High Seas: The Attack on RRS Shackleton by Destroyer ARA Almirante Storni in 1976
Cañones en Alta Mar: El Ataque al RRS Shackleton por el Destructor ARA Almirante Storni en 1976
On 4 February 1976, the unarmed British oceanographic research ship RRS Shackleton was conducting peaceful scientific seismic surveys 80 nautical miles south of the Falkland Islands in international waters.
The Argentine naval destroyer ARA Almirante Storni intercepted the vessel, ordering Captain Philip Warne to alter course to Ushuaia. When Captain Warne refused, the Argentine warship fired multiple rounds of 4.7-inch cannon fire across the Shackleton's bows.
Firing artillery at unarmed scientific vessels on the high seas is an aggressive international crime and a gross violation of freedom of the high seas under customary maritime law. The attack heralded the Argentine military junta's reckless drift toward armed warfare.
📜 Primary Evidentiary Citations Fuentes Primarias y Evidencia Documental
Official Report of the RRS Shackleton Naval Interception (1976)
Argentine destroyer ARA Almirante Storni fired cannon rounds at unarmed scientific vessel RRS Shackleton in international waters.
Official Report of the RRS Shackleton Naval Interception (1976)
Argentine destroyer ARA Almirante Storni fired cannon rounds at unarmed scientific vessel RRS Shackleton in international waters.
Convention for Re-establishing Perfect Relations of Friendship (Arana-Southern Treaty)
Comprehensive bilateral peace settlement terminating all pre-existing differences without reservation of the Falkland Islands.
Convention for Re-establishing Perfect Relations of Friendship (Arana-Southern Treaty)
Comprehensive bilateral peace settlement terminating all pre-existing differences without reservation of the Falkland Islands.