British Royal Navy HMS Conqueror S-48, SSN HMS Conqueror is the second ship of three boats ordered in the Churchill class, laid down by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead on December 5, 1967; launched on August 29, 1969 and commissioned November 9, 1971. Conqueror was the only fleet submarine to be built by a company other than Vickers and was one of the most distinguished warships of recent years, being the only nuclear submarine to sink enemy warship, and the first to fire in anger. Conqueror, nickname “Conks”, was deployed during the Falklands War, setting sail from Faslane Naval Base on the River Clyde in Scotland on 3 April 1982, one day after the Argentine invasion. Conqueror arrived in the exclusion zone around the Falklands twenty-one days later. She was ordered to scan the area for Argentine shipping Under the command of Christopher Wreford-Brown (who was later awarded the DSO) Conqueror spotted the Argentine Cruiser General Belgrano. The war cabinet approved the sinking and on May 2nd 1982 Conqueror fired three torpedoes (Mk 8 torpedoes, rather than the less reliable but newer Mk 24 Tigerfish) two of which hit the Belgrano, and the third reportedly hit her escorting destroyer Hippolite Bouchard without effect. Bouchard and her sister ship Piedra Bueno attempted to depth charge Conqueror as she withdrew. 321 members of Belgrano’s crew were lost, making her destruction the biggest loss of the war. During the conflict Conqueror carried out a 90 day patrol, the longest ever by a Royal Navy submarine. Conqueror was fitted with Sub-Harpoon in 1985 and paid off together with Warspite in a joint ceremony at Devonport in August 2, 1990. Back to History Index       Image Country Year Description United Kingdom 20th anni' of General Belgrano Sinking by HMS Conqueror on 2ed May 1982, 2ed May 2002, Faslane, Helensburgh Grunay (Scotland) 1982 Fleet submarine HMS Conqueror of Valiant class South Georgia Is. 2007 25th anni` of the Liberation of South Georgia, HMS Conqueror in margin (souvenir sheet)