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History of the Death and Commemoration of the Argentine Submariner Felix ArtusoA review of the circumstances in which Chief Warrant Officer Félix Artuso was killed, while a prisoner of war, by a British Royal Navy soldier on April 26, 1982 aboard the captured Argentine submarine ARA Santa Fe in Grytviken, Georgia of the Sur, has promoted the following consideration:ARA SANTA FESynthesis:On the morning of April 25, 1982, the Argentine submarine ARA Santa Fe, while on the surface leaving Grytviken, South Georgia, was attacked by British forces and severely damaged.Argentine captain Horacio Bicain retraced the Santa Fe and returned to Grytviken, securing his damaged ship at the British Antarctic Survey jetty at King Edward Point.After the Argentine surrender, the British forces found a large quantity of ammunition, grenades and some weapons on board the Argentine submarine.The British assessed the ship's torpedoes as ready to fire and found the submarine in a dangerous condition, losing buoyancy, fuel and leaking chlorine gas.According to the BritishBritish commanders had also expressed concern about the possible sinking of the ARA Santa Fe at the British Antarctic Survey jetty, thus obstructing the mooring for any future use at its base of support.Captain Coward of HMS Brilliant proposed employing some members of the Argentine crew to propel the submarine and clear the jetty.On April 26, 1982, Captain Young, commander of the Task Force aboard HMS Antrim, was informed of this, and they both agreed that the ARA Santa Fe should not be sunk, but moved to safety.Captain Coward, who had initially been tasked with scuttling / destroying the Santa Fe, made sure that, despite being in a rather dangerous state,Captain Coward consulted with Captain Horacio Bicain, commander of the Santa Fe, who was a prisoner of war, about the minimum personnel that would be required to move the submarine and five members of the Santa Fe crew were selected: two for the position. of rudder and telegraph turret, two in the engine room for the propulsion system and one in the lower control room for the hydraulic and air systems.In addition, two other Argentine prisoners of war were used to handle the carcass ropes.Each prisoner of war was guarded by a British sailor except for the lower control room where two British Royal Navy guards, armed with Browning 9mm pistols, guarded Chief Warrant Officer Felix Artuso.When the submarine began to advance, one of the British guards in the lower control room raised concerns with a higher officer about the possibility that Argentine prisoners of war used torpedoes against British ships or attempted to sink the submarine.The British officer checked the torpedo compartment and then showed the guards what he believed to be the main ventilation levers and stated that under no circumstances should they be actuated as opening the vents could cause the sub to sink.It was also alleged later that at that time the levers were shown to Warrant Officer Artuso and ordered in sign language not to touch them and which Artuso seemed to understand.The British naval officer informed the guard that as long as Artuso did not touch the ventilation levers, everything would be fine.The British guard claimed that "he would shoot (Artuso) in the head if he touched them."The British naval officer repeated again "just don't let him touch the levers (on Artuso)" and then he left the lower control room and headed aft.During the transfer of the disabled ARA Santa Fe to another location, the submarine began to lose buoyancy and the Argentine naval officer Captain Bicain alerted Warrant Officer Artuso and ordered him to adjust the low pressure systems (LP systems) to rebalance the vessel in order to avoid that the Santa Fe heeled and capsized.and then he left the lower control room and headed aft.During the transfer of the disabled ARA Santa Fe to another location, the submarine began to lose buoyancy and the Argentine naval officer Captain Bicain alerted Warrant Officer Artuso and ordered him to adjust the low pressure systems (LP systems) to rebalance the vessel in order to avoid that the Santa Fe heeled and capsized.The order was transmitted directly to Chief Warrant Officer Artuso who had a transmitter dangling from his chest.Artuso took the correct levers to adjust the air pressure as he had been commanded to deal with the buoyancy of the submarine and at this point the British guard guarding it, who had already openly declared his intention to shoot (Felix Artuso) in the head if he touched the levers, he fired five shots at First Petty Officer Felix Artuso, killing him instantly.In front of the Investigation Commission, the British Royal Navy guard alleged that he had never listened to the order that was passed to Warrant Officer Artuso and thought that he was about to sink the submarine when he went to operate the levers and, consequently, fired his gun.Ironically, the British Naval Officer had misidentified the controls and given incorrect instructions to the Royal Naval Guards as to their use.Petty Officer Artuso was indeed making the trim adjustment for the Santa Fe and had correctly used the levers to do so.According to Captain Bicain, even though the idea had crossed his mind that the sinking of the Santa Fe could be induced by the Argentine prisoners of war, he had given the order to Warrant Officer Artuso and the other prisoners of war not to attempt any sabotage the submarine.Warrant Officer Felix Artuso was later buried with full military honors by British naval personnel at the Grytviken Cemetery, South Georgia.On April 30, 1982, an investigation was convened aboard HMS Endurance in which it was concluded that there was no fault or negligence attributable to any member of the British forces for the death of Chief Warrant Officer Félix Artuso on April 26, 1982 while in custody. as a prisoner of war aboard the damaged Argentine submarine ARA Santa Fe.The Geneva ConventionProtocolsLaw on Armed Conflict - Excerpt:The Geneva Convention and the Laws of Armed Conflicts are absolute for the High Contracting Parties of which the United Kingdom is a signatory.The principle that specifies that prisoners of war are in the power of the enemy power but not in that of the individuals or troops who have captured them, should also be taken into account.Prisoners of war have the right, in all circumstances, to have their person and honor respected.The general principles of protection of prisoners of war are stated as follows: They will not be unnecessarily exposed to danger while awaiting their evacuation from a danger zone.The detaining power will assume overall responsibility for the life and well-being of prisoners of war.Prisoners of war should be placed, as far as possible, out of reach of any kind of pressure to waive their rights.These people may not, under any circumstances, renounce partially or totally, the rights they enjoy under the Geneva Convention: the Geneva Convention and the Laws of Armed Conflict determine the status of the capitulated forces and the rights that correspond to them.If the troops surrendered under agreement, then they become prisoners of war and are entitled to receive all protections and duties of care.Once prisoner of war status begins, the law of war determines that captive forces must fulfill prisoner care duties.Captor forces are prohibited from making special agreements with prisoners to reduce these rights and protections.The rights granted to prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention are absolute.They are spread between states and cannot be waived by any of the individuals of the defeated enemy or commanders of the capturing force.Killing or wounding an enemy who surrenders or is knocked out is prohibited.Combatants captured under the authority of the opposing party have the right to have their life, dignity and personal rights respected.They must be protected against any act of violence.Principle of Non-Waiver:Belligerents are strictly prohibited from making special agreements with prisoners to reduce these rights and protections in accordance with the Geneva Convention and existing protocols.Regardless of British military objectives, the employment of Argentine war prisoners to move the ARA Santa Fe, which was assessed by British forces as in a dangerous condition, exposed these Argentine prisoners of war to unnecessary danger, which also violated the principle of no-Waiver as defined in the Geneva Convention.In this sense, the British government is in violation of the Geneva Convention.which was assessed by British forces as in a dangerous condition, exposed these Argentine prisoners of war to unnecessary danger, which also violated the principle of non-Renunciation as defined in the Geneva Convention.In this sense, the British government is in violation of the Geneva Convention.which was assessed by British forces as in a dangerous condition, exposed these Argentine prisoners of war to unnecessary danger, which also violated the principle of non-Renunciation as defined in the Geneva Convention.In this sense, the British government is in violation of the Geneva Convention.Control and Command:The conclusion reached by the Board of Inquiry that no fault, negligence, or any culpable act or omission is attributed that contributed to Artuso's death, deserves a comment: As Captain Coward of HMS Brilliant was “de jure y de facto ”in command and control of the ARA Santa Fe, he had authority over all subordinates on the submarine which included the Argentine prisoners of war and their Royal Navy guards.The erroneous identification of the levers that actuate the compressors, a situation that was alleged to trigger the death of Chief Warrant Officer Artuso by an apparently nervous Royal Navy guard, it could have been avoided if the British naval officer in question had used common sense and made sure from the beginning of the correct procedures for navigating the submarine with Argentine prisoners of war who were more experienced in its operation.In fact also, if necessary, the HMS Endurance had interpreters available on board and Captain Horacio Bicain in charge of the Santa Fe understood English.The misidentification of the pressure control levers was an error in judgment by a British naval officer and was an infamous command-and-control failure exposing the negligence of Captain Coward and his subordinates.Note: The British Council of Inquiry exonerated Captain Coward of any culpable negligence.Commanders of the Task Group of British Forces in South Georgia - April 1982:Captain Brian Young of HMS Antrim.Task Force Commander.Captain John Coward of HMS Brilliant.Major Guy Sheridan Royal Marines was in command of the whole of Operation Paraquet.Major Cedric Delves DSO: Squad Commander D SAS.Captain John Hamilton: Commander 19 Troop (Mountain Troop) 22 Special Air Service Regiment (SAS).Naval History - Operation Paraquet.Death of First Petty Officer Félix Artuso:Although the board of inquiry accepted that it had been an error to judge from the misidentification of the levers of the ARA Santa Fe pressure system, it also found that an additional error of judgment was made by not specifically including in the statement of the guard of the royal navy in charge of the custody of Artuso, who had expressed that he was going to shoot Artuso in the head.In this regard, the Board's conclusion that the belief of the British Royal Navy Guard who fired the fatal shots was founded on an honest and justifiable error, and its conclusion that this Guard honestly and reasonably believed that:1. had to prevent Artuso from sinking the sub and 2. that shooting him was the only way to safeguard everyone on board is questionable.The statement by the British guard in charge of the custody of Artuso that he was going to shoot the Argentine warrant officer in the head before causing his death should have warned the British naval officer (Coward) of the possibility of a mistake due to his lack familiarity with the operation of the controls of the Santa Fe submarine, and the obvious nervous state of the guard, whose behavior in the lower control room denoted a high state of anxiety and combat stress.Significantly, the royal naval guard involved in the murder of Félix Artuso had already expressed his intention to use maximum force against him, suggesting that this British soldier had already formed the "mens rea" element of a criminal offense ( criminal mental element).It could then be said that the assassination of Chief Warrant Officer Artuso by this British soldier who uses overwhelming firepower, in a closed space, at point-blank range, directed at an unarmed Argentine prisoner of war aboard the ARA Santa Fe, who at that time was acting in accordance with his orders, it amounts to a judicial execution.It is normal procedure to hold an investigation board on these types of incidents, but this board can also act as a preliminary investigation.which should have prompted the British military authorities to evaluate the matter in a more formal military forum, outside the theater of operations, where the facts could have been legally proven with forensic rigor, rather than reaching hasty conclusions in circumstances where that the military minds of the British were more focused on the progression of the war than on ruling objectively on the circumstances surrounding the death of an unarmed Argentine prisoner of war, who was supposed to be under the protection of British forces at the time of his death.Regardless of the substantive legal issues, the British investigative meeting held on April 30, 1982 aboard HMS Endurance exonerated all involved British service personnel.Conclusion:There is no doubt that failures in peace processes in international conflicts affect men, women and children, it is they who pay the highest price as a consequence of the armed conflict.In this regard, veterans and their families bear in perpetuity the burden and consequences of participating in military actions on behalf of the States.It is they, regardless of their nationality, who require the support of their government, which, for whatever reason, is an unacceptable injustice on the part of the British authorities not to facilitate the visit of Artuso's relatives to the prisoner's grave Argentine deceased in Grytviken, South Georgia and an affront to decency and respect for dead Argentines ... which must be rectified by all involved ... and sooner rather than later.July 24, 2014: A Flower Offering for Felix - British Government has no objection:After a presentation made to the British Government on June 30, 2014 to challenge their refusal to provide the family with access to the grave of Chief Warrant Officer Felix Artuso, in Grytviken Cemetery, South Georgia, I am pleased to report that the Office of The Overseas Territories, Foreign Policy & Commonwealth of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have indicated that they do not oppose the laying of a wreath at the grave of Chief Warrant Officer Félix Artuso in Grytviken Cemetery.Consequently, as I have received the consent of the British Government, in addition to the fact that Her Excellency the Ambassador of Argentina in Ireland, Silvia Merenga,She has also given her consent stating that she will be very honored with the laying of a wreath with the Irish tricolor flag on the grave of Felix Artuso in Grytviken Cemetery dedicated to her memory.This is why a wreath of flowers will be officially delivered to the leader of the expedition "Shackleton 2014" in London, on July 29, 2014, which will be taken to South Georgia Island aboard the Polish flag yacht S / Y Polonus, Expedition flagship London - July 29, 2014. It is expected that following Shackleton's commemoration on January 5, 2015, the crown with the Irish tricolor ribbon on behalf of the Irish Relatives Seamen's Association (1939-46), dedicated to the memory of First Warrant Officer Félix Artuso RIP April 26, 1982, is placed on his grave by a representative of said expedition.[Note:Thanks to everyone involved for their support.Shackleton Expedition 2014:The 2014 Shackleton expedition will depart from the South Marina Pier in Southwark, London on July 30, 2014, where yachts and their crews will gather to celebrate the raising of the expedition colors.More than a dozen yachts from Poland and other European countries will take part in the expedition, visiting various ports, all of which are directly related to Sir Ernest Shackleton's adventure to Antarctica.August 1 will mark the start of the first stage to Plymouth with a journey of 330 nautical miles.Participating yachts should leave Plymouth on August 8 and continue south.The proposed route is through Lisbon, Las Palmas, Dakar and the chosen Brazilian ports of Recife and Rio de Janeiro to Punta del Este in Uruguay.The third meeting point is Port Stanley, in the Falkland Islands.There the yachts should arrive around December 12, 2014, after covering some 7,770 Nm.Crew members can then choose one of three suggested routes from the Falklands to Grytviken.All teams are expected to arrive at Sir Ernest Shackleton's grave in Grytviken Cemetery, South Georgia, around noon on January 5, 2015.100 years of the Shackleton expedition: Special for the TSC (La Cruz del Sur - December 2014):2014 marks the 100th anniversary of Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton's expedition to Antarctica, particularly to the southernmost territory of Argentina.Shackleton was an Irish explorer and one of the leading figures in Antarctic exploration.He was born on February 15, 1874, in County Kildare, the second of ten siblings and the son of Henry Shackleton and Henrietta Gavan.In 1914-1916 Shackleton led the Imperial Transantarctic Expedition, also known as the Endurance Expedition.Its crew of 28 left Great Britain in August 1914 aboard the Endurance, captained by Frank Worsley.After a brief stop in South Georgia, the expedition headed out to the Weddell Sea.The plan was to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea.After 6 weeks of sailing, The Endurance was immobilized on an ice pack, only 100 kilometers from the coast and due to extreme pressure on the hull that severely damaged the ship, the Endurance sank on October 27.His crew made the immense effort to reach the mainland by pulling three lifeboats to the edge of the floating ice mass.After five days at sea, the 28 men reached Elephant Island, in the Argentine archipelago of the South Shetland Islands, where they set up camp.Most of the crew remained in the camp, while Shackleton, accompanied by five men, managed to navigate 800 nautical miles, in an open boat, through the most stormy seas on the planet in an attempt to reach South Georgia.After reaching the coast, Shackleton was forced to drop off three men at the landing point, he and the remaining two men traversed mountainous terrain to reach the Stromness whaling station on May 20, 1916. By the end of September 1916 all members of the expedition had been rescued.All had survived more than 18 months of exile in Antarctica.In 1921-1922 Shackleton led a new project to circumnavigate the Antarctic continent.After arriving in Grytviken in South Georgia aboard the small whaling ship Quest, he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 47 and was buried there.To commemorate this expedition a Polish yacht, the S / Y “Polonus”, is conducting a commemorative expedition that is under the auspices of Piotr Krzystek, the President of Szczecin in Poland,and the Irish and British embassies in Warsaw who have also declared their support.Although the expedition is supported by various authorities and governments, it is a private project undertaken by Polish sailors to commemorate the Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on the 100th anniversary of his death at his grave in Grytviken Cemetery on January 5, 2015.In memory of Félix Artuso:While in South Georgia, the Polonus crew will also pay tribute to the memory of First Petty Officer Félix Artuso, ARA Santa Fe sailor and prisoner of war, who was killed by the British during the Falklands War in 1982. Félix is ​​here buried in the same cemetery as Sir Ernest.While the wreath of flowers is placed on Artuso's grave in Grytviken on January 5, 2015, a laurel wreath with an Irish tricolor ribbon will be placed in his memory on behalf of the Irish Sailors' Family Association (1939-46) ( Irish Seamen's Relatives Association) at the Admiral Brown memorial statue in Dublin.On November 24, while en route from Punta del Este to the Malvinas, and at our request, the S / Y Polonus diverted its course to the port of Mar del Plata,where the crew met the Artuso family.A special commemorative plaque was presented to the crew by the family and it will be placed on their father's grave, along with our floral offering.The meeting held in Mar del Plata between the family of Chief Warrant Officer Félix Artuso and the Polonus crew was organized with very short notice and we must thank Captain Zawirski of S / Y Polonus http://www.shackleton2014.com, Professor Daniel Alberto Mesa - Director of www.elSnorkel.com , Sergio Campagnoli, VGM (Veteran of the Falklands War) Submarinist President Browniano National Institute Mar del Plata Branch http://www.inbmardelplata.com.ar, and to our Argentine, Polish, British and Uruguayan friends for your support that made this visit possible.Commemoration - Sir Ernest Shackleton - County Kerry - January 4, 2015:The accident of the Shackleton 2014 Yacht S / Y "Polonus" on December 23, 2014, Antarctica damaged its hull and Polonus cannot proceed to South Georgia. Consequently, the Polish commemoration by Sir Ernest Shackleton and the placement of our Crown and plaque commemorating the family of First Petty Officer Felix Artuso on Felix's grave in Grytviken Cemetery, South Georgia, scheduled for January 5, 2015, will be held at a future date. Due to new circumstances, a White wreath was placed in memory of Sir Ernest Shackleton on behalf of the Polish Shackleton2014 expedition by relatives of the Irish Sailors Association (1939-46) at the Tom Crean Memorial in the village of Annascaul, County Kerry, on Sunday 04 January 2015.Commemoration - Chief Warrant Officer Félix Artuso - Dublin - January 5, 2015:On Monday January 5, 2015, a laurel wreath with the Argentine colors united in the name of the Family Association of Irish Sailors (1939-1946) in memory of the First Warrant Officer Félix Artuso the statue of Admiral Guillermo Brown was placed, which is located in Sir John Rogerson's Pier, Dublin.A prayer for the fallen was recited in Spanish.Note: The location of the Admiral William Brown statue on Sir John Rogerson Pier is also the docking place for the ARA Liberty when visiting Dublin.Interestingly, the steamship Leukos departed on its final voyage in February 1940 from this exact location on Sir John Rogerson Quay.On March 9, 1940, the Leukos was attacked by a German submarine off the coast of County Donegal, and among the crew that were lost was Patricio McCarthy born in Balcarce, Buenos Aires, my great-uncle, the only Argentine lost in a Irish flag boat during World War II.Thank you to all concerned for your cooperation and support.Commemoration - Sir Ernest Shackleton - Chief Warrant Officer Felix Artuso:Under the command of Captain Artur Krystosik, the Polish yacht S / Y Isfuglen from the 2015 Shackleton Expedition will commemorate Sir Ernest Shackleton and Warrant Officer Félix Artuso in Cemitério de Grytviken, South Georgia in late February to early March 2015. Thank you very much to Captain Krystosik and the 2015 Shackleton Expedition for their cooperation.Shackleton 2015:The goal of Shackleton 2015 (http://www.shackleton2015.pl) is to visit places related to Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1915 expedition.The main objective is to fulfill the dreams of many people involved in the expedition and commemoration of Sir E. Shackleton.The idea was born in 2010, when the Isfuglen steel ketch was purchased.For the next four years Isfuglen sailed to Iceland, Greenland, Canada and Spitsbergen to prepare the boat and crew for the final phase of Shackleton 2015 which begins in Ushuaia 02/09/2015.Sir Ernest Shackleton.he died of a heart attack at age 47 during his last polar expedition and is buried in South Georgia.Paying tribute to him and his outstanding achievements by lighting a candle on his grave was worth all the effort of the journey to the "end of the world."Crown sent by the Irish Sailors' Family Association (1939-1946) by its President Mr. Peter Mulvany, who organized this commemoration to the Argentine Submarinist Felix Artuso in Dublin and Grytviken.Plaque of the Family of Felix Artuso carried and placed by the Polish Sailboats Polonus (Mar del Plata - Usuahia) and the Sailboat Isfuglen (Usuahia - Grytviken).Photo of Captain Artur Krystosik and the crew of the sailboat Isfuglen (Poland) taken by Pat Lurcock Wednesday February 25, 2015 at the grave of Chief Warrant Officer Felix Artuso RIP in Grytviken Cemetery, South GeorgiaCommemorative Trip - First Petty Officer Félix Artuso:http://shackleton2014.com/spotkanie-w-mar-del-plata/From previous messages, our friends will know that the S / Y Polonus ran aground on King George Island and was unable to continue its journey to South Georgia.The Shackleton Expedition 2014 yacht S / Y Polonus brought our wreath and family plaque to Chief Petty Officer Felix Artuso for the Grytviken Cemetery.The grounding of the Polonus on King George Island created a problem and when Captain Artur Krystosik of the Shackleton Expedition 2015 yacht S / Y Isfuglen learned of our difficulties, he immediately offered to help and changed his sailing schedule to the following.The Polish yacht S / Y Isfuglen http://www.shackleton2015.pl/sy-isfuglen will set sail from Ushuaia on February 9, 2015, bound for the Arctowski Polish Antarctic Base, located on King George Island, Antarctica, to collect the wreath and memorial plaque for the grave of Chief Warrant Officer Felix Artuso, who is entombed in Grytviken Cemetery, South Georgia.The Isfuglen, under the command of Captain Artur Krystosik, is expected to arrive in South Georgia around the end of February 2015. Following the commemoration in South Georgia in memory of Sir Ernest Shackleton and Chief Warrant Officer Artuso, the Isfuglen will sail directly to Mar del Plata.Estimated date of arrival in Mar del Plata, around March 16, 2015. Many thanks to our Polish friends for helping to complete the objective.Article - April 3, 2012: Georgias: there are no flowers on the sailor's graveYoutube - Argentine Submarines in Malvinas 1982Article republished: Félix Artuso, the death of a prisoner of warArticle republished: http://Elmalvinese.com newspaperArticle republished: Maritime History and ArcheologyArticle republished: Latin American Submarine CommunityPolish Article: Polonus on the Shackleton RouteArticle: The Southern Cross - December 2014 - 100 years of the Shackleton expedition"ARA Suboficial Castillo" attended a Polish sailboat in AntarcticaPolish article: Polonus - Magazyn Wiatr - February 2015Note: September 5, 2014:1. The article on our website has been contributed by the British Report of Inquiry on the death of Warrant Officer (SIMQ) Felix Artuso - HMS Endurance in South Georgia - April 30, 1982 and subsequent confirmation on May 21, 1982 from the conclusions of the board by the Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet, Naval HQ, Northwood, UK.2. Although the stated aim of the British Board of Inquiry was to establish the facts related to the death of Warrant Officer Felix Artuso, a review of the transcript suggests that the investigation was also attempting to mitigate and deflect British responsibility for the incident on board the ARA Santa Fe. The British investigation team's decision to exonerate the British forces from any liability or negligence implies, at its core, an element of guilt on behalf of Warrant Officer Artuso for his own death, despite the fact that Felix was carrying out your duty properly.In my opinion, that implication demanded to be rejected, hence the article on our website that highlights the case of Félix.3. Testimonial evidence to the Board of Inquiry shows that the British knew that the ARA Santa Fe was in a dangerous state and disrespectful of its military requirements / war objectives or others, the use of Argentine prisoners of war by British forces to moving the ARA Santa Fe was a fundamental breach of the Geneva Convention, which ultimately led to a chain of events that ended in the death of Warrant Officer Artuso.Combatants are not permitted under any circumstances to derogate by force or by agreement or to waive any rights proscribed by the Geneva Convention for the protection of prisoners of war.The obligation to protect prisoners of war from exposure to dangerous situations is absolute and cannot be manipulated by combatants to fulfill their military objectives.War is war and mistakes and accidents happen.However, in the case of South Georgia, the white flag of Argentine surrender changed the nature of the battlefield, with the Geneva Convention relative to prisoners of war being the applicable code of conduct that dictates that prisoners of war shall not They must be placed in dangerous situations by their captors.Postscript - March 23, 2015:The death of an Argentine prisoner of war - Spanish version: Note - For legal reasons the English version takes precedence: The project, begun in July 2014, is completed below to reexamine the circumstances surrounding the death of Chief Warrant Officer Félix Artuso in April 26, 1982:The Geneva Convention - South Georgia:On page 224 of the book Operation Paraquat, The Battle for South Georgia written Roger Perkins, published in 1986, under the title, THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS, Perkins states "The spirit of the Conventions was respected when the crew of the Captain Bicain if they could help move the submarine from King Edward Point (Coronel Zelaya Point) to Grytviken. After surrender, they could not be ordered to put themselves in a dangerous position, however they could be invited, and they volunteered. . "end of quote.Perkins's opinion illustrates a lack of knowledge of international law.For your information, combatants are legally bound by the Geneva Convention not to place their POWs in risky situations and invitations on the battlefield for Prisoners to cooperate and engage in dangerous work are de jure and de facto a flagrant violation of international law.Mr. Perkins claims that the crew of the Santa Fe were invited and volunteered to move the Santa Fe and therefore the British were complying with the Geneva Convention.Analysis of the Document of Surrender signed by the Argentine and British commanders on April 26, 1982 in South Georgia clearly indicates coercion in the text.Surrender Document - South Georgia - April 26, 1982:The surrender instrument proposed by the Argentine Forces on Sunday, April 25, 1982 and formally signed on April 26, 1982, committed the Argentine side to surrender on Sunday, April 25, 1982, and ordered the Argentine forces in South Georgia to cease hostilities immediately upon notification of this document.Two sections, Paragraphs 4 and 5, are of concern:Paragraph 4: "I understand that I am obliged to secure and notify the British Task Force Commander of any dangerous defense measures for which my Forces are responsible or for which they are aware, such as mines, trapping of explosives and similar latent explosives" .Paragraph 5: "It is understood that my Forces will be treated as Prisoners of War and have the rights that apply under the appropriate article of the Geneva Convention provided that the above conditions are met."Paragraphs 4 and 5 clearly indicate that the British Commanders were dictating terms of surrender to Captain Bicain and Captain Lagos subject to the condition that the Argentine Forces were inter alia OBLIGED to make explosive material safe, etc., and only in that case , Argentine Prisoners would be granted the rights applicable as prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention.To reaffirm.Battlefield commanders are strictly prohibited from coercing and placing their Prisoners of War in a situation where there is a risk to their life or unilateral alteration of the conditions to which Prisoners of War are entitled in the field. battle after surrender.Text in Paragraph 4: "I understand that I am obliged to insure"and the conditionality indicated in Paragraph 5 "provided the above conditions are met" are a violation of International Law that affects the status of Prisoner of War.The Geneva Convention was negotiated between high contracting parties, including the Governments of the United Kingdom and Argentina, and the only authority that can change any condition is the high contracting parties.The document prepared by Surrender Major Guy Sheridan Royal Marines was from the outset legally erroneous and shows a lack of knowledge by Sheridan as to the duties and obligations towards prisoners of war by which she was required to follow under the Convention of Geneva.As Commanders of the British Forces in South Georgia,The International Red Cross:The British file on the death of First Deputy Officer Félix Artuso you Forwarded Geneva is the one where he was examined by the International Red Cross.The IRC did not make any public pronouncement before presenting the report through the Swiss Embassy in Buenos Aires to the Argentine Government.I am not aware of any official response from the Brazilian Government, which was named Protecting Power for Argentine prisoners of war, or from the Argentine Government to the contents of the IRC Report.Peter Mulvany BCL, HDIP ManagementArts,PresidentIrish Seafarers Relatives Association (1939-1946)Irish Seamen's Relatives Association (1939-46)