Actions over Río Santiago
Río Santiago Naval Base, shipyards and School (Photo: Isidoro Ruiz Moreno, La Revolución del 55, Tomo II)
At the Naval Base of Río Santiago everything was agitated on the morning of the 16th. The personnel came and went while the officers transmitted orders and proceeded to enforce them.
Since the early hours of the day, a significant number of officers had begun to arrive at the military unit with the idea of joining the movement, notable among them was Lieutenant Commander Eduardo Davidou, commander of the patrol boat “King”; his artillery chief, frigate captain José Fernández and the commander of the “Murature”, lieutenant captain Francisco Pucci. Once there, they found the facilities in full state of alert and taking precautions in anticipation of an attack.
The defense of the area was in charge of Lieutenant Commander Carlos Schliemann, assisted by Army Captain Juan Carlos Ríos and Lieutenants Roberto Wulff de la Fuente and Jorge Osvaldo Lauría.
The cadets, who had been led to the back of the main building, were armed with old Mauser training rifles and several automatic rifles, with patrol platoons assigned to the islands and defensive pickets on the perimeter line of the base and the parade ground, with which an effective defensive cordon was formed.
The vanguard line, composed entirely of elements of the 3rd Marine Regiment under the command of Lieutenant Juan A. Plaza, was located in the area of the silos and grain elevators, in front of the main island, Santiago River in between, reinforced by a section of sailors under the command of Lieutenant Carlos Büsser1, Navy officers and students from the Higher War School.
Command of the operations was assumed by General Juan José Uranga, a brave and determined officer who had subordinated himself to Admiral Rojas, with whom he had a more than cordial relationship. His main concern was the lack of weapons to confront the government forces and the need to resort to the reserve warehouses in which the Ballester Molina 45 caliber semi-automatic carbines with double magazines were kept along with other rifles.
Shortly after receiving the order to enlist, the 120 conscripts of the company commanded by Büsser, supported by an officer and a corporal, boarded the boats and crossed the stream in the direction of the grain elevators. Recently incorporated Army troops were added to them, among them Lieutenant Ibérico Saint Jean, who despite having a higher rank than the sailor, placed himself under his command without hesitation.
While the mobilization was completed, Admiral Rojas ordered the patrol boats “King” and “Murature”, anchored in the side channel, to position themselves in front of the Naval Academy so that, if attacked, they would repel the action with their powerful forces. cannons. In this way, he planned to compensate for the lack of artillery and, therefore, provide adequate cover. Once the directive was given, two tugboats slowly approached them, to hook them up and move them to their new position, a task on which the crews of both vessels worked quickly.
Meanwhile, from La Plata, the loyal forces were mobilizing as quickly as possible, adopting provisions to advance on the naval base.
The governor of the province, Mayor of the Intendencia (RE) Carlos Aloé, had left the government palace to go to the nearby Police Headquarters to take charge of its 700 troops, thereby removing himself from a possible coup d'état by insurgent commandos. The measure was correct because the two military units of the provincial capital, the 7th Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Communications Battalion, were on maneuvers in Magdalena, 70 kilometers to the south and would not arrive in time to begin the advance and contain the rebellious troops.
Knowing the situation, Minister Lucero ordered urgent defensive measures, ordering the immediate return of the units, as well as the 2nd Artillery Regiment that was with them, also mobilizing the 6th Infantry Regiment based in Mercedes and the 1st Artillery Regiment with base in Junín, all of them under the orders of General Heraclio Ferrazzano, commander of the II Army Division who was supported by Colonel Norberto Ugolini, chief of staff of the Division.
Both Uranga and Rojas understood the need to take over La Plata in order to remove such an important place from government hands. And to this end, Lieutenant Büsser was tasked with loading his troops into several trucks and preparing to advance.
Based on that plan, a jeep was dispatched to inspect the area, whose driver was to transport an officer to reconnoitre the area. This was done and upon his return, it was certain that machine gun nests and a large number of troops had been stationed both in the nearby town of Ensenada and on the access road to La Plata. Uranga wanted to make sure of this personally and left aboard a private car accompanied by his assistant, Captain Luis A. Garda, and his two nephews, who had driven him that morning to Río Santiago.
The vehicle started moving and just three kilometers from the base it came across two machine gun posts stationed on both sides of the road, which they passed without problems because Uranga was wearing his uniform and that made the police forces assume that it was a loyal officer. They were still unaware that there were elements of the Army who had joined the rebel forces.
Despite this, the general decided to return because he knew that if he continued, he could be isolated, with loyal troops blocking his path. The car turned around and returned along dirt streets parallel to the road.
Uranga offered the high command an overview of the situation, which is why it was decided to suspend the advance on La Plata to adopt defensive positions, securing the Naval Shipyard sector and the grain elevators.
Patrol boat ARA "King" (P.21) moored in port (Image: Fundación Histarmar. Historia y Arqueología Marítima)
Police officers from the province of Buenos Aires, reinforced by the Naval Prefecture and civil militants from the union groups and basic units of the provincial capital, set out towards Río Santiago, following direct instructions from the Ministry of War. Once in front of the base, they took up positions near the entrances and began shooting, unleashing an intense firefight that could be heard for several kilometers around.
The battle began when loyalist forces moved to envelop the rebel vanguard, moving to the left, covered by buildings, as they entered the surrounding swamps.
It was 10:00 on that cold September morning when General Heraclio Ferrazzano and Colonel Hermenegildo Barbosa, the latter chief of the 7th Infantry Regiment, arrived in the area to take control of the situation. An hour later, when the 450 marines and their army allies were consolidating a bridgehead on the mainland, Ferrazzano ordered an attack on them, to force them to retreat to the other side of the Santiago River.
Barbosa divided his forces into two sections, sending the first to occupy the railway station and the second to do the same with Plaza Belgrano, while the 2nd Artillery Regiment, reinforced by a battery from the “Buenos Aires” Motorized Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of Communications, began its advance through the center.
Seeing them coming, the troops stationed at the Shipyard opened fire, stopping the forces that were approaching them and containing them until noon.
While the first clashes were taking place, an Avro Lincoln from Morón bombed the base's magazines without causing damage. The bombs fell into the water and the plane moved away, repelled by the artillery of the patrol boats moored next to the Naval Academy.
While these events were taking place on the mainland, from Martín García Island, the BDI landing units No. 6 and No. 11 sailed towards the base carrying on board Marine Infantry troops made up of three companies of candidates and personnel from the School of Sailors based on the island plus Company No. 2 of the Marine Infantry under the orders of frigate captain Juan Carlos González Llanos, on board the second.
An Avro Lincoln approaches low-flying. (Image: Blog de las Fuerzas de Defensa de la República Argentina - http //fdra.blogspot.com.ar)
The boats had left at 10:50 and two hours later they were off La Plata, ready to enter the port. Four government Gloster Meteor fighters and five Calquin bombers detected their presence and attacked them, strafing them first and throwing their bombs at them immediately afterwards. The BDI No. 11, piloted by Lieutenant Federico Roussillon, received the full fury of the fire.
The Calquin bombs exploded nearby, shaking the boats hard. It was followed at low altitude by the Gloster Meteors, which indiscriminately riddled its decks, which lacked anti-aircraft defenses. The boats carried out zigzag maneuvers and continued their advance when the attackers, after consuming their ammunition, began their return to Morón.
The attack caused two deaths and nine injuries on board the BDI No. 11, which only responded with rifle fire, which was ineffective, by the way. A projectile had destroyed her engine regulator, causing her to stop. Her subsequent stranding left channel 2 partially blocked. Despite the damage, the boat would be repaired and would continue sailing for the rest of the day.
The boats docked next to the Prefecture detachment and disembarked the troops under fire from loyal troops. The companies spread out through the swamps in the direction of the Naval Academy, trying to take cover in the mountains. Company No. 2 of the Marine Infantry, under the command of Lieutenant Oscar López, attempted to join the defense of the main building of the establishment. They were received by the person in charge of surveillance, Lieutenant Roberto Wulff de la Fuente, who ordered them to form up to immediately distribute them to different sectors.
The infantrymen were shocked by the air attacks and therefore disbanded when a Gloster Meteor passed over them, without firing shots. With the danger removed, they formed up again and marched directly to the front.
After noon, the “King” and the “Murature”, pulled by the tugboats, were located next to the dock, in front of the Naval Academy. From the spit of land next to the grain elevators, on the opposite bank, they received intense fire, suffering the first casualties. An impact hit the bridge of the “King” causing some damage and almost hitting her commander. Those who did not have the same luck were the sailor Mateo Viña, killed by a 7.65 caliber shot in the chest and the first corporal Raúl Torres, seriously wounded in the face, next to the Bofors cannon that served.
In the “Murature” the shrapnel hit Corporal Balsante squarely, also wounded in the face; to the artillery non-commissioned officer Victorio Rodríguez and to the sailor Luis Palena, who fell on a Rokord clock from the signal bridge, staining the commander with his blood. The tugboats were also hit but without major consequences and were able to continue advancing towards the docks.
Immediately after docking, the patrol boats disembarked dead and wounded while their commanders headed to the Liceo building to appear before its director, Captain Carlos M. Bourel, and receive directives. Bourel informed them of where his troops were located and ordered them to open fire on the enemy positions.
The patrollers fired with such violence that upon hitting the area, the loyal forces were forced to evacuate the sector while suffering considerable casualties in their ranks. While this was happening, Büsser's people, face to face, shot at them from the shipyards.
Patrol boat ARA "Murature" (P-20) gains open waters in the Río de la Plata. She was Admiral Rojas' flagship until his transfer to the cruiser "La Argentina" on September 18, 1955.
(Image: gentileza Fundación Histarmar. Historia y Arqueología Marítima)
There was intense fighting in Río Santiago when an Avro Lincoln piloted by Vice Commodore Islas left the Morón Air Base. The aircraft carried Captain Hugo Crexell as a pointer and his mission was to intimidate the rebels and show them the destructive capacity available to the government.
The device approached flying high over the Dock Central distilleries and once over the target it opened its floodgates and dropped its bombs, immediately beginning evasion maneuvers. The loads went long and fell into canal waters, without consequences.
In anticipation of this type of attacks, the main buildings were conditioned, covering their openings with mattresses and all kinds of elements, in order to avoid splinters and splinters from the shattered glass.
An I.Ae-24 Calquin prepares to attack Río Santiago
At 2:30 p.m., two Avro Lincolns and a Calquin attacked again, but without success. When the alarm was raised, the officers, who had made the Naval Academy Directorate their headquarters, fell to the ground, got off tables and desks, while the explosions shook the earth.
Admiral Rojas, on the other hand, maintained a serene attitude, praised by his assistants at the end of the conflict. According to Isidoro Ruiz Moreno, while the bombardment lasted he remained standing, joking with his subordinates who watched him in disbelief from the floor, especially Lieutenant Jorge Isaac Anaya and the admiral's assistant, Lieutenant Oscar Carlos Ataide, both of whom were under cover. a desk that had belonged to General Justo José de Urquiza. From that position, he maintained telephone contact with Captain Adolfo Grandi, who commanded the troops fighting in the Shipyard, following the combat alternatives.
The first bombs fell into the water without exploding because due to the low altitude at which the planes flew, their fuzes did not have time to arm. New incursions followed, all of them repelled by crossfire from the “King” and the “Murature” which, at that point, had become the main beasts of anti-aircraft defense. A bomb exploded near the first, hitting its hull with shrapnel, while two of the attacking aircraft received impacts of different magnitude: the Calquin, one that crossed its right wing from side to side, near the fuselage, and the Avro Lincoln, another in the turret. lower. The first crashed near the La Plata Regatta Club, killing the pilot and his companion, and the second left smoking in the direction of the “Armour” refrigerator.
While these actions were taking place, a squadron of six Calquins under the command of Captain Jorge Costa Peuser, deserted to the rebel ranks. It was made up of captains Valladares, Marcilese, Pérez, Abdala and Crespo, who had landed that same day in Morón, from El Plumerillo, province of Mendoza to reinforce the loyal Air Force.
Having received the order to bomb Río Santiago, the planes dropped their bombs into the water and continued flying towards Tandil, to join the revolutionary ranks. The fact did not go unnoticed in Morón where, in the afternoon, Crexell and his assistants began to worry about defections, the fire potential of the patrol cars, and the inexperience of the government pilots during the attacks.
And it was no wonder since a careful analysis of the situation was able to determine that none of their bombs had achieved hits, two planes had been hit, and at least half a dozen had deserted, including the recent arrivals from El Plumerillo.
The Repression Command ordered a bombing mission on the rebel positions in Córdoba and in compliance with that directive, the head of the FAA, Brigadier Juan Fabri, dispatched the two Avro Lincolns piloted by captains Ricardo Rossi and Orlando Cappellini to whom we we refer to in chapter 9.
The pilots took off at 12:30 and once in the air, they made a low pass over the runway and cut off communication with the tower. An hour later they were over the Military Aviation School, in the province of Córdoba, requesting authorization to land.
Two hours later, three other aircraft commanded by Captain Fernando González Bosque and First Lieutenants Manuel Turrado Juárez and Dardo Lafalce would do the same, which, as has been said, considerably increased the firepower of the revolutionary forces.
The actions in Río Santiago lasted well into the night. The loyal forces, under the command of General Ferrazzano, had harassed the base and its facilities throughout the day, firing their powerful cannons and mortars on the patrol boats and the main buildings.
At 5:00 p.m., the Marine Corps, following direct instructions from Rojas, began to cross the arm of water that separates the Shipyard from the School. Lieutenant Carlos Sommariva was there, supporting his position inside the sheds under the pressure of Ferrazzano's forces when Captain Grandi arrived to transmit the order that he should go to the ferry and cross to the School. At the moment when both officers were talking, a bullet hit Grandi and threw him to the ground. Sommariva thought they had killed him but his surprise was great when he saw him stand up and continue speaking. The projectile had hit a button on his jacket, miraculously saving his life.
Guns from the 7th Infantry Regiment open fire on the patrol boats "King" and "Murature"
At an indication from Sommariva, the Marines ran towards the ferry, crossing the ramps on which the frigate “Libertad” was being built. They did it in sections, very professionally, first the conscripts, then the non-commissioned officers and finally the officers, who remained until the last moment covering the retreat while the fire intensified around them. The ferry crossed and deposited the conscripts on the opposite bank while the officers contained the Army as best they could.
Among the front-line combatants was Lieutenant Menotti Alejandro Spinelli, a veteran of June 16, who during the withdrawal passed by the hull of the “Libertad” when several enemy shots pierced its structure. In the midst of construction, the superb ship, pride of the Argentine Navy, received her baptism of fire.
At 6:00 p.m., the ferry guided by Lieutenant Julio Santoianni returned to the Shipyard to pick up the officers. The boat approached the extensive north jetty and the troops began to board hastily, covered by the fire of the patrol boats.
When all the personnel were on board, the ship left the dock and returned to the School, making it possible for the Army advance guards under the command of Major Horacio Rella, fulfilling direct orders from General Ferrazzano, to reach the access to the shipyard. An hour later, the artillery was located at the rear, in the open fields sector of the General Roca Railway, guided from the observation and adjustment posts stationed in the towers of the church and the Municipal Palace of Ensenada.
It was 8:00 p.m. when the cannons began to be prepared to support the troop assault that had been planned for the next day. The Morón Air Base, for its part, ended operations for that day due to the impossibility of operating at night.
When the clocks showed 9:00 p.m., Captain Crexell walked to a car located in the unit's parking lot to go to the Ministry of the Navy to present his report to Admiral Cornes. He was accompanied by the vice-commodores of Marotte and Síster, with whom he was discussing the day's alternatives when, suddenly, from a Calquin parked in front of them, someone opened fire.
The officers threw themselves on the ground at the precise moment when the plane was taxiing towards the runway to take flight, providentially saving their lives because at the moment of firing, the device was resting on the tail skid and that caused the gust to pass over their heads, without reaching them.
The anti-aircraft guns of the "King" and "Murature" respond. (Image: Blog de las Fuerzas de Defensa de la República Argentina)
Once the scare was over, Crexell got up, said goodbye to his companions, boarded the vehicle and left for the capital. At the Ministry he was received by his head, Admiral Cornes, and other senior officials to whom he gave the corresponding report, which lasted during dinner and ended around midnight. It was there that he realized, with some concern, that the government authorities considered the uprising to be defeated and that caused him concern because, at that point, nothing could be assured.
Meanwhile, in Río Santiago, Admiral Rojas carried out an analysis of the situation.
Lacking artillery, he knew that General Ferrazzano's forces would eventually prevail, reducing the naval installations to ashes. It was necessary to evacuate the place and move the troops out to sea if what was wanted was to avoid a massacre.
The decision upset ship captain Luis M. García who vigorously protested because, in his words, he was there to fight to the end and not to retreat. Rojas calmed him down, explaining that the situation was unsustainable and that to continue the fight, they had to embark and harass the enemy from the sea. García understood and Rojas went on to explain the plan.
With the arrival of night, the fighting ceased. The army troops changed positions, evacuated the wounded and proceeded to regain energy by distributing the ranch among the troops. On the rebel side, the pertinent orders were given for the boarding of the troops while in the School Directorate, Admiral Rojas, helped by lieutenants Jorge Isaac Anaya, Oscar Carlos Ataide and Jorge Osvaldo Lauría, proceeded to burn the documentation to avoid to fall into the hands of the enemy.
Rojas wrote a note to General Ferrazzano, which he left on his desk. It said, among other things, that the facilities and buildings of the Naval Base and its School were patrimony of the Nation and, therefore, property of the Argentine people: “I hope that on this occasion the embarrassing events that occurred will not be repeated. "They occurred when Army forces occupied the Ministry of the Navy on June 16, which was looted as war booty, not distinguishing between state property and private property."
Around 8:00 p.m., when the loyal forces proceeded to prepare the artillery to support the final assault, the “Murature” finished embarking the troops and crew of its twin “King”, unable to navigate due to repairs to the that was being subjected at the moment the revolution broke out.
When everything was ready, the ship lightened its moorings and with its personnel at its combat stations headed towards the Río de la Plata in total radio silence, pointing its cannons towards the enemy positions. The boat headed towards the access channel with the purpose of escorting the BDM and BDI boats in which the base personnel were still boarding and with a single engine on, it maneuvered to leave the port, slowly moving away into the water, without being attacked.
Admiral Rojas was the last to board. He did it in the BDI No. 11, accompanied by General Uranga and his staff made up of Captains Abel Fernández, Luis Miguel García, numerous officers and his assistant from the cruiser “9 de Julio”, the non-commissioned officer Alfredo Bavera. The boat was supposed to be the last to set sail but as BDT No. 6 had technical failures, it had to do so earlier.
At 9:00 p.m. Rojas ordered to set sail. Midshipman Adolfo Arduino, in charge of the helm, was so nervous by his presence that he had some difficulty moving away from the dock. At first it separated a little but after a few minutes, it collided with him. He repeated the maneuver and for the second time he attacked the station again, the same thing a third time until Captain Jorge J. Palma, concerned, asked to take charge. His counterpart, Captain Sánchez Sañudo, restrained him by reminding him that Arduino was the commander at that time and that he was the one in charge of carrying out the maneuver and that is how he understood it.
Finally they set sail. The boat moved away from the coast and with the lights off it navigated through the channel to enter the roadstead and gain the immensity of the river, heading to the “Recalada” Pontoon. It was at that moment when, exhausted and still tense, Rojas went down to the cabins, lay down on a bunk bed and fell sound asleep.
The BDT 6 took two hours to repair its defects and once they were corrected, it also departed (11:00 p.m.), leaving the Naval Base completely empty.
A column of armored vehicles that responds to General Heraclio Ferrazzano crosses Ensenada in the direction of Río Santiago ("El Día" from La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
A loyal plane flies over Ensenada ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
The Barrio Campamento razed (Image: Archivo Nacional de la memoria)
"Rarely has the camera been as expressive as in this note taken in the heart of the Campamento neighborhood. Along with the panorama of destruction and annihilation, the product of fratricidal conflict, the image of General Perón appears unscathed, firm and upright on a piece of masonry that He withstood the onslaught. The figure truthfully symbolizes the high value placed on the person of the President of the Nation in these crucial moments. The circumstance that the bombs have not managed to bring down the effigy of the Driver seems to mean an allegory in the sense that he always lives. in the deepest part of the heart of his people" ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
Fire crews try to control the fires ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
Fires and debris in Ensenada ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
The Barrio Campamento in debris ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
Mass exodus in Ensenada ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
A group of refugees boards one of the many YPF trucks that the government made available to rescuers ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
Residents of Ensenada and the Campamento neighborhood are evacuated in one of the many vehicles requisitioned by the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
This elderly couple has just arrived at the La Plata train station in a car from the newspaper "El Día" ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
More refugees arrive at La Plata station ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
Numerous evacuees are housed in the Provincial Hotel of La Plata ("El Día" de La Plata newspaper, 09/17/1955)
Notes
- In 1982, Admiral Carlos Büsser led the occupation forces of the Malvinas archipelago during Operation Rosario.
- Jorge E. Perren, Puerto Belgrano y la Revolución Libertadora, p. 187.
1955 Guerra Civil. La Revolucion Libertadora y la caída de Perón
