Admiral Jorge Anaya

Admiral Jorge Anaya was a key member of the Military Junta and Commander of Navy. The Argentine Navy was long regarded as the most hawkish of the three arms of the Argentine military and the one most interested in recovering the Falkland Islands. It was concerns of British submarines being sent to the South Atlantic that sped up the decision making process after the events at South Georgia that made them give the green light for the invasion of the Falkland Islands. This was earlier than they had prepared for, but the Navy set the timetable as it was concerned at its ships being targetted by the British. As it was, much of the fleet immediately returned to its bases on the mainland after having delivered the marines and soldiers for the invasion. The Argentine Navy pretty much confined itself to port when the fears of Anaya were confirmed with the sinking of the General Belgrano just outside of the British imposed Exlcusion Zone. This event shattered the morale of the Navy and with the exception of its air arm, it did little to prevent the British Task Force from putting its invasion force ashore and recapturing the islands. He fell from power with the collapse of the Junta in the immediate aftermath of the war. He escaped prosecution for his activities in the Dirty War until 2003 when requests were made to extradite him to Spain. He died on 9 January 2008 while under house arrest on charges of human rights violations.