Attack on HMS Invincible

A thwarted attack on was conducted by Argentine Naval Aviation in late May 1982, within the last two weeks of the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas).
The sequence of events of the attack as seen from the Argentine side is different to that recognised by the Royal Navy; the Argentines claim that their missile hit the carrier, and the Royal Navy disputes this.
Overview
During the 1982 Falklands War, Argentina deployed 48 Skyhawk warplanes (26 A-4B, 12 A-4C and 10 A-4Q aircraft). Armed with unguided bombs and lacking any electronic or missile self-defense, Argentine Air Force Skyhawks sank the Type 42 destroyer and inflicted a variety of damage on several others: Type 21 frigate (subsequently sunk during attempted disposal of unexploded bombs), (subsequently scuttled as a war grave), Type 42 , , Type 22 frigate , and .
Argentine Navy A-4Qs, flying from Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego naval air station, also played a role in the bombing attacks against British ships, destroying the Type 21 .
Background
The Argentines had one operational Exocet missile left, that could be deployed from their Super Etendard aircraft.
On 28 May 1982 the Argentine Navy decided to attack , with the AM39 Exocet missile, to be delivered by the Argentine Navy aircraft.
Argentine intelligence tried to locate the position of the British carriers by the transits of British aircraft, but these had been ordered to transit from the carriers at low-level, making the carrier positions difficult to work out. This policy would also allow the approaching Argentine aircraft to be easily (and lethally) identified.
Thwarted attack
On 30 May, two Super Étendards, one carrying Argentina's last remaining air-launcheed Exocet, escorted by four A-4C Skyhawks each with two bombs, took off to attack Invincible. Argentine intelligence had sought to determine the position of the carriers from analysis of aircraft flight routes from the task force to the islands.< However, the British had a standing order that all aircraft conduct a low level transit when leaving or returning to the carriers to disguise their position. This tactic compromised the Argentine attack, which focused on a group of escorts 40 miles south of the main body of ships. Two of the attacking Skyhawks were shot down by Sea Darts fired by , with HMS Avenger claiming to have shot down the missile with her 4.5" gun (although this claim is disputed). No damage was caused to any British vessels. During the war Argentina claimed to have damaged the ship, although no evidence of any such damage has been produced or uncovered.
The Argentines launched air attack OF.
1268 against HMS Invincible on Sunday 30 May 1982. Two Super Etendard aircraft, 3-A-202 and 3-A-205, of the Naval Air Fighter Attack Squadron were launched at 12.30pm, which were refuelled twice. The Super Etendards dropped to 100 feet above the sea, and launched an Exocet at 14.30, (allegedly) around 20 miles from their target. The Super Etendards returned to their base at 15.30. This attack from the North was unexpected. The Argentine pilots claimed to have hit the Invincible
Although there are many who consider the attack to be fictional, the Argentine sources are replete with the claim.
Outcome
On Monday 31 May 1982, several Argentine newspapers claimed that Invincible had been hit. The conflicting claims were due to incomplete or misinformation, attributable to the fog of war.
Invincible returned to Britain without damage, disproving the Argentine claim of a successful attack.
As late as 2018, Argentine "National hero Gerardo Isaac, who flew for the Argentine junta during the conflict, claimed he was part of a fighter squadron which severely damaged the HMS Invincible in 1982." He said he was one of the four pilots who allegedly took part in the ‘successful’ attack on the carrier, and who received Argentina’s highest military decoration. He appeared in public to repeat his story and claimed he sank the carrier. Reportedly, onlookers were openly derisive.

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