On February 19, 1982, six weeks before the beginning of the
Falklands War, an incident occurred that could have sparked a full-fledged war between Chile and Argentina during the
Papal mediation in the Beagle conflict. An Argentine patrol boat, the ARA
Gurruchaga (Ex-
USS Luiseno (ATF-156)) was anchored at
Deceit Island inside the Beagle zone under mediation in Vatican, ostensibly providing support for sports boats participating in the Rio de Janeiro-Sydney boat race. The
Quidora torpedo Boat approached and ordered the Argentine ship to leave the area. She fired several warning shots when the Argentine craft refused to move, as other Chilean ships converged to the scene. Although originally ordered not to leave the area and to wait for Argentine warships to arrive, the Argentine patrol boat received new orders to proceed to port as it became obvious that the Chilean navy had no intentions of backing down. ==
Barão de Teffé Incident 1983 ==