Falklands Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Falklands Expedition occurred in late 1831 when the United States
Navy warship USS Lexington
was dispatched to investigate the plunder of two whaler
s at the small Argentine
colony
of Puerto Soledad
. American forces discovered that the settlers were suffering from famine
so they were evacuated in the Lexington to the mainland. The Argentine colony was then abandoned which left the islands unsettled and open for British
acquisition. Historically the Argentine government has disputed the rights to the islands with the United Kingdom
and it culminated in the Falklands War
of 1982.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy warship USS Lexington
USS Lexington (1825)
The second USS Lexington was a sloop in the United States Navy built at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, in 1825; and commissioned on 11 June 1826, Master Commandant William B. Shubrick in command....
was dispatched to investigate the plunder of two whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
s at the small Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
of Puerto Soledad
Puerto Soledad
Puerto Soledad was a Spanish military outpost and penal colony on the Falkland Islands, situated at an inner cove of Berkeley Sound .-Port St...
. American forces discovered that the settlers were suffering from famine
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including crop failure, overpopulation, or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every continent in the world has...
so they were evacuated in the Lexington to the mainland. The Argentine colony was then abandoned which left the islands unsettled and open for British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
acquisition. Historically the Argentine government has disputed the rights to the islands with the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and it culminated in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
of 1982.
See Also
- Brazil SquadronBrazil SquadronThe Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina...
- Capture of Port EgmontCapture of Port EgmontThe Capture of Port Egmont on 14 January 1770 was a Spanish expedition that seized the British fort of Port Egmont, garrisoned since 1765. The incident nearly led to an outbreak of war between Great Britain and Spain, known as the Falklands Crisis....
- Re-establishment of British rule on the Falkland Islands