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During the Falklands War, Argentina plotted to attack a British naval vessel at Gibraltar in an effort to divert British ships from the South Atlantic. The plan was to launch divers armed with limpet mines from the Spanish town of Algeciras and have them swim to Gibraltar, where they would attach the mines to the ship, swim back to Algeciras, and watch the fireworks. A four-man Argentine special forces team was deployed to Algeciras, where they monitored British naval traffic for potential targets. Several opportunities presented themselves, but each were passed over for a number of reasons.

After the British sunk the Belgrano, however, Buenos Aires finally gave the commandos permission to attack. The HMS Ariadne, a Leander-class frigate that had arrived in Gibraltar earlier that day, was to be the target.

Fortunately for the Brits and unfortunately for the Argies, the Spanish police were tipped off to the presence of four suspicious men. As the country had been going through a period of political upheaval after the end of the Fascist regime and the 1982 World Cup was to be held in Madrid, the Spanish police were on their guard for any terrorist activity. Fearing that the suspicious group of men were some form of terrorist cell, Spanish police arrested all four. Upon learning that they were actually Argentine servicemen, Madrid quietly arranged for them to be flown back to Buenos Aires to avoid sparking tensions with either Britain or Argentina.

So, what if the Argies are not apprehended and successfully attack the Ariadne?
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