Her first major conflict came in 1982 during the Falklands War when Argentinian forces invaded the British Falkland Islands. "Splendid" was one of the first submarines to reach the islands, arriving mid-April, after sailing from Faslane. Unlike , "Splendid" did not directly engage Argentinian forces, however she shadowed the Argentine aircraft carrier "25 de Mayo", with "Splendid" running within a mile outside of the Argentinian territorial line, off its Atlantic coast. The captain of "Splendid" claimed, that running on the edge of the exclusion zone around the Falklands, declared by the UK government, he had the right in international law and approval from the British PM, to fire at "25 de Mayo", a couple of miles away within Argentine waters, and would have fired MK 8 torpedoes at "25 de Mayo", if he had confirmed his precise position. But just at the moment, he lost sight through the periscope of the carrier and was not immediately able to regain contact. The Naval Commander of the task force, Admiral Sandy Woodward, does not appear to be entirely clear, that "Splendid" had the right to fire, but says he established, against his prior view, that "Splendid" had orders to engage and approval of the PM. "Splendid" did however provide valuable reconnaissance to the British Task Force on Argentine aircraft movements. "Splendid"s presence along with "Conqueror" effectively restricted the freedom of action of the Argentine Navy, which spent most of the war confined to port.