ARA Espora (P-41)

Last updated
P41Esporax15.jpg
ARA Espora
History
Flag of Argentina.svgArgentina
NameEspora
NamesakeTomás Espora
Builder Río Santiago Shipyard
Laid down10 March 1980 [1]
Launched23 January 1982 [1]
Acquired5 July 1985
Commissioned4 September 1985
Homeport Puerto Belgrano
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and type MEKO 140A16 Espora-class corvette
Displacement1,560 tons (1,790 tons full load) [1]
Length91.2 m (299 ft 3 in) [1]
Beam11.0 m (36 ft 1 in) [1]
Draught3.33 m (10 ft 11 in) [1] (hull)
Installed power22,600 bhp (16.9 MW) [1]
Propulsion2 × SEMT Pielstick 16 PC 2-5 V400 diesels, 2 × 5-blade props [1]
Speed27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) [1]
Range4,000  nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) [1]
Complement11 officers, 46 petty officers, 36 enlisted [1]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Thales DA-05/2 air/surface search
  • Thales WM-28, LIROD fire control
  • Decca TM 1226 navigation
  • Atlas AQS-1 hull MF sonar [1]
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Decca RDC-2ABC
  • Decca RCM-2 jammer
  • 2 × Matra Dagaie decoys [1]
Armament
Aircraft carried Eurocopter Fennec
Aviation facilities Helipad

ARA Espora (P-41) is the lead ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. Commissioned in 1985, she is used for fishery patrol. She is homeported at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base and is part of the Navy's 2nd Corvette Division with her five sister ships. The ship is the sixth ship to bear the name of Colonel (Navy) Tomás Espora, who fought in the Argentine Navy during the Cisplatine War. Generator failure left her stranded in South Africa for 73 days in late 2012.

Contents

Construction

Espora and her sister ships were part of the 1974 Naval Constructions National Plan, an initiative by the Argentine Navy to replace old World War II-vintage ships with more advanced warships. The original plan called for six MEKO 360H2 destroyers, four of them to be built in Argentina, but the plan was later modified to include four MEKO destroyers and six corvettes for anti-surface warfare and patrol operations.

Espora was built at the Río Santiago Shipyard of the Astilleros y Fábricas Navales del Estado (State Shipyards and Naval Factories) state corporation. She was launched on 23 January 1982, and officially delivered to the Navy on 5 July 1985. [1] She was commissioned on 4 September 1985.

Service history

Following her commissioning Espora participated in several naval exercises and conducted fishery patrol duties in the Argentine exclusive economic zone, capturing four illegal fishing ships between 1991 and 1994.

In August 2012 Espora left Puerto Belgrano to take part in the Atlasur IX naval exercise with South Africa, Brazil and Uruguay off West Africa. [2] This deployment was necessary after the original participant from Argentina, ARA Spiro, had run aground as she left port. [2] After completing Atlasur, Espora headed for South Africa and docked at Simonstown. The intention was to join the IBSAMAR III exercise with India, Brazil and South Africa, but Espora had made the unscheduled deployment with malfunctioning generators and these had got worse en route until they finally stopped working on 9 October. [2] The generators needed a major overhaul, but their German manufacturer MTU refused to start work until they were paid US$450,000 to cover the cost of the work and previous invoices that had not been paid. [3] Meanwhile, the South Africans had to reassure the Argentines that Espora would not be vulnerable like the sail training ship ARA Libertad, which was seized in Ghana on behalf of holders of Argentina's defaulted sovereign debt. [3] Espora finally sailed after 73 days in Simonstown, refuelled in Rio de Janeiro on 4 January [2] and arrived back in Puerto Belgrano on 10 January 2013. [4]

On 31 May 2016, Espora collided with the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker Saturn off Puerto Belgrano. Both vessels were severely damaged. [5]

In 2021, Espora was reported active and, in September, participated in a sea exercise also involving her sister ships Spiro, Robinson and Gómez Roca, along with the destroyer Sarandí. [6] In 2022, she again participated in an exercise off the coast of Mar del Plata with Sarandí, Robinson, the corvette Rosales and the transport ship Canal Beagle. [7]

In 2024 the corvette, together with the offshore patrol vessel , was tasked with carrying-out patrol missions to monitor Argentina's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. For her patrol mission, Espora embarked a Eurocopter Fennec helicopter from the 1st naval helicopter squadron. [8] In May, Espora, in conjunction with her sister ship Rosales and the destroyers La Argentina and Sarandí, as well as the offshore patrol vessels Bartolomé Cordero, Piedrabuena and Almirante Storni, was tasked to participate in joint exercises with the US Navy's George Washington carrier task group. The exercises were the first to take place between the two navies in several years. [9] In August 2024, Espora, her sister ship Rosales, as well as the destroyers Sarandí and La Argentina, engaged in joint exercises with the Brazilian Navy. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argentine Navy</span> Naval warfare branch of Argentina

The Argentine Navy is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force.

ARA <i>La Argentina</i> (D-11)

ARA La Argentina is the second ship of the MEKO 360H2 series of four destroyers built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the eighth ship in the history of the Argentine Navy to bear the name of the corsair frigate La Argentina which conducted a privateer raid around the world against Spanish trade in 1817.

ARA <i>Heroína</i> (D-12)

ARA Heroína was the third ship of the MEKO 360H2 series of four destroyers built for the Argentine Navy. The ship was the third ship in the history of the Argentine Navy to bear the name of the corsair frigate Heroína, which claimed the Falkland Islands for the United Provinces of the River Plate on 6 November 1820.

ARA <i>Sarandí</i> (D-13)

ARA Sarandí is the fourth and last ship of the MEKO 360H2 series of destroyers built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is also the fourth ship in the Argentine Navy to bear that name. Sarandí is the name of a victory of the Argentine army during the Cisplatine War.

ARA <i>Rosales</i> (P-42) Espora-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Rosales (P-42) is the second ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the fourth ship to bear the name of Colonel (Navy) Leonardo Rosales, who fought in the Argentine Navy during Argentina's war of independence and the Cisplatine War.

ARA <i>Spiro</i> (P-43) Espora-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Spiro (P-43) is the third ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of the Greek-born Captain Samuel Spiro, who fought during the Argentine War of Independence and blew himself up with his ship rather than surrender to the Spanish forces following the battle of Arroyo de la China, in 1814.

ARA <i>Parker</i> (P-44) Espora-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Parker (P-44) is the fourth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of Captain Enrique Guillermo Parker, who fought in the Argentine Navy as its second-in-command during the Cisplatine War.

ARA <i>Robinson</i> (P-45) Espora-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Robinson (P-45) is the fifth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of British Captain Carlos Robinson, who fought in the Argentine Navy during the Cisplatine War and died commanding a squadron of gunboats during the Battle of La Colonia.

ARA <i>Gómez Roca</i> Espora-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Gómez Roca (P-46) is the sixth and last ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built in Germany for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the first ship to bear the name of Frigate Captain Sergio Gómez Roca, who commanded the Argentine patrol ship ARA Alferez Sobral during the Falklands War and died in action when the ship was attacked by Royal Navy helicopters. Originally the ship was to have been named Seaver after Captain Benjamin Seaver, a US-born naval hero of the Argentine War of Independence.

<i>Espora</i>-class corvette

The Espora-class corvettes are six warships of the Argentine Navy built in Argentina to the German MEKO 140A16 design, this in turn being based on the Portuguese João Coutinho-class project. The first entered service in 1985 but accidents and lack of funds meant the last was not completed until 2004. The ships currently form the 2nd Corvette Division of the Argentine Navy and their home port is the Puerto Belgrano Naval Base. Although considered by its designers to be frigates, the Espora-class vessels have been classed in Argentina as corvettes.

<i>Drummond</i>-class corvette

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<i>Intrépida</i>-class fast attack craft

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ARA <i>Drummond</i> (P-31) 1978 Drummond class corvette of the Argentine Navy

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ARA <i>Piedrabuena</i> (P-52) Bouchard-class offshore patrol vessel of the Argentinian Navy

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ARA <i>Almirante Storni</i> (P-53) Bouchard-class offshore patrol vessel of the Argentinian Navy

ARA Almirante Storni (P-53) is the third Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel constructed for the Argentinian Navy.

ARA <i>Bartolomé Cordero</i> Bouchard-class offshore patrol vessel of the Argentinian Navy

ARA Almirante Bartolomé Cordero (P-54) is the fourth and final Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel constructed for the Argentinian Navy.

ARA <i>Intrépida</i> (P-85) Intrépida-class fast attack craft of the Argentine Navy

ARA Intrépida(P-85) is the lead ship of the Intrépida-class fast attack craft of the Argentine Navy. The ship is the lead ship of its class and has a twin sister ship ARA Indómita (P-86). She is the second ship of the Argentina Navy to bear the name Intrépida.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Wertheim, Eric (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (15 ed.). Naval Institute Press. p. 9. ISBN   9781591149552.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Hacen arribar a la Espora junto a la fragata". Corrientes Hoy (in Spanish). Gestión Estratégica SRL. 4 January 2013. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013.
  3. 1 2 De Vedia, Mariano (16 November 2012). "Por otra deuda, la corbeta Espora sigue retenida en Sudáfrica". La Nacion (in Spanish).
  4. ↑ "Arribó la corbeta Espora, luego de tres meses detenida en Sudáfrica". La Nacion (in Spanish). 11 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "Argentinean Navy corvette ARA ESPORA allided with mt SATURN: UPDAT". Fleetmon. 1 June 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "La Armada Argentina sale de maniobras". defensa.com (in Spanish). 2 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-03. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  7. ↑ "Taiana supervisó un ejercicio de la flota de mar frente a la costa" [Taiana oversaw a sea fleet exercise off the coast]. Télam (in Spanish). 15 September 2022. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "La corbeta ARA "Espora" patrulla la milla 200" [The corvette ARA "Espora" patrols mile 200]. Ministerio de Defensa Armada Argentina (in Spanish). 25 March 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  9. ↑ Riva, Santiago (26 May 2024). "La Armada Argentina inicia sus actividades para el Ejercicio Gringo – Gaucho II". Pucará Defensa. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  10. ↑ Riva, Santiago (23 August 2024). "Finalizó el ejercicio combinado Fraterno XXXVII entre la Armada Argentina y la Marina de Brasil". Armada Argentina. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
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