Drummond-class corvette

Last updated
P33ARAGranville.jpg
ARA Granville (P-33) in 2005
Class overview
NameDrummond class
BuildersArsenal de Lorient
OperatorsFlag of Argentina.svg  Argentine Navy
In service1978
Completed3
Retired3
General characteristics
Type Corvette
Displacement1,170 tons (1,320 tons full load) [1]
Length80 m (260 ft) [1]
Beam10.3 m (34 ft) [1]
Draught3.55 m (11.6 ft) [1]
Installed power12,000 shp (8.9 MW) [1]
Propulsion2 × SEMT Pielstick 12 PC 2.2 V400 diesels, 2 × controllable pitch propellers [1]
Speed23.3 knots (43 km/h) [1]
Range4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h) [1]
Endurance15 days [1]
Complement5 officers, 79 enlisted, 95 berths [1]
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Thales DRBV 51A air/surface search
  • Thales DRBC-32E fire control
  • Consilium Selesmar NavBat
  • Thales Diodon hull MF sonar [1]
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Thales DR 2000 S3
  • Thales Alligator 51 jammer
  • 2 × 18 Corvus decoys (P31/2)
  • 2 × Matra Dagaie decoys (P33) [1]
Armament
Aviation facilitiessmall pad for VERTREP

The Drummond class were three corvettes designed and built in France based on the A69 D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos. The ships were commissioned in the Argentine Navy between 1978 and 1982.

Contents

The ships, when operational, served in the "Atlantic Area of Operations" of the Argentine Navy, based on Mar del Plata Naval Base, province of Buenos Aires. Their mission was to patrol Argentina's exclusive economic zone and to enforce fishing regulations, [2] [3] but according to reports in November 2012 they "hardly sail[ed] because of lack of resources for operational expenses". [4] As of 2020 only Granville, which had been refitted in mid-2019, was reported operational, with the other ships of the class in reserve. [5] In 2024, Granville was retired while the other two vessels of the class were put up for auction. [6]

Design

Although its designers considered the A69 D'Estienne d'Orves class to be avisos, Argentina classified the ships as corvettes.

The Drummond-class ships were equipped mostly with German and Dutch electronic systems (instead of French) [7] for better compatibility with the two MEKO classes in Argentine service, and integrated with the indigenous "Miniaco" combat system. [8]

History

The first two ships of the class were built in 1977 in France for the South African Navy. The sale was embargoed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 during sea trials and the ships bought by Argentina instead on 25 September 1978. [1] A third ship was ordered and entered service as ARA Granville on 22 June 1981, [1] in time for the Falklands War the following year. There are minor differences in equipment fit compared to her sisters, for instance Granville has French Dagaie decoys rather than the British Corvus chaff launchers. [1]

On 28 March 1982 Granville and Drummond sailed from Argentina and took up station northeast of Port Stanley to cover the main amphibious landings on 2 April. [9] Meanwhile, ARA Guerrico (P-32) covered the assault on South Georgia, sustaining significant damage from the Royal Marines in the process. After repairs she joined her sister ships north of the Falklands as Task Group 79.4, hoping to catch ships detached from the British task force. [10] On 29 April the corvettes were trailed by the submarine HMS Splendid whilst she was looking for the Argentine aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo. [11]

The Drummond class carried pennant numbers P-1 to P-3 until the introduction of the Espora-class corvettes in 1985 when they became P-31 to P-33. In 1994, they participated in Operation Uphold Democracy, the United Nations blockade of Haiti. During this time, they were based at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. [12]

ARA Granville was reported as active in the South Atlantic following a maintenance period which concluded in 2019. [13] [14] However, in the same year it was also reported that all three Drummond-class vessels could be decommissioned and that consideration was being given to the potential transfer of the ships to the Uruguayan Navy. [15] In 2024 it was reported that both Drummond and Guerrico would be auctioned off [16] while Granville was formally retired at the end of August 2024. [17]

Specification

Ships in the class

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ARA <i>Hércules</i> (B-52)

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French tanker <i>Durance</i>

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ARA <i>Espora</i> (P-41) Espora-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

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.

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.

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

ARA Drummond (P-31) was the lead ship of the Drummond class of three corvettes of the Argentine Navy. She was the second vessel to be named after Scottish-born Navy Sergeant Major Francisco Drummond.

ARA <i>Comodoro Rivadavia</i> (Q-11) Survey ship of the Argentine Navy

ARA Comodoro Rivadavia (Q-11) is a survey ship of the Argentine Navy assigned to the national Hydrographic Naval Service which among other things is responsible of the maintenance of nautical charts and navigational aids

ARA <i>Alférez Sobral</i>

ARA Alférez Sobral (A-9) is an 800-ton ocean-going tug that was in service with the Argentine Navy from 1972 until 2019, where she was classified as an aviso. She had previously served in the US Navy as the fleet tug USS Salish (ATA-187). In Argentine service an aviso is a small naval vessel used for a number of auxiliary tasks, including tugging, laying buoys, and replenishing other ships, lighthouses and naval bases.

ARA <i>Guerrico</i> Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Guerrico (P-32) was a Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy. She was the first vessel to be named after Rear Admiral Martín Guerrico who fought in the 19th century Paraguayan War.

ARA <i>Granville</i> (P-33) Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy

ARA Granville (P-33) was a Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy named after Guillermo Enrique Granville, who fought in the 1827 Battle of Juncal against Brazil.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 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. ↑ Gallo, Daniel (2 January 2021). "Pesca ilegal. Vigilan los movimientos de una flota extranjera de 250 barcos" [Illegal fishing. Watching the movements of a foreign fleet of 250 ships]. La Nación (Argentina) (in Spanish).
  3. ↑ "La depredación del Mar Argentino" [Pillage of the Argentine seas]. La Nación (Argentina) (in Spanish). 10 March 2006.
  4. ↑ "Argentine navy short on spares and resources for training and maintenance". MercoPress. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-28.
  5. ↑ Bettolli, Carlos Borda (3 August 2020). "Informe a diputados – Medios insuficientes para las Patrullas de Control de Mar". Zona Militar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  6. ↑ Germán Videla Solá, Mariano (2024-09-01). "La Armada Argentina retiró del servicio a la ARA Granville, la última de sus corbetas A-69". Zona Militar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  7. ↑ "Official Argentine Navy site". Archived from the original on 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  8. ↑ "OPV-90 L'Adroit de la clase Gowind, como están posicionados los buques que incorporaría la Armada Argentina a nivel regional". Intereses Estratégicos Argentinos (in European Spanish). 2018-04-16. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  9. ↑ Freedman, Lawrence (2005). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign: The 1982 Falklands War and Its Aftermath. Vol. 2. Routledge. p. 7. ISBN   9780714652078.
  10. ↑ Freedman (2005), p. 272
  11. ↑ Freedman (2005), p. 279
  12. ↑ "con el propósito de asegurar el cumplimiento del embargo comercial, dispuesto por el Consejo de Seguridad, por medio de las corbetas ARA Grandville, ARA Guerrico y ARA Drummond". .tau.ac.il. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  13. ↑ "La ARA Granville parte hacia el Atlántico Sur tras el mantenimiento realizado por SPI". infodefensa.com. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  14. ↑ "Tripulantes del ARA Granville rindieron honores a los héroes del ARA San Juan". ushuaia24.com.ar (in Spanish). 11 September 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  15. ↑ Bonilla, Javier (30 May 2019). "Contactos preliminares entre les Armadas de Uruguay y Argentina por las veteranas corbetas Drummond". defensa.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  16. ↑ Solá, Mariano Germán Videla (2024-09-04). "La Armada Argentina subasta cuatro buques en desuso, incluidos el aviso 'Alférez Sobral' y la corbeta 'Guerrico', veteranos de Malvinas". Zona Militar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  17. ↑ Germán Videla Solá, Mariano (2024-09-01). "La Armada Argentina retiró del servicio a la ARA Granville, la última de sus corbetas A-69". Zona Militar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-10-24.
  18. ↑ Díaz, José Javier (13 October 2020). "Proyectos de Investigación y Desarrollo en la Armada Argentina". Zona Militar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 8 July 2021.

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