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
Active1
Laid up2 in reserve
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 × CP 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 are 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, serve in the "Atlantic Area of Operations" of the Argentine Navy, based on Mar del Plata Naval Base, province of Buenos Aires. Their mission is to patrol Argentina's exclusive economic zone and to enforce fishing regulations, [2] [3] but according to reports in November 2012 they "hardly sail 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]

Design

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

The Drummond-class ships are equipped mostly with German and Dutch electronic systems (instead of French) [6] for better compatibility with the two MEKO classes in Argentine service, and integrated with the indigenous "Miniaco" combat system. [7]

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. [8] 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. [9] 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. [10]

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. [11]

ARA Granville was reported as active in the South Atlantic following a maintenance period which concluded in 2019. [12] [13] 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. [14]

Specification

Ships in the class

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.

This article describes the composition and actions of the Argentine naval forces in the Falklands War. For a list of naval forces from the United Kingdom, see British naval forces in the Falklands War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corbeta Uruguay base</span> Former Argentine military outpost in the South Sandwich Islands (1976–1982)

Corbeta Uruguay base was an Argentine military outpost established in November 1976 on Thule Island, Southern Thule, in the South Sandwich Islands. It was vacated and mostly demolished in 1982 following Britain's victory against Argentina in the Falklands War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviso</span> Ship type

An aviso was originally a kind of dispatch boat or "advice boat", carrying orders before the development of effective remote communication.

<i>DEstienne dOrves</i>-class aviso Class of naval vessel

The D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos, also known as the A69 type avisos, is a class of avisos, comparable in size to a light corvette, mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defence, but are also available for high sea escort missions. Built on a simple and robust design, they have an economical and reliable propulsion system which allows them to be used for overseas presence missions. They were initially intended for use by the French Navy, but have been ordered by the South African Navy, Argentinian Navy and Turkish Navy.

<i>Almirante Brown</i>-class destroyer

The Almirante Brown class is a class of warships built for the Argentine Navy. They were commissioned between 1983 and 1984, after the Falklands War. The class comprises four ships; Almirante Brown, La Argentina, Heroína and Sarandí. They are classified as either frigates or destroyers by different publications. The MEKO 360 type warships are based on modular designs which allow quick changes to the vessel's armaments depending on mission requirements. The modular nature of the construction also allows the ships to be modernized or refitted with greater ease. Six vessels were initially ordered, however two ships were cancelled and replaced with orders for MEKO 140 type hulls.

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>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>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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Seal Cove</span> Naval action during the 1982 Falklands War

The Battle of Seal Cove was a minor naval action west of Lively Island, during the 1982 Falklands War. On the evening of 22 May 1982, while supporting Operation Sutton off San Carlos Bay, the British frigates HMS Brilliant and HMS Yarmouth received orders to stop and seize the Argentine Navy armed coastal supply boat ARA Monsunen. Under heavy shelling, the coaster managed to avoid capture by grounding on a nearby inlet.

<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>João Coutinho</i>-class corvette

The João Coutinho-class corvettes were a series of warships built for the Portuguese Navy for service in Portugal's African and Indian colonies. Initially rated as frigates, they were downgraded first to corvettes and then patrol vessels with age. They were designed in Portugal by naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira, but the urgent need of their services in the Portuguese Colonial War meant that the construction of the ships was assigned to foreign shipyards. Six ships were built; the first three ships were built by Blohm & Voss and the remaining three by Empresa Nacional Bazán. The ships were launched in 1970 and 1971. The relative cheap cost of the design led to it being the basis of several other classes in other navies. From 1970 until the end of the conflict in 1975, the corvettes were used for patrol and fire-support missions in Angola, Mozambique, Guinea and Cape Verde. After the African colonies gained their independence, the corvettes were assigned to patrol duties in Portuguese territorial waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invasion of South Georgia</span> April 1982 battle during the Falklands War

The invasion of South Georgia, also known as the Battle of Grytviken or Operation Georgias, took place on 3 April 1982, when Argentine Navy forces seized control of the east coast of South Georgia after overpowering a small group of Royal Marines at Grytviken. Though outnumbered, the Royal Marines shot down a helicopter and hit the Argentine corvette ARA Guerrico several times before being forced to surrender. It was one of the first episodes of the Falklands War, immediately succeeding the invasion on the Falkland Islands the day before.

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

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

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) is a Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy. She is 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) is a Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy named after Guillermo Enrique Granville, who fought in the 1827 Battle of Juncal against Brazil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Fleet Command (Argentina)</span> Military unit

The Sea Fleet Command is one of the commands in the Argentine Navy, headquartered at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base (BNPB).

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. ↑ "Official Argentine Navy site". Archived from the original on 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
  7. ↑ "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.
  8. ↑ Freedman, Lawrence (2005). The Official History of the Falklands Campaign: The 1982 Falklands War and Its Aftermath. Vol. 2. Routledge. p. 7. ISBN   9780714652078.
  9. ↑ Freedman (2005), p. 272
  10. ↑ Freedman (2005), p. 279
  11. ↑ "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.
  12. ↑ "La ARA Granville parte hacia el Atlántico Sur tras el mantenimiento realizado por SPI". infodefensa.com. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 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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