ARA Guerrico

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 Guerrico in 2005 at Mar del Plata naval base
History
 South Africa
Ordered: February 1976[1]
Builder: Lorient, France
Laid down: 1 October 1976
Launched: 13 September 1977
Christened: SAS Transvaal
Out of service: 17 November 1977
Fate: Delivery blocked by UNSCR 418 during sea trials in France
 Argentina
Renamed: ARA Guerrico
Namesake: Rear Admiral Martín Guerrico
Ordered: 1978
Commissioned: 1978
In service: 9 November 1978
Homeport: Mar del Plata
Status: In reserve[2]
General characteristics
Class and type: Type A69 Drummond-class corvette
Displacement: 1,170 tons (1,320 tons full load)[3]
Length: 80 m (260 ft)[3]
Beam: 10.3 m (34 ft)[3]
Draught: 3.55 m (11.6 ft)[3]
Installed power: 12,000 shp (8.9 MW)[3]
Propulsion: 2 × SEMT Pielstick 12 PC 2.2 V400 diesels, 2 × CP propellers[3]
Speed: 23.3 knots (43 km/h)[3]
Range: 4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)[3]
Endurance: 15 days[3]
Complement: 5 officers, 79 enlisted, 95 berths[3]
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Thales DRBV 51A air/surface search
  • Thales DRBC-32E fire control
  • Consilium Selesmar NavBat
  • Thales Diodon hull MF sonar[3]
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • Thales DR 2000 S3
  • Thales Alligator 51 jammer
  • 2 × 18 Corvus decoys
Armament:
Aviation facilities: small pad for VERTREP

She is currently based at Mar del Plata and conducts fishery patrol duties in the Argentine exclusive economic zone where she has captured several trawlers in recent years.[4][5] According to reports in November 2012 the Drummond class "hardly sail because of lack of resources for operational expenses".[6]As of 2020, she was reported in reserve.[7]

Service history

Guerrico was built in 1977 in France for the South African Navy to be named SAS Transvaal but was embargoed at the last minute by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418. She was sold to Argentina instead and delivered on 9 November 1978. She was rushed into service and deployed a month later for the Operation Soberanía against Chile.

In 1982 she served in the Falklands War most notably in the Invasion of South Georgia where she was damaged by Royal Marines weapon fire which led to her spending three days in dry dock for repairs[8] before rejoining the fleet as part of Task Group 79.4, alongside her sister ships operating to the north of the islands.[9] She carried the P-2 pennant number until the introduction of the Espora-class corvettes in 1985 when she became P-32.

In 1994, Guerrico and her sisters participated in Operation Uphold Democracy, the United Nations blockade of Haiti. During this time, she was based at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico.[10]

She has also served as support ship of the Buenos Aires-Rio de Janeiro tall ships races.

References

Portions based on a translation from Spanish Wikipedia.

  1. "Victor Moukambi dissertation.doc" (PDF). University of Stellenbosch. 13 October 2008. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  2. https://www.zona-militar.com/2020/08/03/pampa-azul-requerimientos-materiales/
  3. 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.
  4. "Depredación del Mar Argentino". Lanacion.com.ar. 15 February 2005. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  5. "La depredación del Mar Argentino". Lanacion.com.ar. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  6. "Argentine navy short on spares and resources for training and maintenance". MercoPress. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
  7. https://www.zona-militar.com/2020/08/03/pampa-azul-requerimientos-materiales/
  8. John Pike. "www.globalsecurity.org". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  9. The Royal Navy and the Falklands War, David Brown, Leo Cooper (publisher), 1987, ISBN 978-0-85052-059-0, p.120
  10. "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.

Further reading
  • Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005–2006. Ignacio Amendolara Bourdette, ISBN 987-43-9400-5, Editor n/a. (Spanish/English text)
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