ARA Robinson (P-45)

Last updated
P45ARARobinson.jpg
The corvette ARA Robinson
History
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
NameRobinson
NamesakeCarlos Robinson
Builder Río Santiago Shipyard
Laid down1 March 1983
Launched25 November 1984
Commissioned28 August 2000
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) [1]
Range4,000 nautical miles (7,410 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h) [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
  • Consilium Selesmar NavBat
  • Atlas AQS-1 hull MF sonar [1]
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Decca RDC-2ABC
  • Decca RCM-2 jammer
  • 2 × Matra Dagaie decoys [1]
Armament
Aircraft carried1 × Eurocopter Fennec
Aviation facilitiesHelideck and telescoping hangar

ARA Robinson (P-45) is the fifth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Esporaclass 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.

Contents

Origin

Robinson 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.

Construction

Robinson was constructed at the Río Santiago Shipyard of the Astilleros y Fábricas Navales del Estado (State Shipyards and Naval Factories) state corporation. Her keel was laid down on 1 March 1983 and was launched on 25 November 1984. Fitting out of Robinson and her sister ship Gómez Roca was suspended in 1992, briefly resumed in July 1994 and finally started again on 18 July 1997. [1] Following the resumption of construction, the ship was delivered to the Navy in 2000 and commissioned in 2000.

As part of the second batch of the class, Robinson is fitted with a telescopic hangar. [1] All members of the class have the Thales DAISY combat system, but Robinson is the only one to have an indigenous command system as well. [1] Along with Gómez Roca she has improved automation, communication and electronic systems compared to earlier members of the class. [1]

Service history

Following her commissioning Robinson participated in several naval exercises and conducted fishery patrol duties in the Argentine exclusive economic zone. She also accompanied the flagship of Irish Naval Service,  Eithne, during her 2006 visit to Argentina. Robinson is homeported at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base and is part of the Navy's 2nd Corvette Division with her five sister ships.

In March 2021, the ship began a general maintenance refit at the Tandanor shipyard. [2] In July 2021 the ARA Robinson entered service again. [3] In September she participated in a sea exercise also involving her sister ships Espora, Spiro and Gómez Roca, along with the destroyer Sarandí. [4] In 2022, she participated in an exercise off the coast of Mar del Plata with Sarandí, Espora, the corvette Rosales and the transport ship Canal Beagle. [5]

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ARA <i>Sarandí</i> (D-13)

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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>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>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 Lieutenant Commander 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.

MEKO 140

The MEKO 140 is a frigate/corvette design by the German Blohm + Voss shipyard as part of the MEKO family of vessels. The MEKO 140 is a development of the Portuguese Navy's João Coutinho-class corvettes designed by the Portuguese naval engineer Rogério de Oliveira in the late 1960s – three ships of which were built Blohm + Voss in 1970, as an outsourcing.

<i>Espora</i>-class corvette

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<i>Drummond</i>-class corvette

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

The Intrépida class is a class of fast attack craft that was built by Lürssen for the Argentine Navy in the early 1970s. The ships are based on Lürssen's TNC 45 design.

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>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 Battle of Juncal against Brazil.

Sea Fleet Command (Argentina) Military unit

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

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. It is the lead ship of its class and has a twin sister ship ARA Indómita (P-86). It 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 16 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. "La corbeta multipropósito Clase Meko 140, P-45 ARA Robinson de la Armada Argentina en mantenimentio mayor" [The multipurpose corvette Meko 140 Class, P-45 ARA Robinson of the Argentine Navy in major maintenance]. defensa.com (in Spanish). 23 March 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-03-23. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. "Ceremonia de entrega de la corbeta ARA Robinson reparada por TANDANOR" [Ceremony of delivery of the corvette ARA Robinson repaired by TANDANOR]. zona-militar.com (in Spanish). 6 July 2021.
  4. "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.
  5. "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.

Bibliography