The corvette ARA Robinson
History
Argentina
NameRobinson
NamesakeCarlos Robinson
BuilderRío Santiago Shipyard
Laid down1 March 1983
Launched25 November 1984
Commissioned28 August 2000
HomeportPuerto Belgrano
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeMEKO 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 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.

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, LÉ 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]

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

  • 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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