ARA Robinson (P-45)

	ARA Robinson (P-45) corvette
History
Argentina
Name	Robinson
Namesake	Carlos Robinson
Owner	Argentine Navy
Builder	Río Santiago Shipyard
Laid down	1 March 1983
Launched	25 November 1984
Acquired	2000
Commissioned	2001
Homeport	Puerto Belgrano
General characteristics
Class and type	MEKO 140A16 Espora class
Displacement	1,560 tons (1,790 tons full load)
Length	91.2 m (299 ft)
Beam	11.0 m (36.1 ft)
Draught	3.33 m (10.9 ft) (hull)
Installed power	22,600 bhp (16.9 MW)
Propulsion	2 × SEMT Pielstick 16 PC 2-5 V400 diesels, 2 × 5-blade props
Speed	27 knots (50 km/h)
Range	4,000 nautical miles (7,410 km) at 18 knots (33 km/h)
Crew	11 officers, 46 petty officers, 36 enlisted
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;
Electronic warfare ; & decoys	Decca RDC-2ABC; Decca RCM-2 jammer; 2 × Matra Dagaie decoys;
Armament	4 × MM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles; 1 × 76 mm/62 OTO Melara dual purpose gun; 2 × DARDO twin 40 mm AA guns; 2 × .50cal machine guns; 2 × triple 324 mm ILAS-3 tubes (WASS A-244S torpedoes);
Aircraft carried	1 × Eurocopter Fennec
Aviation facilities	Helideck and telescoping hangar

ARA Robinson (P-45) is the fifth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora series 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 2001.

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 the 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 Irish Naval Service flagship LÉ Eithne during her 2006 visit to Argentina.

She is homeported at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base and is part of the Navy's 2nd Corvette Division with her five sister ships.

Gallery

ARA Robinson (P-45) fires its 3-inch gun during a surface gunnery exercise
With USS Klakring during Southern Seas 2010

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p 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.

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)

[NIGTCFOTW2007-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p 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.

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