ARA Heroína (pennant number D-12) was the third ship of the MEKO 360H2 series of four destroyers built for the Argentine Navy. The ship was the third ship in the history of the Argentine Navy to bear the name of the corsair frigate Heroína, which claimed the Falkland Islands for the United Provinces of the River Plate on 6 November 1820.
 ARA Heroína
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Argentina | |
| Name | Heroína |
| Builder | Blohm + Voss Shipyards, Hamburg, West Germany |
| Launched | 17 February 1982 |
| Commissioned | October 1983[1] |
| Out of service | Spring 2024 |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Almirante Brown-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 3,360 tons |
| Length | 126 m (413 ft 5 in) |
| Beam | 14 m (45 ft 11 in) |
| Draught | 5.8 m (19 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph) |
| Range | 4,500 mi (7,200 km) |
| Complement | 224 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 1 Aérospatiale AS 555 Fennec helicopter |
| Aviation facilities | Single hangar |
The Argentine Navy has struggled to meet maintenance and training requirements because of financial problems and import restrictions. In the early 2010s it was reported that the Almirante Brown class were short of spares, suffering engine problems and ordnance, at that time, was past its expiry date.[2] Heronia herself had a prolonged period of inactivity and she was formally taken out of service in early 2024.[3]
Construction and career
editHeroína and her sister ships were authorized under the Naval Construction National Plan of 1974, an initiative by the Argentine Navy to replace old World War II-vintage warships which were nearing the end of their operational lives. A contract was signed with the Blohm + Voss Shipyards in Hamburg, West Germany for the construction of four MEKO 360H2 destroyers.
Heroína was launched on 17 February 1982. The ship was delivered to the Argentine Navy on 7 November 1983, for her sea trials, following which the ship departed for Argentina, arriving at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base on 21 December.
Heroína was scheduled a major engine and structural overhaul in 2008, after being severely damaged due to a collision with a whale. She was homeported at Puerto Belgrano as part of the Navy's 2nd Destroyer Division, along with her three sister ships. As of 2021, she was reported to have sat idle for more than a decade and was still awaiting a key component that, shortsightedly, had been sent to the United Kingdom for repair.[4][5] British authorities then seized the components leaving the vessel inoperable. She was formally retired in 2024 after prolonged inactivity,[6] with the Argentine Navy having indicated as early as 2019 that the vessel was intended to be scrapped.[7]
References
edit- ^ Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 978-0-7106-2888-6.
- ^ "Argentine navy short on spares and resources for training and maintenance". MercoPress. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 28 December 2012.
- ^ Piñeiro, Luis (26 March 2024). "El destructor Clase MEKO 360 ARA "Heroína" de la Armada Argentina al desguace tras una historia rocambolesca". defensa.com. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ De Vedia, Mariano (21 June 2021). "Un buque de la Armada está varado hace diez años en Puerto Belgrano por una deuda con una empresa británica". La Nacion (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ "Un repuesto británico en el limbo de la política bilateral". Ámbito (in Spanish). 22 June 2021. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ Piñeiro, Luis (26 March 2024). "El destructor Clase MEKO 360 ARA "Heroína" de la Armada Argentina al desguace tras una historia rocambolesca". defensa.com. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ Axe, David (9 December 2019). "Trouble: Argentina's Navy and Air Force Are In Danger". The National Interest. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005-2006. Ignacio Amendolara Bourdette, ISBN 987-43-9400-5, Editor n/a. (Spanish/English text)