ARA Espora (P-41)

ARA "Espora" (P-41) is the lead ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora series of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the sixth ship to bear the name of Colonel (Navy) Tomás Espora, who fought in the Argentine Navy during the Argentina-Brazil War.

She was constructed at the Río Santiago Shipyard of the Astilleros y Fábricas Navales del Estado (State Shipyards and Naval Factories) state corporation.

Origin

"Espora" 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

"Espora" was launched on January 28, 1982, and officially delivered to the Navy on July 5, 1985. She was formally commissioned on September 4, 1985.

Service History

Following her commissioning "Espora" participated in several naval exercises and conducted fishery patrol duties in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone, capturing four illegal fishing ships between 1991 and 1994.

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