ARA Parker (P-44)

ARA "Parker" (P-44) is the fourth 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 Captain Enrique Guillermo Parker, who fought in the Argentine Navy as its second-in-command 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

"Parker" 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 March 30, 1984, and officially delivered to the Navy on April 2, 1990. She was formally commissioned on April 17th of that same year.

"Parker" is the first ship of the class' second batch, and incorporated a telescopic hangar, allowing the ship to carry a helicopter. The first three ships of the class were fitted with a landing pad but did not have a hangar.

Service History

Between 1990 and 2000, "Parker" was effectively the last ship of her class, as budgetary cuts delayed and almost cancelled the construction of the final two ships, "Robinson" and "Gómez Roca".

Following her commissioning "Parker" participated in several naval exercises and conducted fishery patrol duties in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone.

In 1995 she represented the Argentine Navy in the Naval Parade conducted in Cape Town as part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the South African Navy.

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