ARA Robinson (P-45)

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 Captain Carlos Robinson, who fought in the Argentine Navy during the Argentina-Brazil War and died commanding a squadron of gunboats during the Battle of La Colonia.

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

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"'s keel was laid down on March 1, 1983 and was launched on November 25, 1984.

Budgetary concerns effectively suspended the construction of the ship for almost a decade, until it was decided to finish her and her sister ship "Gómez Roca". 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.

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.