Drummond class corvette

ARA Granville (P-33) corvette
Class overview
Builders:	n/a
Operators:	Argentine Navy
Subclasses:	Drummond
In service:	1978
Completed:	3
Active:	ARA Drummond ARA Guerrico Diesel engines 12,000 shp 2 shafts/propellers
Speed:	23 knots (43 km/h)
Range:	4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement:	95
Armament:	4 x Exocet anti-ship missiles 1 x 100 mm dual purpose gun 4 x 40 mm anti-aircraft guns 2 x .50cal machine guns 2 x 20 mm automatic guns 6 x 324 mm torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried:	none, small pad for VERTREP

The Drummond class are three corvettes designed and built in France basically similar to the D'Estienne d'Orves class (or A69). The ships were all commissioned between 1978 and 1982 in the Argentine Navy

The first two vesseles were originally built for South Africa but were embargoed and bought by Argentina instead. The third ship was expressly built for the Argentine Navy and is slightly different.^[1] Although considered by its designers to be avisos, the Drummond class vessels have been classed in Argentina as corvettes. They are equipped mostly with German and Dutch electronic systems (instead of French)^[2] for better compatibility with the two MEKO classes in Argentine service all integrated into the Miniaco Combat system of indigenous design.

The ships currently serve in the "Atlantic Area of Operations" of the Argentine Navy, based on Mar del Plata Naval Base, province of Buenos Aires.

Specification

• Displacement: n/a tons (empty); 1,170  tons (full load)
• Length: n/a ft (80 m)
• Beam: n/a ft (10.3 m)
• Draught: n/a ft (3.55 m)
• Propulsion:
  • 2 shafts / propellers
  • 2 SEMT Pielstick 12 PC2.2 V 400 diesel engines, 12.000 shp (8.948 kW) tot.
  • Max shaft horsepower: n/a shp max
• Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h)
• Range: 4,500  nautical miles at 16 knots (30 km/h)
• Armament
  • 4 x Aérospatiale MM 38 Exocet SSM
  • 1 x 4in/55 (100 mm) Creusot-Loire CADAM turret DP automatic fast-firing gun
  • 1 x twin 40 mm 70-cal. OTO Melara (Breda Bofors) AA guns
  • 2 x 20 mm L/ 90 Oerlikon automatic guns
  • 2 x 12.7 mm machine guns
  • 2 x triple 324 mm ILAS-3 ASW torpedo tubes (Whitehead AS-244 torpedoes, quantity n/a)
• Aircraft: None
• Complement: 95
• Radar:
  • Air/Surface Search: Signaal DA08 (equipped with IFF).
  • Surface Search & helicopter control: Signaal ZW06.
  • Fire Control: Signaal STIR
  • Navigation: Decca TM 1226
• Sonar: Thomson Sintra Diodon
• Electronic Warfare:
  • Decoys: (no details available)
• Datalink: (no details available)
• Weapons Control System: Thomson-CSF System Vega, CSEE Panda MK2 director (optical), NASA director (optronic, for the 40 mm gun).
• Concept/Program: French designed and built general purpose avisos (classified as "corvettes" by the Argentine navy).
• Builder: n/a shipyard, Lorient, France.
• Designer: n/a, France.
• Design: A69 type.

Ships in the class

• ARA Drummond (P-31)
• ARA Guerrico (P-32)
• edit] References
  1. ^ Official site
  2. ^ Official Argentine Navy site

  External links

  • World Navies Today: Argentina