ARA ''Robinson'' (P-45) is the fifth ship of the MEKO 140A16 of six corvettes built for the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with t ...

. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of British Captain Carlos Robinson, who fought in the Argentine Navy during the

Cisplatine War The Cisplatine War (), also known as the Argentine-Brazilian War () or, in Argentine and Uruguayan historiography, as the Brazil War (''Guerra del Brasil''), the War against the Empire of Brazil (''Guerra contra el Imperio del Brasil'') or t ...

and died commanding a squadron of

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

s during the Battle of La Colonia.

Origin

''Robinson'' and her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...

s were part of the 1974 Naval Constructions National Plan, an initiative by the Argentine Navy to replace old

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in B ...

was laid down on 1 March 1983 and was launched on 25 November 1984. Fitting out of ''Robinson'' and her sister ship was suspended in 1992, briefly resumed in July 1994 and finally started again on 18 July 1997. Following the resumption of construction, the ship was delivered to the Navy in 2000 and commissioned in 2000. As part of the second batch of the class, ''Robinson'' is fitted with a telescopic

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

. All members of the class have the Thales DAISY combat system, but ''Robinson'' is the only one to have an indigenous command system as well. Along with ''Gómez Roca'' she has improved automation, communication and electronic systems compared to earlier members of the class.

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

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

Irish Naval Service The Naval Service ( ga, An tSeirbhís Chabhlaigh) is the maritime component of the Defence Forces of Ireland and is one of the three branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its base is in Haulbowline, County Cork. Though preceded by earlier m ...

, , during her 2006 visit to Argentina. ''Robinson'' is homeported at

Puerto Belgrano Port Belgrano Naval Base ( es, Base Naval Puerto Belgrano - BNPB) is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine ''General Belgr ...

Naval Base and is part of the Navy's 2nd Corvette Division with her five sister ships. In March 2021, the ship began a general maintenance refit at the Tandanor shipyard. In July 2021 the ARA Robinson entered service again. In September she participated in a sea exercise also involving her sister ships ''Espora'', ''Spiro'' and ''Gómez Roca'', along with the destroyer ''Sarandí''. In 2022, she participated in an

exercise Exercise is a body activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons, to aid growth and improve strength, develop muscles and the cardiovascular system, hone athletic s ...

off the coast of

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

with ''Sarandí'', ''Espora'', the corvette and the transport ship .

Gallery

File:DN-SD-05-02988.jpg, ARA ''Robinson'' fires her 3-inch gun during a surface gunnery exercise File:US Navy 100518-N-9301W-174 he guided-missile frigate USS Klakring (FFG 42) prepares to transfer Sailors.jpg, With during Southern Seas 2010

References

Bibliography

* ''Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005-2006''. Ignacio Amendolara Bourdette, , Editor n/a. (Spanish/English text) {{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson (P-45) Espora-class corvettes Ships built in Argentina 1984 ships Corvettes of Argentina