ARA ''Zurubí'' (P-55) is a patrol boat of the
Argentine Navy, built in the Río Santiago Shipyard in 1938 and based in
Ushuaia. The vessel is named after the
Surubí, a
catfish that inhabits Argentina’s
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...
, and is the first Argentine naval ship with this name.
Design
''Zurubí'' is a
coastal and
fluvial patrol boat designed by the engineering team at
Río Santiago Shipyard, where it was built. It has a wooden
hull and superstructure, and a tripod mast.
It is powered by two 8-cylinder “Deutz” V-
diesel engines driving two
propellers; which replaced the original “GM” ones.
It is equipped with VHF radio, navigation radar, echo-sounding device, and compass.
History
''Zurubí'' was ordered in 1938 by the Argentine General Prefecture (PGA), predecessor of the
Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA), as a
pilot boat, and was built in the
Río Santiago Shipyard, in
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
,
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
, at a cost of 111,982
Argentine pesos; a sister ship, the current PNA ''Dorado'' (GC-101) was also ordered. Commissioned by the PGA in 1939, she was assigned to the
pilot service in the port of
Bahía Blanca.
''Zurubí'' was transferred in early 1944 to the
Argentine Navy as a patrol boat with pennant number P-36, and modified in the Río Santiago Shipyard. It was assigned to the
Ushuaia naval base to patrol the local waters, arriving in that city in June 1944. It performed various duties until 1985, when was decommissioned.
Back into service
The historic importance of ''Zurubí'' to the local population motivated the
Tierra del Fuego government to request the Argentine Navy to preserve the vessel. As a result, ''Zurubí'' was refurbished and re-commissioned in 1993. As of early 2016, ''Zurubí'' is in active service based still in Ushuaia.
''Zurubí'' is also notable as the first Argentine Navy ship with a female commander: in 2009 Guardiamarina (
Midshipman) Erica Vanessa Bibbó was appointed skipper of the historic vessel.
See also
*
List of active Argentine Navy ships
*
List of ships of the Argentine Navy
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
Other sources
*
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
Images of details of sister ship PNA GC-101 "Dorado" - ATNA website (''accessed 2016-02-20'')
(''accessed 2016-02-20'')
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zurubi
Patrol vessels of the Argentine Navy
Ships built in Argentina
1938 ships