Azopardo-class frigate

The Azopardo-class frigates were a class of two post-World War II warships, designed and built in Argentina in 1940-1959, originally as part of a class of four large minelayers (see Murature-class ships). They were in service with the Argentine Navy from the mid-1950s to 1972. The class was named after Juan Bautista Azopardo, an Argentine naval officer in the Independence and Cisplatine wars.

ARA Azopardo, date unknown
Class overview
Name: Azopardo class frigate
Builders: AFNE Rio Santiago, Argentina
Operators:  Argentine Navy
Built: 1950-1958
In service: 1956-1972
In commission: 1956–1972
Planned: 2
Completed: 2
Retired: 2
General characteristics
Type: Azopardo class frigate
Displacement: 1220 (standard) to 1400 (full load) tons
Length: 92.72 m (304.2 ft)
Beam: 9.6 m (31.5 ft)
Draft: 4 m (13 ft)
Propulsion: 2-shaft, 2 × Parsons Steam turbines, 2 x Water-tube boilers, 5,000 ihp (3,700 kW), 340 tons oil
Speed: 20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Range: 2300 nautical miles @ ?kn
Complement: 170
Armament:
Armour: none
Notes: Specifications from “Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships, 1947-1995” and “Histarmar” website.

Design

The class was as part of a program to build four mine warfare ships during the Second World War, of which two (Murature and King) were completed as patrol ships in the 1940s and the others (Piedrabuena and Azopardo) as antisubmarine frigates in the 1950s.[1]

ARA Piedra Buena underway, date unknown.

The Azopardo class frigates had a metal hull with a single mast and funnel. They were powered by two Parsons steam turbines fed by two water-tube boilers, driving two propellers.[2][1]

The main battery was composed of four 105-millimetre (4 in) Bofors DP guns, with a secondary battery of four 40-millimetre (2 in) Bofors Anti-Aircraft guns in single mountings. It also carried four anti-submarine mortars.[2][1]

Service history

The Azopardo class was designed in the early 1940s; however due to shortages during World War II the ships were laid down in the early 1950s and completed in 1956-58. They were commissioned by the Argentine Navy in 1956-59 and remained in service until the early 1970s.[2][1]

Azopardo and Piedra Buena were incorporated in the High Seas Fleet ((in Spanish) Flota de Mar), and frequently used to patrol the Argentine Sea and in training exercises, including the multinational “UNITAS”.[2][1]

Both ships were sold for scrap after being decommissioned in 1972,[2][1] and were broken up in the 1970s..

Ships in class
Ship Name Pennant Number Other names Builder Laid down Launched Service entry Decommissioning
ARA Azopardo P-35 none AFNE Rio Santiago 1940 1953 1956 1972[n 1]
ARA Piedra Buena P-36 none AFNE Rio Santiago 1954 1958 1972[n 2]

Footnotes
  1. Sold for scrapping to AYASA in December 1972.
  2. Sold for scrapping to AYASA in December 1972.

See also

References

Notes
  1. "Fragata "Piedra Buena" (36)" [Frigate “Piedra Buena”]. Histarmar - Historia y Arqueología Marítima (in Spanish). Argentina: Fundación Histarmar. Retrieved 2016-12-25.
  2. "Fragata "Azopardo" P-35" [Frigate “Azopardo”]. Histarmar - Historia y Arqueología Marítima (in Spanish). Argentina: Fundación Histarmar. Retrieved 2016-12-25.

Bibliography
  • Gardiner, Robert (1996). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947-1995. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. p. 675. ISBN 978-155-75013-25.
  • Arguindeguy, Pablo (1972). Apuntes sobre los buques de la Armada Argentina (1810-1970) (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Comando en Jefe de la Armada.

Further reading
  • Burzio, Humberto (1960). Armada Nacional (in Spanish). Secretaria de Estado de Marina.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.