ARA Sarandí (D-13)

	ARA Sarandí underway.
History
Argentina
Name:	Sarandí
Builder:	Blohm + Voss
Laid down:	9 March 1982
Launched:	31 August 1982
Commissioned:	23 April 1984
Identification:	pennant number D-13
Status:	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Almirante Brown-class destroyer
Displacement:	3,360 tons
Length:	126 m (413 ft)
Beam:	14 m (46 ft)
Draught:	5.8 m (19 ft)
Propulsion:	COGAG (4 turbines) ; 36,000 shp (27,000 kW);
Speed:	30.5 kn (56.5 km/h)
Range:	4,500 mi (7,200 km)
Complement:	224
Armament:	8 × MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles ; 1 × Selenia/Elsag Albatross octuple launcher with 24 Aspide SAMs; 1 × Oto Melara 127 mm (5 in) dual purpose gun ; 8 × Bofors 40 mm L/70 AA guns (4 × twin) ; 6 × 324 mm (13 in) torpedo tubes (2 × 3);
Aircraft carried:	1 x Aérospatiale AS 555 Fennec helicopter
Aviation facilities:	Single hangar

ARA Sarandí is the fourth and last ship of the MEKO 360H2 series of destroyers built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is also the fourth ship in the Argentine Navy to bear that name. Sarandí is the name of a victory of the Argentine army during the Cisplatine War.

The Argentine Navy struggles to meet maintenance and training requirements due to a lack of funding and import restrictions. In 2012, the Almirante Brown class were short of spare parts and suffering engine problems, plus all their ordnance was past its expiry date.[1]

Origin

Sarandí and her sister ships were authorized under the Naval Construction National Plan of 1974, an initiative by the Argentine Navy to replace old World War II-vintage warships which were nearing the end of their operational lives. A contract was signed with the Blohm + Voss Shipyards in Hamburg, West Germany for the construction of four MEKO 360H2 destroyers.

Construction

Sarandí's keel was laid down on 9 March 1982 and she was launched on 31 August 1982. The ship was delivered to the Argentine Navy on 23 April 1984 for her sea trials, following which she departed for Argentina, arriving at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base on 21 June 1984.

Service history

In 2003, Sarandi joined the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group and Destroyer Squadron 18 as a part of Exercise Solid Step during their tour in the Mediterranean. This marked the first time that a ship of the Argentine Navy inter-operated with a United States Navy battlegroup.

Sarandí was involved in an incident on 29 November 2004, during the annual FRATERNO naval exercise, with ships of the Brazilian Navy. While conducting gunnery practice shots against target drones, a technical failure of her automatic weapons system made her fire on the Brazilian frigate Rademaker, injuring four Brazilian crewmen and an Argentine naval observer, as well as moderate damage to the Brazilian ship.

She is currently based at Puerto Belgrano as the flagship of the Navy's 2nd Destroyer Division, along with her three sister ships.

Notes

"Argentine navy short on spares and resources for training and maintenance". MercoPress. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2015.

References

Bourdette, Ignacio Amendolara. Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005-2006 (in Spanish). ISBN 987-43-9400-5.

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[MP20121122-1] "Argentine navy short on spares and resources for training and maintenance". MercoPress. 22 November 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2015.