ARA Drummond (P-31)
Encyclopedia
ARA Drummond (P-31) is the lead ship
of the Drummond class
of three corvettes of the Argentine Navy
. She is the second vessel to be named after Navy Sgt Francisco Drummond.
for the South African Navy
to be named SAS Good Hope but was embargoed
at the last minute due the apartheid by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
. It was sold to Argentina instead and delivered on November 9, 1978.
She carried the P-1 pennant number
until the introduction of the Espora class corvettes in 1985 when she became P-31.
In 1982 she served with her sister ships in the Falklands War
( ).
On 7 October 1983, during a live fire exercise, sunk the old destroyer Almirante Domecq Garcia
with a MM38 Exocet
missile.
On 1994, from her temporary base at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
, she participated on the blockade of Haiti
during Operation Uphold Democracy
.
She had also served as support ship of the Buenos Aires-Rio de Janeiro tall ships races.
She is currently based at Mar del Plata
and routinely conducts fishery patrol duties in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone
having captured several trawlers in recent years
reported that the Drummond had been intercepted and shepherded away by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS York
in the vicinity of the Falklands Islands. The story was published in the middle of a diplomatic dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina about oil drilling, escalating the crisis as the "first head-to-head of the Falklands row". The British Ministry of Defence
quickly issued a denial. A spokesman said the incident had occurred a month earlier, before the oil dispute began; both ships were in the same zone in international waters
during rough weather at night, and, after a friendly dialogue by radio, each had continued on its own exercise.
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the Drummond class
Drummond class corvette
The Drummond class are three corvettes designed and built in France basically similar to the D'Estienne d'Orves class . The ships were all commissioned between 1978 and 1982 in the Argentine Navy...
of three corvettes of the Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
. She is the second vessel to be named after Navy Sgt Francisco Drummond.
Service history
Drummond was built in 1977 in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
for the South African Navy
South African Navy
The South African Navy is the navy of the Republic of South Africa.-Formation:The South African Navy can trace its official origins back to the SA Naval Service, which was established on 1 April 1922....
to be named SAS Good Hope but was embargoed
Arms embargo
An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
at the last minute due the apartheid by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418
United Nations Security Council Resolution 418, adopted unanimously on 4 November 1977, imposed a mandatory arms embargo against apartheid South Africa. This resolution differed from the earlier Resolution 282, which was only voluntary...
. It was sold to Argentina instead and delivered on November 9, 1978.
She carried the P-1 pennant number
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
until the introduction of the Espora class corvettes in 1985 when she became P-31.
In 1982 she served with her sister ships in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
( ).
On 7 October 1983, during a live fire exercise, sunk the old destroyer Almirante Domecq Garcia
ARA Almirante Domecq Garcia (D23)
The ARA Almirante Domecq Garcia was a Fletcher class destroyer which served with the Argentine Navy from 1971 to 1983.The Garcia was acquired from the United States Navy, with which she had served as the USS Braine since her commissioning on 11 May 1943...
with a MM38 Exocet
Exocet
The Exocet is a French-built anti-ship missile whose various versions can be launched from surface vessels, submarines, helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Hundreds were fired in combat during the 1980s.-Etymology:...
missile.
On 1994, from her temporary base at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station
Roosevelt Roads Naval Station is a former United States military air base in the town of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. The site is run today as José Aponte de la Torre Airport, a public use airport.-History:...
, she participated on the blockade of Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
during Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy
Operation Uphold Democracy was an intervention designed to remove the military regime installed by the 1991 Haitian coup d'état that overthrew the elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide...
.
She had also served as support ship of the Buenos Aires-Rio de Janeiro tall ships races.
She is currently based at Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
and routinely conducts fishery patrol duties in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
having captured several trawlers in recent years
The Sun incident
On 25 February 2010 the British tabloid The SunThe Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
reported that the Drummond had been intercepted and shepherded away by the Royal Navy destroyer HMS York
HMS York (D98)
HMS York is a Batch III Type 42 destroyer of the Royal Navy. Launched on 20 June 1982 at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear and sponsored by Lady Gosling, HMS York was the last Type 42 built. The ship's crest is the White Rose of York, and the "red cross with lions passant" funnel badge is derived from the...
in the vicinity of the Falklands Islands. The story was published in the middle of a diplomatic dispute between the United Kingdom and Argentina about oil drilling, escalating the crisis as the "first head-to-head of the Falklands row". The British Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
quickly issued a denial. A spokesman said the incident had occurred a month earlier, before the oil dispute began; both ships were in the same zone in international waters
International waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
during rough weather at night, and, after a friendly dialogue by radio, each had continued on its own exercise.
Further reading
- Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005-2006. Ignacio Amendolara Bourdette, ISBN 987-43-9400-5, Editor n/a. (Spanish/English text)