ARA Parker (P-44)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Espora-class corvette ARA Parker | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Argentina | |
| Name | Parker |
| Namesake | Enrique Guillermo Parker |
| Builder | Río Santiago Shipyard |
| Launched | 30 March 1984 |
| Acquired | 2 April 1990 |
| Commissioned | 17 April 1990 |
| Homeport | Puerto Belgrano |
| Identification | Pennant number: P-44 |
| Status | Inactive; future status unclear[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | MEKO 140A16 Espora-class corvette |
| Displacement | 1,560 tons (1,790 tons full load)[2] |
| Length | 91.2 m (299 ft 3 in)[2] |
| Beam | 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)[2] |
| Draught | 3.33 m (10 ft 11 in)[2] (hull) |
| Installed power | 22,600 bhp (16.9 MW)[2] |
| Propulsion | 2 × SEMT Pielstick 16 PC 2-5 V400 diesels, 2 × 5-blade props[2] |
| Speed | 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph)[2] |
| Range | 4,000 nautical miles (7,410 km; 4,600 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[2] |
| Crew | 11 officers, 46 petty officers, 36 enlisted[2] |
| Sensors & processing systems |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 1 × Eurocopter Fennec |
| Aviation facilities | Helideck and telescoping hangar |
ARA Parker (P-44) is the fourth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora class of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of Captain Enrique Guillermo Parker, who fought in the Argentine Navy as its second-in-command during the Cisplatine War.
The Argentine Navy struggles to meet maintenance and training requirements because of financial problems and import restrictions. The status of Parker was not clear, as of November 2012 she was waiting for spares.[5] As of 2021, Parker was scheduled for repair work, and conversion to the offshore patrol role, at the Tandanor state-owned shipyard in Buenos Aires.[6] The work to convert the ship to her new role had been expected to last through 2023. However, as of late 2024 the status of the conversion was unclear and the ship was effectively inactive.[7]
Parker and her sister ships were part of the 1974 Naval Constructions National Plan, an initiative by the Argentine Navy to replace old World War II-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.