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ARA Sarandi (D-13)

History

In the 1980s, the Argentine government used its links with Germany (the famous shipyard Blohm & Voss) to build several classes of warships and submarines. One of them became the ARA Sarandi (D-13), the fourth of four ships built to MEDO 360H2 standards.

These destroyers entered service in the middle of the decade, and all four are in active service today (2017) (though their age limits their overall usefulness). The ARA Sarandi was laid on March 9, 1982, and launched on August 31 of the same year. She officially entered service on April 23, 1984.

Tour

At the time of construction, the warship had a displacement of 3,360 tons, a total length of 413 feet, a beam of 46 feet, and a draft of 19 feet. Power is provided by a COGAG (Combined Gas and Gas) unit with 4 marine diesel turbines producing 36,000 hp on 2 shafts.

Under ideal conditions, the top speed can reach over 30 knots and the range can be up to 4,500 miles.

Armed

There are approximately 224 crew members on board. A light utility helicopter is carried by a hangar and a stern-mounted helipad. The ship is equipped with 1 x 5" (127 mm) OTO-Melara dual-purpose (DP) deck gun and turret (above the forward cabin), 8 x MM40 Exocet anti-ship missiles and 1 x Albatross quadruple rocket launcher and 24 x "Aspide" " - Surface-to-air missiles. For close-range air defense, there are 8 x 40mm Bofors automatic cannons.

The warship also carries 6 x 324mm torpedoes in two triple launchers.

Structure

Her profile is traditional, with the main deck guns facing the bow and a pair of Bofors anti-aircraft turrets mounted directly aft of the stepped superstructure. Beyond this is the bridge superstructure, which includes a simple mast structure and the usual communications and sensor arrangements. Secondary masts are mounted behind and in front of the low split chimney.

The rear superstructure contains a third mast structure and additional point defense weapons and sensor equipment. At the very end of the ship is the hangar and helipad.

Service Passes

ARA Sarandi completed a trip to Mediterranean waters in 2003, during which time he participated in joint operations with the US Navy. In 2004, during a joint exercise, she accidentally opened fire on the Brazilian frigate Radmaker, injuring four people.

In addition, the warship offers few services worth mentioning.

In November 2017, she was dispatched to locate the ARA San Juan (detailed elsewhere on this site), an Argentine diesel-electric submarine that went missing on November 15.