ARA ''Parker'' (P-44) is the fourth ship of the MEKO 140A16 of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of Captain

Enrique Guillermo Parker Enrique Guillermo Parker was a British-born Argentine Navy Captain who participated in the Cisplatine War waged by the Argentine Republic against the Empire of Brazil. Early life Parker was born in 1787 in Great Britain. In 1798 he enrolled ...

, who fought in the Argentine Navy as its second-in-command during the

Cisplatine War The Cisplatine War (), also known as the Argentine-Brazilian War () or, in Argentine and Uruguayan historiography, as the Brazil War (''Guerra del Brasil''), the War against the Empire of Brazil (''Guerra contra el Imperio del Brasil'') or t ...

. 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. 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. The work to convert the ship to her new role was expected to last through 2023.

Origin

''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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

-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.

Construction

''Espora'' was constructed at the

Río Santiago Shipyard The Rio Santiago Shipyard is a shipyard located in the city of Ensenada, Buenos Aires Province at the shores of the Santiago River. Currently owned by the Government of Buenos Aires Province, it has been one of the major active and important shi ...

of the Astilleros y Fábricas Navales del Estado (State Shipyards and Naval Factories) state corporation. She was launched on 30 March 1984, but flooding on 2 October 1986 delayed completion. In 1988 her pennant number was changed from P-13 to P-44 in line with the rest of the class. She was officially delivered to the Navy on 2 April 1990 and commissioned on 17 April of that year. ''Parker'' is the first ship of the class' second batch, and incorporated a telescopic

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

, allowing the ship to carry a helicopter. The first three ships of the class were fitted with a landing pad but did not have a hangar.

Service history

Between 1990 and 2000, ''Parker'' was effectively the last ship of her class, as budgetary cuts delayed and almost cancelled the construction of the final two ships, and . Following her commissioning ''Parker'' participated in several

naval exercise A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the com ...

s and conducted fishery patrol duties in the Argentine exclusive economic zone. In 1995 she represented the Argentine Navy in the Naval Parade conducted in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

as part of the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the South African Navy. She is homeported at

Puerto Belgrano Port Belgrano Naval Base ( es, Base Naval Puerto Belgrano - BNPB) is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine ''General Be ...

Naval Base and is part of the 2nd Corvette Division with her five sister ships. ''Parker'' is being converted to the offshore patrol role at the Tandanor shipyard. For that role, a hydraulic crane was installed to permit the deployment of semi-rigid fast boats while space, previously used for the storage of MM38 Exocet missiles, was converted into extra personnel accommodation space. The work is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023.

References

Bibliography

* ''Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005-2006''. Ignacio Amendolara Bourdette, , Editor n/a. (Spanish/English text) {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker (P-44) Espora-class corvettes Ships built in Argentina 1984 ships Corvettes of Argentina