ARA ''Comodoro Rivadavia'' (Q-11) is a

survey ship A survey vessel is any type of ship or boat that is used for underwater surveys, usually to collect data for mapping or planning underwater construction or mineral extraction. It is a type of research vessel, and may be designed for the purpo ...

of the

Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...

assigned to the national Hydrographic Naval Service (SHN for ''Servicio de Hidrografia Naval'') which among other things is responsible of the maintenance of

nautical chart A nautical chart is a graphic representation of a sea area and adjacent coastal regions. Depending on the scale of the chart, it may show depths of water and heights of land (topographic map), natural features of the seabed, details of the coa ...

s and

navigational aid Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

Construction and equipment

''Comodoro Rivadavia'' was built by the Mestrina de Tigre shipyard,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. She was laid down on July 17, 1971, and launched on December 2, 1972. She was delivered to the Argentine Navy on December 6, 1974. The ship displaces 609 tons with standard load and 667 t with full load. Her length measures 52.2 meters, her beam is 8.8 m and her draft is 2.6 m. The ship is powered by two 1160 hp Werkspoor Stork RHO-218K

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

s, which allow the ship to reach a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h). She has two

controllable pitch propellers In marine propulsion, a variable-pitch propeller is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change the blade pitch. Reversible propellers—those where the pitch can be set to negative values—can also ...

that allow the ship to maneuver in tight spaces.

Hydrographic systems

The ship is classified as a

hydrographic vessel Hydrographics may refer to: *Hydrography, the measurement of physical characteristics of waters and marginal land *Hydrographics (printing), a printing technique for three-dimensional objects * Hydrographic Department, UK agency for providing hydr ...

and equipped with probes and bathymetric sensors. In 2007, along with , was reequipped by

Kongsberg Gruppen Kongsberg Gruppen is an international technology group headquartered in Norway, that supplies high-technology systems to customers in the merchant marine, defence, aerospace, offshore oil and gas industries, and renewable and utilities industri ...

with bathymetric systems in a program sponsored by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programs). In 2011, the ship's hydrographic equipment were listed as follows: * Differential Satellite Navigator (DGPS) for precision unit positioning * Three

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...

echosounders, one of them portable for object detection * Plotter for making bathymetric maps * Fax-modem - for reception of weather charts * Semi-rigid boat of 5.6 m in length, 70 HP engine, equipped with DGPS satellite navigator and computer with "Hidronav" 2

Mission History

''Comodoro Rivadavia'' carries out various scientific research missions, and is an important asset for carrying out Argentina's National Cartographic Plan, by conducting

hydrographic survey Hydrographic survey is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/offshore oil drilling and related activities. Strong emphasis is placed ...

s on navigable routes. She also regularly conducts Antarctic campaigns and research. In May 1998, she provided assistance to those affected by coastal flooding caused by the El Niño phenomenon. Beginning in 2007 this ship was involved in mapping the

Patagonian Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

of the

Argentine Sea The Argentine Sea ( es, Mar Argentino) is a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean adjacent to the southern tip of South America. It ranges from the mouth of the estuary of the Río de la Plata in the north ( 35th parallel south) to the Isla de los Es ...

. This project was submitted to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

(UN) on 22 April 2009 to support Argentina's claim that of ocean should be in the Argentinian Exclusive economic zone under the

Convention on the Continental Shelf The Convention on the Continental Shelf was an international treaty created to codify the rules of international law relating to continental shelves. The treaty, after entering into force 10 June 1964, established the rights of a sovereign sta ...

and

Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 167 c ...

. This claim was recognized by the UN in 2016. In July 2013, she participated in the search for a crew member of the ''Virgen María'' fishing boat, who disappeared at sea. In September 2014, the ship used its hydrographic instrumentation to assist in a ''SARSUB'' exercise with the ''Salta'' submarine. In November 2017, she participated in the search for the missing Argentine Navy

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

ARA San Juan (S-42) ARA ''San Juan'' (S-42) was a diesel-electric submarine in service with the Submarine Force of the Argentine Navy from 1986 to 2017. It was built in West Germany, entering service on 19 November 1985, and underwent a mid-life update from 200 ...

. The wreckage of the sub was finally discoved a year after sinking. The ship remained on the navy list as of 2022, but was reported as likely soon to be placed on the disposal list.

References

Notes

Sources

Details, Official Argentine Navy website

External links

Picture
at official website
MinDef video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Comodoro Rivadavia (Q-11), ARA Auxiliary ships of the Argentine Navy Research vessels of Argentina Ships built in Argentina 1974 ships