ARA ''Puerto Deseado'' (Q-20) is an

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamic ...

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 pur ...

in service in 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 th ...

. She has a reinforced hull in order to operate in waters around

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

History

''Puerto Deseado'' was built by Astilleros Argentinos Río de la Plata (

Astarsa Astilleros Argentinos Río de La Plata S.A. (mostly known for its acronym ASTARSA, which can be roughly translated as ''Argentine Shipyards of Río de la Plata'') was an Argentine shipyard. Its core business was building and repairing ships and lo ...

) shipyard in

Tigre, Buenos Aires Tigre (, ''Tiger'') is a city in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, situated in the north of Greater Buenos Aires, north of Buenos Aires city. Tigre lies on the Paraná Delta and is a tourist and weekend destination, reachable by bus and t ...

and commissioned into the Argentine Navy in 1978. She was the first navy ship to be named upon the city of Puerto Deseado in the patagonian Santa Cruz province. During the 1982

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial ...

she served as

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. I ...

. On 2003 she participated on the unsuccessful attempt to find the sunken cruiser along with a

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...

team on the vessel ''Seacor Lenga''. ''Puerto Deseado'' serves the CONICET, the Argentine government agency that directs and co-ordinates scientific and technical research. The ship actively participated on the summer Antarctic campaigns. Her scientific equipment includes a gravimetric sensor, magnetometers, seismic systems, high frequency sound sonar and a geological laboratory. In 2007, ''Puerto Deseado'' and , were 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 indust ...

with bathymetric systems in a program sponsored by the UNDP (United Nations Development Programs). Since then, ''Puerto Deseado'' was involved in the investigation of the

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 ...

that was finally submitted on 22 April 2009 to the

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

(UN) for of ocean territory to be recognised as Argentina's as governed by 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 stat ...

and Convention on the Law of the Sea. In March 2010 she began studies on behalf of

Repsol YPF Repsol S.A.
El Nuevo Herald, 2012-05-31Originally an init ...

.''elabora estudios en el marco de un convenio entre YPF y el CONICET en procura de realizar una utilización de los recursos del lecho marino''
She is homeported at

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a sh ...

References

Official site

at Irizar.org

External links

at Histarmar
HMS Clyde Encountering ARA Puerto Deseado

Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Puerto Deseado (Q-20), Ara Auxiliary ships of the Argentine Navy Research vessels of Argentina Ships built in Argentina 1976 ships Hospital ships during the Falklands War