ARA Azopardo is a World War II era Argentine Navy warship, originally classified as patrol boat and later as antisubmarine frigate. The vessel is named after Juan Bautista Azopardo, an Argentine naval officer that served in both the Argentine War of Independence and in the Cisplatine War. It is the third Argentine naval ship with this name.

ARA Azopardo underway
History
Argentina
NameAzopardo
NamesakeJuan Bautista Azopardo, Argentine naval officer in the Independence and Cisplatine wars.
Ordered1940
BuilderAFNE Rio Santiago, Argentina
Laid down1950
Launched1953
Completed1955
Commissioned1955
Decommissioned1972
FateScrapped
General characteristics
TypeAzopardo class patrol boat
Displacement1220 tons
Length92.72 m (304.2 ft)
Beam9.6 m (31.5 ft)
Draft4 m (13 ft)
Propulsion2-shaft, 2 × Parsons Steam turbines, 2 x Water-tube boilers, 5,000 ihp (3,700 kW), 340 tons oil
Speed20 knots (23 mph; 37 km/h)
Range2300 nautical miles @ ?kn
Complement170
Armament

Design

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Azopardo was as part of a program to build four mine warfare ships during the Second World War, of which two (Murature and King) were completed as patrol boats and the others (Piedrabuena and Azopardo) as antisubmarine frigates.

History

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Azopardo was ordered in 1940, however significant delays caused its keel to be laid only in 1950; it was launched in 1953 and completed two years later.[1]

Azopardo did not take part of the rising against Juan Domingo Perón's government known as Revolución Libertadora, as she was still being completed at Río Santiago.[1]

Between 1956 and 1967 it belonged to the Destroyers and Frigates Squadron of the Seas Fleet based in Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, and participated in various exercises. Due to the Cruz del Sur incident, in 1967 she was deployed to Ushuaia.[1]

From 1969 to 1972 she was assigned to training duties with the cadets of the Argentine Navy Academy. She was decommissioned in July 1972, and sold for scrapping to the company AYARSA in December 1972.[1]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d "FRAGATA "AZOPARDO" P-35". Histarmar - Historia y Arqueología Marítima (in Spanish). Retrieved 2015-12-30.

Bibliography

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  • Arguindeguy, Pablo (1972). Apuntes sobre los buques de la Armada Argentina (1810–1970) (in Spanish). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Comando en Jefe de la Armada.

Further reading

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  • Burzio, Humberto (1960). Armada Nacional (in Spanish). Secretaria de Estado de Marina.
  • Piccirilli, Ricardo; Gianello, Leoncio (1963). Biografías navales (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Secretaría de Estado de Marina..
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  • "FRAGATA "AZOPARDO " P-35" [Frigate “Azopardo” P-35]. Histarmar - Historia y Arqueología Marítima (in Spanish). Argentina: Fundación Histarmar. Retrieved 2015-12-29.