ARA Almirante Storni (P-53)

For other ships with the same name, see ARA Almirante Storni.

ARA Almirante Storni in the port of Concarneau
History
Argentina
Name	Almirante Storni
Namesake	Segundo Rosa Storni
Ordered	2019
Builder	Kership, Lorient
Launched	10 May 2021
Acquired	13 October 2021[1]
Identification	Pennant number: P-53
General characteristics
Class and type	Kership offshore patrol vessel
Displacement	1,450 t (1,430 long tons) (full load)
Length	87 m (285 ft 5 in)
Beam	11 m (36 ft 1 in)
Draft	3.3 m (10 ft 10 in)
Installed power	Electrical:
Propulsion	2 Anglo Belgian Corporation V12 diesel engines, 5.6 MW (7,500 hp)
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range	8,000 nmi (14,800 km; 9,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance	30 days
Boats & landing craft carried	2 × 9 m (30 ft) RHIBs
Complement	30 core crew, up to 29 troops
Sensors and processing systems	DCNS Polaris combat management system Terma Scanter 6002 I-Band surface search radar Terma Scanter 4102 I-Band air and surface search radar Sagem EOMS (Electro Optical Multisensor System) NG Sagem SIGMA 40D Inertial measurement unit LinkSrechts Helicopter visual landing aid system
Electronic warfare & decoys	Thales Altesse & Vigile LW ESM/COMINT system Lacroix Defense & Security Sylena decoy system
Armament	1 × Leonardo 30 mm Marlin cannon[2] 2 × .50 cal machine guns
Aircraft carried	1 × 5-ton helicopter or 1 × 10-ton helicopter (supported) RUAS-160 naval drone (one UAV to be acquired by the navy; service entry mid-2020s; further orders may follow)[3][4]
Aviation facilities	Helicopter pad and hangar

ARA Almirante Storni (P-53) is the third Gowind-class offshore patrol vessel constructed for the Argentinian Navy.

The French shipbuilder Naval Group launched the hull of ARA Almirante Storni on 10 May 2021 at Lanester, before moving it to Concarneau for fitting out.[5] It is the second ship of the Argentine Navy to be named after the former Minister of the Navy and Vice Admiral Segundo Rosa Storni. The first was the Fletcher-class destroyer ARA Almirante Storni (D-24).[6]

Career

In May 2024, Almirante Storni, in conjunction with her sister ships Bartolomé Cordero and Piedrabuena, the destroyers La Argentina and Sarandí, as well as the corvettes Espora and Rosales, was tasked to participate in joint exercises with the US Navy's George Washington carrier task group. The exercises were the first to take place between the two navies in several years.[7]

In August 2024, she took part in joint exercise Fraterno XXXVII in the South Atlantic along with the destroyer Sarandí and corvette Espora, as well as the Brazilian Navy's frigate Liberal and submarine Tikuna. The exercise's anti-submarine warfare element focused on reconnaissance, sonar tracking, search and attack by surface units, whereas the maritime element focused on joint air defense coordination, tactical formations and joint helicopter maneuvers.[8]

References

1. "Naval Group delivers Gowind-class Almirante Storni to Argentine". Navyrecognition.com. 14 October 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-10-14. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
2. "La tripulación del nuevo buque de la Armada Argentina viaja a Francia para iniciar instrucción". infodefensa.com (in Spanish). 11 February 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-02-11. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
3. "Armada Argentina encarga un dron naval RUAS-160 a INVAP". 15 December 2021.
4. "RUAS-160: Así es el helicóptero no tripulado diseñado en la Argentina". 29 April 2020.
5. Groizeleau, Vincent (11 May 2021). "Concarneau : mise à l'eau d'un nouveau patrouilleur pour l'Argentine". Mer et Marine (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-05-11. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
6. "Naval Group delivers Gowind-class Almirante Storni to Argentine". Navy Recognition. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
7. Riva, Santiago (26 May 2024). "La Armada Argentina inicia sus actividades para el Ejercicio Gringo – Gaucho II". Pucará Defensa. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
8. "Las armadas de Argentina y Brasil fortalecen lazos en el ejercicio Fraterno" (in Spanish). Infodefensa. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2024.