- Yes
- No
- Both
- As built in 1938
- Refits during the late 1950’s
- I voted no to the first question
ARA Buenos Aires
Brief Summary:
The Buenos Aires Class were a group of seven destroyers based upon the British G Class destroyers built between 1936-1938 and seeing service in Argentina until 1973 and was the last class of destroyers built for Argentina with all later destroyers either being ex American destroyers and the Type 42 sister ships until the Almirante Brown Class, a joint class with Nigeria from the 1980’s.
History:
Spoiler
Under a new naval plan in 1934 an order for the cruiser later known as La Argentina had also come with an order of seven destroyers to compliment it, the class would be based upon HMS Gallant a G Class destroyer that had begun construction in late 1934 and the Argentine class based upon this would be based upon this with minor changes to the draught and beam but other than that they’re pretty much identical to the G Class. Argentina was not the only nation to order G class destroyers as Greece and Brazil also had ordered their own however the Brazilian ones became the Havant class upon war break and the Greek ones were armed with German guns.
The seven ships of the Buenos Aires Class were laid down in 1936 and were commissioned in mid 1938 armed with 4 4.7 Vickers-Armstrong Mk F guns an improvement from the earlier guns seen on the Mendoza class by improvements in gun range, the AA armaments were 2x4 12.7mm Vickers machine guns and the torpedo armament was 2x4 533mm’s whilst the powerplant allowed for 34000hp which gave the class a top speed of 35.5 knots.
The ships of the class are the Buenos Aires, Entre Ríos, Corrientes, San Juan, San Luis, Misiones and Santa Cruz being designated T6-T12 (later D6-D12 in 1952) under their pennant numbers. Like the Mendoza class because of Argentina being neutral during World War II the ships had a mostly uneventful service history however during a exercise on October 3rd 1941 ARA Corrientes collided with heavy cruiser ARA Almirante Brown due to fog sinking 54nm north east from Mar del Plata.
After World War II on September 19th 1955 during the Revolucíon Libertadora the ships San Luis, San Juan and Entre Ríos escorted the ex-American Brooklyn class cruiser now known as Nueve de Julio shelling the fuel depots in Mar del Plata alongside armed civilians and soldiers attempting to invade the base, this included shelling the loyalists headquarters in the AA school north of the city. After the coup d’état the ships begun refits between 1956-1959 removing the torpedo’s, 12.7mm’s and one of the 4.7in guns in place of 4x1 Bofor’s Mk III’s, anti submarine 324mm homing torpedoes also present on the Canadian destroyers of the Mackenzie class and also 2x24 Mk X Hedgehogs for additional anti submarine warfare. The ships would remain in service until the 1970’s with three of the surviving ships being retired and scrapped in 1971 with the Santa Cruz, San Juan and Entre Ríos being retired and scrapped in 1973.
Technical Data:
Spoiler
Hull:
Max Speed, Knots, KN: 35.5
Displacement Standard, T: 1375
Displacement Full, T: 2010-2045
Power, HP: 34000
Length, M: 97.5 (98.45 oa)
Breadth, M: 10.58
Draught, M: 3.2
Complement: 130
fuel, T: Oil 450
Electronic Equipment: None
Rangefinders: None
Armament:
4x1 - 120/45 Vickers Armstrong F
2x4 12.7/62 Vickers Machine Gun’s
2x4 533 TT
Later Anti Aircraft modification:
3x1 - 120/45 Vickers Armstrong F
4x1 40/60 Bofor’s Mk III
2 324 ASW TL
2x24 178 Hedgehog Mk X ASWRL
4 DCT
1 DCR
Additional Images:
Spoiler
Sinking of ARA Corrientes 1941
Santa Cruz 1948
Entre Ríos 1940
Sources:
http://www.navypedia.org/ships/argentina/arg_dd_buenos_aires.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires-class_destroyer
https://naval-encyclopedia.com/ww2/argentina/destroyers.php
http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada Argentina/Buques1900a1970/TorpBuenosAires.htm