November 10th at the Tandanor Shipyard of the Argentine Naval Industrial Complex, the hydrographic launch ARA “Petrel” was launched. During the ceremony, the 143rd anniversary of the state shipyard, founded in 1879 by Nicolás Avellaneda, was also celebrated.
The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Defense, Jorge Taiana, accompanied by the President of Tandanor, Miguel Tudino; Also present were the Minister of Health, Carla Vizzoti; the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Admiral Julio Horacio Guardia; the Secretary of Research, Industrial Policy and Production for Defense, Daniela Castro; the Director of the Naval Hydrography Service (SIHN), Navy Commodore Valentín Alejandro Sanz Rodríguez; the General Secretary of Shipyard and Workshop Workers (SITTAN), Jonatan Pucheta; and ministerial authorities, military, civilians, shipyard workers and special guests attended.
To begin the act, the lyrical tenor and Veteran of the Malvinas War Darío Volonté sang the Argentine National Anthem. Next, the godmother of the ship, Mónica María Elisa Fiore, carried out the baptism of the boat by breaking a bottle on its hull, following the classic naval tradition.
The SITTAN Secretary was the first to speak: “Today is not another day. Today we generate pride, we generate Homeland and, above all, national sovereignty. That is why this launching is so important ”, he highlighted.
Next, the Director of the SIHN addressed those present, highlighting the value of the new unit for marine, coastal and fluvial scientific research.
“The launching of the new ‘Petrel’, equipped with the most modern hydrographic and oceanographic systems, fills us with enthusiasm and hope, allowing us to envision a future full of professional activity to fulfill the assigned mission,” he said.
For its part, the Secretary for Research, Industrial Policy and Production for Defense pointed out that this construction project articulated fundamental axes related to knowledge and the national industry: “The tool to continue carrying out hydrographic and oceanographic research has come from a state-owned company what is tandanor That is why I want to thank and value this work. Sovereignty is knowledge and knowledge is also development for our bicontinental Argentina”.
The President of Tandanor, meanwhile, thanked those who accompanied him throughout the construction process: “In each welding point, in each cut sheet, in each electronic circuit there is much more than the effort of our people, there are the dreams that we are going making it a reality” , affirmed Miguel Tudino.
Finally, Minister Taiana addressed those present and made a brief tour of the history and present of Tandanor. In addition, he referred to the valuable contributions that the ARA “Petrel” boat will offer to the Naval Hydrography Service.
“This launching has a transcendent significance, which is to demonstrate not only what we are capable of, but also to show the will to build a country with scientific development, well-being, and social justice for all, and capable of directing its destiny based on its own interests” , he concluded.
Hydrographic launch ARA “Petrel” (Q-17)
It is a SWATH hydrographic ship (acronyms that correspond to the English words Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull) built by the state shipyard located in Costanera Sur in Buenos Aires, complying with the quality standards provided by the ship classification society NKK ( Nippon Kaiji Kyoki).
The Q-17, as a hydrographic research vessel, will be operated by the Naval Hydrographic Service (SHN) with personnel from the Argentine Navy and due to its design and equipment characteristics, it will be able to carry out hydrographic and oceanographic activities in the Río de la Plata basin and in coastal areas of the Argentine maritime coast.
Among the tasks that it will be able to carry out are the mapping of the river or seabed with multibeam, singlebeam and side scan sonar and obtaining different types of oceanographic data such as subbottom profiles, marine currents, temperature and salinity measurements. of the water.
Its crew will be made up of 12 people, among which 4 will be hydrographers and/or oceanographers who will be in charge of carrying out the scientific and technical tasks on board.
The ARA “Petrel”, which will replace the ARA “Cormorán” launch that entered service in 1964, bears that name in accordance with the general regulations currently in force for assigning names to Navy units, and because it is a hydrographic boat his corresponds to that of a bird of the Argentine maritime fauna, which in this case is one that inhabits the seas of the southern hemisphere, from the coasts of Antarctica to the Tropic of Capricorn.
It is the second unit of the Argentine Navy to bear the name “Petrel”; The first was a hydrographic research vessel built at the Cadenazzi shipyard (Tigre, Buenos Aires), which entered service for the SHN in 1965.
Her godmother is Mónica María Elisa Fiore, a graduate in Oceanography, who belongs to and works in the Tides Section of the Oceanography Department of the Naval Hydrography Service.
Technical specifications
Displacement: 205 tons.
Length: 30 meters.
Beam: 9.6 meters.
Draft: 2.1 meters.
Propulsion: 2 Scania model DI 13-071M 450 HP diesel engines.
Generator motors: 2 CETEC motors of 144 Kva.
Hydrographic capacities: 4 m² wet room, 5 m³ hydroacoustic room.
Cruising speed: 10 knots.
Maximum speed: 12 knots.
Autonomy: 15 days of operation at 10 knots.
Crew: 2 officers, 6 petty officers and 4 technicians.
