ARA Granville (P-33)

ARA Granville at Mar del Plata naval base in 2005
History
Argentina
Namesake:	Guillermo Enrique Granville
Operator:	Argentine Navy
Laid down:	1 December 1978
Launched:	28 June 1980
Commissioned:	22 June 1981
Homeport:	Mar del Plata
Status:	in active service
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type A69 Drummond-class corvette
Displacement:	1,170 tons (1,320 tons full load)
Length:	80 m (260 ft)
Beam:	10.3 m (34 ft)
Draught:	3.55 m (11.6 ft)
Installed power:	12,000 shp (8.9 MW)
Propulsion:	2× SEMT Pielstick 12 PC 2.2 V400 diesels, 2× CP propellers
Speed:	23.3 knots (43 km/h)
Range:	4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Endurance:	15 days
Complement:	5 officers, 79 enlisted, 95 berths
Sensors and processing systems:	Thales DRBV 51A air/surface search Thales DRBC-32E fire control Consilium Selesmar NavBat Thales Diodon hull MF sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys:	Thales DR 2000 S3 Thales Alligator 51 jammer 2× Matra Dagaie decoys
Armament:	4× MM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles 1× 100 mm/55 Mod.1968 dual purpose gun 1× twin Bofors 40 mm L/70 AA guns 2× 20 mm Oerlikon AA guns 2× .50cal Colt M2 machine guns 2× triple 324 mm ILAS-3 tubes (WASS A-244S torpedoes)
Aviation facilities:	small pad for VERTREP

ARA Granville (P-33) is a Drummond-class corvette of the Argentine Navy. She is named after Guillermo Enrique Granville, who fought in the Battle of Juncal against Brazil.

She is currently based at Mar del Plata and conducts fishery patrol duties in the Argentine exclusive economic zone where she has captured several trawlers in recent years. According to reports in November 2012 the Drummond class “hardly sail because of lack of resources for operational expenses”.

The first two ships of the Drummond class were built in 1977 in France for the South African Navy. The sale was embargoed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 418 during sea trials and the ships were sold to Argentina instead. A third ship was ordered and entered service as ARA Granville on 22 June 1981, in time for the Falklands War the following year. There are minor differences in equipment fit compared to her sisters, for instance Granville has French Degaie decoys rather than the British Corvus chaff launchers.

On 28 March 1982 she sailed with her sister ARA Drummond and took up station northeast of Port Stanley to cover the main amphibious landings on 2 April. After the attack she operated north of the Falklands with her sister ships as Task Group 79.4, hoping to catch ships detached from the British task force. On 29 April the corvettes were trailed by the submarine HMS Splendid whilst she was looking for the Argentine aircraft carrier ARA Veinticinco de Mayo, but they managed to outrun the British submarine.