Drummond-class corvette

ARA Granville (P-33) in 2005
Class overview
Name:	Drummond class
Builders:	Arsenal de Lorient
Operators:	Argentine Navy
In service:	1978
Completed:	3
Active:	3
General characteristics
Type:	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 × 18 Corvus decoys (P31/2) 2 × Matra Dagaie decoys (P33)
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

The Drummond class are three corvettes designed and built in France based on the A69 D'Estienne d'Orves-class avisos. The ships were commissioned in the Argentine Navy between 1978 and 1982.

The ships currently serve in the "Atlantic Area of Operations" of the Argentine Navy, based on Mar del Plata Naval Base, province of Buenos Aires. Their mission is to patrol Argentina's exclusive economic zone and to enforce fishing regulations, but according to reports in November 2012 they “hardly sail because of lack of resources for operational expenses”.

Although its designers consider the A69 D'Estienne d'Orves class to be avisos, Argentina classifies the ships as corvettes.

The Drummond-class ships are equipped mostly with German and Dutch electronic systems (instead of French) for better compatibility with the two MEKO classes in Argentine service, and integrated with the indigenous "Miniaco" combat system.

The first two ships of the 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 bought by Argentina instead on 25 September 1978. 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.