ARA Bahía San Blas (B-4)

ARA Bahia San Blas in Gonaïves, Haiti
History
Argentina
Name:	Bahía San Blas
Namesake:	San Blas Bay, Buenos Aires
Builder:	Astillero Príncipe, Menghi y Penco
Commissioned:	November 1978
Status:	Active in service
General characteristics
Type:	Costa Sur-class (modified)
Displacement:	10.894 Ton full load
Length:	119.9 m (393 ft)
Beam:	17.5 m (57 ft)
Draught:	7.49 m (24.6 ft)
Propulsion:	2 Diesel Sulzer 6 ZL 40/48, 6.400 hp (4.772 kW), 2 shaft
Speed:	16 knots (30 km/h)
Capacity:	120 containers
Complement:	40
Notes:	cargo 9,856 m^3, 6,300 Tons

ARA Bahía San Blas is an Amphibious cargo ship of the Argentine Navy, capable of discharging landing craft, troops, vehicles and cargo. Is the first ship to bear the name of the Bay of San Blas in the south of Buenos Aires Province.

History

Bahia San Blas is a Costa Sur class vessel built at Astilleros Príncipe, Menghi y Penco at Buenos Aires in 1978 entering service on November of that year in the Transport Maritime service of the Argentine Navy. The other ships of the class are the ARA Canal de Beagle and ARA Cabo de Hornos.

In 1991 was deployed to the Persian Gulf during operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm carrying humanitarian aid and providing logistic support to the Argentine warships in the area.

In 1992 transported back from the Gulf of Fonseca the four Barradero-class patrol boats used under United Nations mandate ONUCA.

After the retirement of the ARA Cabo San Antonio, San Blas became the main vessel for use by the Argentine Marines receiving several modifications.

Since 2004, an Argentine contingent was deployed to Haiti under MINUSTAH mandate and the San Blas has been used for logistic support making several voyages to the Caribbean island.^[1]

References

External links

• official site
• Bahia San Blas at Histarmar

Wikimedia Commons has media related to ARA Bahia San Blas (ship, 1978).

Current and future ships of the Argentine Navy
Major surface combatants	Almirante Brown-class destroyer (4) Espora-class corvette (6) Drummond-class corvette (3)
Avisos multi-purpose auxiliary ships	Teniente Olivieri Francisco de Gurruchaga Suboficial Castillo Alférez Sobral POM class (+4) Ciudad de Zárate Ciudad de Rosario Punta Alta
Patrol/Fast attack ships	Murature class (2) Baradero class (4) Intrépida class (2)
Support ships	Patagonia Krause Canal de Beagle Cabo de Hornos
Training ship	Libertad
Oceanographics/Survey ships	Almirante Irízar Puerto Deseado Comodoro Rivadavia Cormorán Petrel
Amphibious Force	Hércules Bahía San Blas
Submarine Force	Type 209 (1) TR-1700 class (2)
List of ships of the Argentine Navy List of auxiliary ships of the Argentine Navy