ARA Libertad (Q-2)
![]() Libertad entering Dársena Norte, Buenos Aires
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History | |
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Name | Libertad |
Owner | ![]() |
Ordered | 13 November 1953 (from a 1946 project)[1] |
Builder | Río Santiago Shipyard, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina |
Laid down | 11 December 1953[1] |
Launched | 30 May 1956[1] |
Commissioned | 28 May 1963[1] |
Identification |
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Status | Active |
General characteristics | |
Type | |
Displacement | 3,765 tonnes[2] |
Length | 103.75 m (340.4 ft)[2] (hull 91.7 meters) |
Beam | 14.31 m (46.9 ft)[2] |
Draft | 6.60 m (21.7 ft)[2] |
Propulsion | Pre mlu: 2 × Sulzer diesel engines[2] Post mlu: 2 × |
Speed | Pre mlu: 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h)[2] (engine power only) Post mlu: 13.73 knots (25.43 km/h)[3] (engine power only) |
Range | 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h)[2] (engine power only) |
Complement | 24 officers, 187 crewmen, as well as 150 cadets[2] |
Armament | 4 47 mm QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss cannons[6] |
ARA Libertad (Q-2) is a
Specifications
The ninth Argentine Navy vessel to bear the name Libertad,
The ship's follows the archetypal
She is an all square
The vessel carries four fully functional 47 mm
History
Design, construction and commissioning
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flickr_-_El_coleccionista_de_instantes_-_Fotos_La_Fragata_A.R.A._%22Libertad%22_de_la_armada_argentina_en_Las_Palmas_de_Gran_Canaria_%2829%29.jpg/220px-Flickr_-_El_coleccionista_de_instantes_-_Fotos_La_Fragata_A.R.A._%22Libertad%22_de_la_armada_argentina_en_Las_Palmas_de_Gran_Canaria_%2829%29.jpg)
Continuously since 1873 the Argentine Navy had a number of commissioned school ships in active service for training future officers in seamanship skills.[1] In 1938, after retirement of ARA Presidente Sarmiento as seagoing academy vessel, her role was temporarily undertaken by the light cruiser ARA La Argentina. The project for a definitive replacement ship fully conceived and built by Argentines started in 1946.
On 11 December 1953, during
On 30 May 1956 she was launched to sea, but her completion and
Trophies and notable voyages
In 1964 the frigate competed for the first time in a major offshore race for tall ships between the ports of Lisbon and Hamilton, Bermuda.[15] In 1965 she completed her first round-the-world trip.[15]
In 1966, during her fourth instruction voyage, ARA Libertad won the Great Medal Prize for establishing the tall ships' world record for crossing the
In 1970 she was part of the "Parade of Large Sailboats" in Sydney celebrating the bicentenary of the first European settlement in Australia.[15]
The ship took part in the celebrations of the United States Bicentennial on July 4, 1976, by sailing in parade, with many other tall ships from all over the world, on the Hudson River, in front of New York City, in what was called Operation Sail. She also participated in 1964, 1986, 1992[20] and 2012.[21] During 1976's Operation Sail the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Libertad_1.jpg/240px-Libertad_1.jpg)
In 1985 raced in "Sail Amsterdam" in the Netherlands and in the celebrations for the Statue of Liberty centenary in New York City.[15] One year later Libertad sailed in Bremerhaven in Germany.[15] In 1989, among many events, she was part of "Les Voiles de la Liberté" for the bicentennial of the French Revolution in the port of Rouen, France.[15]
In 1992 was part of the great
In 1997 she sailed in the international race "Sail Osaka 97" in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the port of Osaka, Japan.[15]In 1998 Libertad won Americas' Sail tall ship race between Savannah, Georgia and Glen Cove, New York, United States.[23]
In 1999 took part in the gathering of tall ships "The Navy of the Century" in France.[15]
By presidential decree number 727 (May 30, 2001) the frigate was designated as "Embassy of the Republic as a matter of honorary distinction and with purely protocolar effect".[24]
On 2 October 2003, she caught fire while anchored off the Spanish port of
ARA Libertad participated in
Mid-life upgrade
In 2004 she underwent a general mid-life update with special effort put into security and comfort, seeking to extend the vessel's lifespan for at least another forty years.[3] The extensive works were finished in April 2007 and included:
- New integral painting
- Replacement of all linings
- Modernization of steering gear
- Renewal of kitchens, laundry, nursing and dental office equipment
- Upgrading of all light appliances
- Replacement of all ship's piping and vents, using new materials and adapting them to the new embedded systems
- Building foundations for the new systems and equipment parts[27]
The overhaul, performed at Río Santiago Shipyard by more than 350 workers, required 285 tonnes of metal for the hull, decks and internal structures and over 25 tonnes of different shaped steel profiles.[27]
Bedrooms and bathrooms were refitted to allow the incorporation of female midshipmen, corporals and sergeants, in line with current diversity policies in the Argentine Navy. The propulsion plant was upgraded to two
The radar navigation system was replaced by an advanced model that holds greater scope and definition. The vessel update also included changing all power, communications, alarm, signalling and monitoring cabling, an adaptation required for the newly incorporated systems. The rigging was fully upgraded, which included bringing down, checking and repairing the
During the three years Libertad was under overhaul, cadets sailed on the Navy's
Ghana incident
In early October 2012 the vessel was impounded in the port of
On 25 October 2012 most of the ship's crew returned to Argentina, leaving the captain and 43 crew members with the ship in Ghana.[37]
On 15 December 2012 the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled unanimously that the ship had immunity as a military vessel, and ordered that "Ghana should forthwith and unconditionally release the frigate ARA Libertad", and report to the Tribunal on compliance by 22 December.[31][38] Libertad was released from Tema on 19 December. She arrived on 9 January 2013 to the port of Mar del Plata, where the ship got an enthusiastic homecoming.[39] Following the International Tribunal ruling, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority sued NML Capital for damages of least US$7.6 million related to the Libertad's impoundment.[40] The Supreme Court of Ghana ruled in June 2013 that the 77-day impoundment was "unjustified, and could have endangered the security of Ghana by triggering a diplomatic conflict."[41]
Honors and decorations
- Medal of Honor to the Naval Merit "Commander Navy of Uruguay.[42]
- Order of Naval Merit, awarded by the Navy of the Dominican Republic.[42]
- Navy of Colombia.[42]
- Federative Republic of Brazil.[42]
Interesting facts
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Banknote_500_rubles_%281997%29_front.jpg/300px-Banknote_500_rubles_%281997%29_front.jpg)
The Libertad is depicted in the port of Arkhangelsk on the Russian 500,000-ruble bill (1997) and 500-ruble bill (1998, 2001, 2004).[43] According to Honored Artist of Russia Igor Krylkov, his original design featuring a steamship was rejected by the Central Bank of Russia, which preferred a sailing boat. Krylkov then substituted a new ship based on the first photograph he found of a large frigate, not knowing he was drawing a ship that had never been to Arkhangelsk.[44][45]
Gallery
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Atlantic Ocean in May 2007
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Detail of the bowsprit and the figurehead while docked at Mar del Plata Naval Base in 2010
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Anchored off Gran Canaria
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Docked at Las Palmas, Gran Canaria
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Fore mast, 43.18 meters high
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QF 3 pounder Hotchkisscannons
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Aft detail, highlighting the bronze coat of arms of Argentina
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Bridge overview
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Bridge closeup
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Engine order telegraph control
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In full sail
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Anchored off the coast of Tybee Island, Georgia, in July 1998
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Line art of the ARA Libertad
See also
- List of large sailing vessels
- List of tall ships
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Libertad en el Mar. El sitio web de la Fragata Libertad. 200 Años Bicentenario Argentino" (in Spanish). Argentine Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-12-22. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Armada Argentina. Buque Escuela" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Estado Mayor General de la Armada. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
- ^ a b c d e "Modernización Fragata ARA Libertad" (PDF) (in Spanish, English, and Portuguese). Pan American Institute of Naval Engineering. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-23. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
- ^ a b "STI measurement form" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
Class "A" denotes any sailing vessel over 40 meters in length and all square-rigged vessels
- ^ a b c "Three Masted Tall Ships". Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ a b Stephen Saunders (1 July 2005). Jane's Fighting Ships 2005–2006. Jane's Information Group.
- ^ a b c "The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic's Tall Ship Top Ten List". Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Sail Boston 2009". Sail Boston. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "A Salute to the Fourth; Pride of Many Nations, in Oak, Pine, Iron and Steel". New York Times. 30 June 2000. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
- ^ Luis Martino, Argentina’s Charge D’Affaires to Guyana (16 July 2011). ‘Libertad’ comes a-calling, bearing message of peace, friendship (Speech). Guyana Chronicle Online.
The main mission of the ship as it sails through the seas of the world every year is to convey the main message of solidarity, friendship, and peace to the peoples of the countries that it visits. [...] The Argentine Navy says that the fundamental mission of the frigate is to train future officers of the Argentine Navy by instilling in them the virtues of men and women of goodwill, and transmitting the knowledge of navigation through the seas of the world, carrying a message of peace and friendship to all the nations it visits, a message deeply rooted in each member of the crew.
- ^ "Argentine Navy sail ship visiting Manila". The Manila Times. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "Libertad comes a-calling, bearing message of peace, friendship". Guyana Chronicle Online. 16 July 2011.
Accompanying the Argentine crew [in the vessel's 2011 voyage] are nine cadets of the Uruguayan Naval Academy and 14 others from Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Panama.
- ^ "Buque Escuela Fragata ARA Libertad. Especificaciones Técnicas" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Estado Mayor General de la Armada. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ^ "El escultor que dotó a la fragata Libertad de su mascarón" (in Spanish). Revista Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Buque Escuela Fragata ARA Libertad. Participación en Regatas" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Estado Mayor General de la Armada. Archived from the original on 2013-12-16. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
- ^ "Armada Argentina. Buque Escuela" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Estado Mayor General de la Armada. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
In 1976 she sailed 1,247 nautical miles (nmi); in 1979, 1,029 nmi; in 1981 she reached 1,115 nmi and in 1987, 1,173 nmi.
- ^ "IFR 2013. Participating Tall Ships". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-12-15. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ "The Boston Tea Pot Trophy. Sailing Results (In year order)". The National Institute for Sea Training (NIST). Archived from the original on 2013-01-06.
- ^ "The Boston Teapot Previous Winners" (PDF). Sail Training International. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ "La Libertad Argentina, moored in Oslo harbour, Norway". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ "OpSail names first 7 tall ships for 2012 sailing". OpSail. Archived from the original on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2013-01-11.
- ^ "It was a bang-up start in Bicentennial ship race". The Miami News. Associated Press. 21 June 1976. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "Pepsi Americas' Sail History". Archived from the original on 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2013-01-09.
- ^ "Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina" (in Spanish). Dirección General del Registro Oficial Nacional, Secretaría Legal y Técnica de la Presidencia de la Nación. 5 June 2001.
- ^ "Velas Sudamerica 2010. Encuentro y Regata Bicentenario de Grandes Veleros" (in Spanish, English, and Portuguese). Velas Sudamerica 2010. Argentine and Chilean Navies. Archived from the original on 2012-10-25.
- ^ "Navy Today. The ARA Libertad". Royal New Zealand Navy. November 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
We sat down in the elegantly appointed great cabin in the stern of Libertad, furnished beautifully in wood panelling with a portrait of the President and various trophies won by the Libertad. The timber used in the great cabin is Birmanian (from Burma, which is Birmania in Spanish) and the Argentine dockyard has kept a stock since the late 1940s.
- ^ a b c d e "Astillero Río Santiago entregará la Fragata Libertad" (in Spanish). Impulso Baires. Archived from the original on 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2013-01-12.
- ^ "Navy Today. The ARA Libertad". Royal New Zealand Navy. November 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-05-21. Retrieved 2013-01-15.
- ^ "Buque Escuela Fragata ARA Libertad. Viaje de Instrucción" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Estado Mayor General de la Armada. Archived from the original on 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2013-01-13.
- ^ "Cadetes argentinos navegarán en la fragata chilena Esmeralda" (in Spanish). La Nacion. 28 August 2004.
Its previous overhaul under the supervision of now retired Admiral Emilio Courthiade, leading to the regatta of worldwide navy school vessels in 1992, failed to put Libertad in the top ten
- ^ a b "Ghana told to free Argentine ship Libertad by UN court". BBC News. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ "Argentina takes ship dispute with Ghana to UN court". BBC News. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Agustino Fontevecchia (5 October 2012). "The Real Story Of How A Hedge Fund Detained A Vessel In Ghana And Even Went For Argentina's 'Air Force One". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ "Argentina ship in Ghana seized over loans default". BBC News. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
- ^ Tim FernHolz (4 October 2012). "Some Hedge Funds Only Seem Like Pirates—This One Actually Stole a Ship". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on 18 July 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ "El millonario estadounidense que cazó el barco es asesor de Romney" (in Spanish). El País International. 20 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ^ "Seized ship crew back in Argentina from Ghana". BBC News. 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
- ^ "Order: The "ARA Libertad" Case" (PDF). International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, Hamburg. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 January 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ^ Daniel Schweimler (10 January 2013). "Argentine naval frigate returns home". Financial Times.
- ^ "Giro: ahora Ghana quiere hacer juicio al fondo buitre". Ámbito Financiero. December 21, 2012. Archived from the original on December 22, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ "La Corte Suprema de Ghana consideró que la retención de la Fragata fue injusta". InfoNews. June 20, 2013. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Buque Escuela Fragata ARA Libertad. Condecoraciones" (in Spanish). Buenos Aires: Estado Mayor General de la Armada. Archived from the original on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-01-14.
- ^ "Курьез на банкноте в 500 рублей". Museum of Money. 29 September 2015. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ Syromyatnikov, Oleg (23 September 2015). "Ошибка Художника" [Artist's Mistake]. Saint Petersburg Collector. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ Gnedinskaya, Anastasia (26 June 2011). "Khudozhnik ot kupyur" Художник от купюр [The Artist of the Banknotes] (in Russian). Moskovskij Komsomolets. Archived from the original on 4 December 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
Bibliography
- Amendolara Bourdette, Ignacio. Guía de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005–2006 (in Spanish and English). IPN Editores. ISBN 987-43-9400-5.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Buque Escuela Fragata ARA Libertad at Estado Mayor General de la Armada (in Spanish)
- Libertad en el Mar. El sitio web de la Fragata Libertad. 200 Años Bicentenario Argentino) at Estado Mayor General de la Armada (in Spanish)
- ARA Libertad Visits Dublin to Remember Admiral Brown at Irish Sea Shipping. The Online Shipping Magazine
- HG&UW Photo Feature Tall Ships 2000 – Halifax, Nova Scotia – Part 2 at Haze Gray & Underway – Naval History and Photography