ARA Gómez Roca (P-46) is the sixth and last ship of the MEKO 140A16

MEKO 140

The MEKO 140 is a frigate design by the German Blohm + Voss shipyard as part of the MEKO family of vessels.- Concept and development :MEKO is a concept in modern naval shipbuilding based on modularity of armament, electronics and other equipment, aiming at ease of maintenance and cost reduction...

 Espora

Espora class frigate

The Espora class corvettes were all commissioned between 1985 and 2004 for the Argentine Navy, the first four in 1985-1990 and the last two in 2001-2004....

 series of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy

Argentine Navy

The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....

. The ship is the first ship to bear the name of Lieutenant Commander Sergio Gómez Roca, who commanded the Argentine patrol ship ARA Alferez Sobral

ARA Alferez Sobral (A-9)

ARA Alferez Sobral is an aviso in Argentine Navy service since 1972. She had previously served in the US Navy as .-US Navy service:...

 during the Falklands War

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

  and died in combat when the ship was attacked by Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 helicopters. Originally the ship was to have been named Seaver after Captain Benjamin Seaver, a US-born naval hero of the Argentine War of Independence

Argentine War of Independence

The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1810 to 1818 by Argentine patriotic forces under Manuel Belgrano, Juan José Castelli and José de San Martín against royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown...

.

Origin

Gómez Roca and her sister ships were part of the 1974 Naval Constructions National Plan, an initiative by the Argentine Navy to replace old World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

-vintage ships with more advanced warships. The original plan called for six MEKO 360H2

Almirante Brown class destroyer

The Almirante Brown is a class of destroyers commissioned between 1983 and 1984 for the Argentine Navy. As of 2005, ARA Sarandí is the Argentinian fleet flagship.-Specifications:...

 destroyers, four of them to be built in Argentina, but the plan was later modified to include four MEKO destroyers and six corvettes for anti-surface warfare and patrol operations.

Construction

Gómez Roca was constructed at the Río Santiago Shipyards of the Astilleros y Fábricas Navales del Estado (State Shipyards and Naval Factories) state corporation. Her keel

Keel

In boats and ships, keel can refer to either of two parts: a structural element, or a hydrodynamic element. These parts overlap. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in construction of a ship, in British and American shipbuilding traditions the construction is dated from this event...

 was laid down on June 7, 1983 and was launched on November 14, 1984.

Budgetary concerns effectively suspended the construction of the ship for almost a decade, until it was decided to finish her and her sister ship Robinson

ARA Robinson (P-45)

ARA Robinson is the fifth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora series of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of Captain Carlos Robinson, who fought in the Argentine Navy during the Argentina-Brazil War and died commanding a squadron of gunboats during...

. Following the resumption of construction, the ship was delivered to the Navy in 2004 and commissioned in 2005.

Both Robinson and Gómez Roca benefitted from their construction delay by incorporating more advanced electronics than their four sister ships. As with Parker

ARA Parker (P-44)

ARA Parker is the fourth ship of the MEKO 140A16 Espora series of six corvettes built for the Argentine Navy. The ship is the second ship to bear the name of Captain Enrique Guillermo Parker, who fought in the Argentine Navy as its second-in-command during the Argentina-Brazil War.-Origin:Parker...

 and Robinson, Gómez Roca is fitted with a telescopic hangar.

Service history

Following her commissioning Gómez Roca participated in several naval exercises and conducted fishery patrol duties in the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone

Exclusive Economic Zone

Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...

.

She is homeported at Puerto Belgrano

Puerto Belgrano

Base Naval Puerto Belgrano is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires...

 Naval Base and is part of the Navy's 2nd Corvette Division with her five sister ships.
In March 2010, operates with the during Gringo-Gaucho / Southern Seas 2010

Gringo-Gaucho

Gringo-Gaucho are a set of maneuvers performed between the Argentine Naval Aviation and United States Navy's aircraft carriers. The US Navy refers to them as Southern Seas in their last edition.-History:...

manoeuvers during the aircraft carrier transit around South America to her new home base at San Diego.