ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52)

Destroyer Warship / Amphibious Assault Vessel

Argentina | 1976

"Built in Britain prior to the 1982 Falklands War, ARA Hercules still maintains an active presence in the Argentine fleet today - now in a support role."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/27/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Prior to the Falklands War (1982) against Britain, Argentina maintained a relationship with the European power to the point that it was able to procure a pair of its "Type 42" destroyer warships. These were christened as ARA hercules (D1) and ARA Santisima Trinidad (D2). Both were ordered on May 18th, 1970 and acquired on June 16th, 1971 and October 11th, 1971, respectively. ARA Hercules (constructed by Vickers Shipbuilding Ltd of Barrow-in-Furness) was launched on October 24th, 1972 and taken into service on May 10th, 1976. Her formal commissioning took place on July 12th, 1976. Santisima followed on July 1st, 1981. Hercules was assigned to Puerto Belgrano Naval Base.

ARA Hercules was completed to the original Type 42 standard which made up most of the British Royal Navy's Type 42 fleet (a few were completed with lengthened hulls). After some time in service, her offensive capabilities were augmented by installation of the French-made MM-38 "Exocet" anti-ship missiles which forced a revision of some of her structure near the smoke funnel. She retained her 4.5" turreted deck gun, a twin-launcher Sea Dart unit, 2 x 20mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns as well as 6 x 12.75" (324mm) torpedo tubes. She also held onboard facilities for a single Westland Lynx (or similar) navy helicopter. Power was from a COmbined Gas And Gas (COGAG) arrangement involving 2 x TM-3B and 2 x RM-1A gas turbines driving 2 x shafts. She could hope to make headway at 28 knots in ideal conditions. Her crew complement numbered 280.

For the 1982 conflict with Britain, ARA Hercules joined ARA Santisima Trinidad as escorts to the ARA Veinticinco de Mayo aircraft carrier (detailed elsewhere on this site) but she faced mechanical issues which limited her participation. Very little action beyond tracking and fending off a British Sea Harrier was seen and Argentina went on to lose the war and control of the Falkland Islands for good.

In the post-war period, in 2000 specifically, ARA Hercules was taken to neighboring Chile where a expansive program was done on her to convert the warship to more of a multi-purpose-minded transport vessel. This included an enlarging of her hangar space and stern flight deck and removal of some of her original armament. The warship carried provision and space for 238 combat-ready troops as well as a crew of 166 and could now operate 2 x Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King (or similar) navy helicopters (these further equipped with anti-ship missiles for over-the-horizon work).

As of 2016, ARA Hercules - now given the Pennant Number "B-52" - maintains an active status in the Argentine fleet. She was assigned to the amphibious force section in 1999. Her sister was given up in 1989.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52).

2 x TM-3B gas turbines developing 54,400 horsepower with 2 x RM-1A gas turbines developing 8,200 horsepower driving 2 x shafts in COGAG arrangement.
Propulsion

28.0 kts
32.2 mph
Surface Speed

4,171 nm
4,800 miles | 7,725 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52).

270
Personnel
Complement

410.0 ft
124.97 meters
O/A Length

48.0 ft
14.63 meters
Beam

17.0 ft
5.18 meters
Draught

4,170
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52).

As Built:
1 x 4.5" (114mm) Dual-Purpose (DP) Deck Gun
1 x Sea Dart Anti-Aircraft Missile (AAM) twin launcher
2 x 20mm AA cannons
6 x 12.75" (324mm) torpedo tubes

Pre-1982 Modification:
4 x MM38 Exocet Anti-Ship Missiles (ASMs) added

Post-2000 Conversion to assault transport:
1 x 4.5" DP gun
2 x 20mm AA guns
6 x 12.75" torpedo tubes

Air Arm
Available supported fixed-wing / rotary-wing aircraft featured in the design of ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52).

As Built:
1 x Westland Lynx navy helicopter (ASW)

After 2000 Conversion:
2 x Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King navy helicopters (ASW)

Ships-in-Class (2)
Notable series variants as part of the ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52) family line as relating to the Type 42 group.

ARA Hercules (D1); ARA Santisima Trinidad (D2)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

[ Argentina ]

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to seaborne requirements.

AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT

BLUE WATER SERVICE

OFFSHORE BOMBARDMENT

LAND-ATTACK

MARITIME PATROL

AIRSPACE DENIAL

FLEET SUPPORT

SHIP-TO-SHORE

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
ARA Hercules (D1) / (B52) Destroyer Warship / Amphibious Assault Vessel appears in the following collections:

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