ARM Sonora (PO-152) is a Durango-class patrol vessel in service with the Mexican Navy with a 57 mm (2.2 in) main gun turret and a helicopter landing pad, primarily used for illicit drug interdiction. Like other ships of this class, it was designed and built in Mexican dockyards. The vessel was launched and commissioned on 4 September 2000 and is in active service.
 ARM Sonora docked at Guaymas in 2016
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Mexico | |
| Name | ARM Sonora |
| Builder | Mexican Navy Ship yards |
| Laid down | 14 December 1999 |
| Launched | 4 September 2000 |
| Commissioned | 4 September 2000 |
| Identification | Pennant number: PO-152 |
| Status | In active service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Durango-class patrol vessel |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 81.4 m (267 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) |
| Draft | 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 74 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament | Bofors 57 mm/70 caliber gun Mk 3 |
| Aircraft carried | 1 medium helicopter |
| Aviation facilities | One helicopter hangar |
Description
editThe Durango-class design is based on the Holzinger-class patrol vessels but with a different superstructure.[1] They have a standard displacement of 1,300 long tons (1,300 t)[2] and 1,470 long tons (1,490 t) at full load.[1] The vessels measure 81.4 meters (267 ft 1 in) long with a beam of 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) and a draft of 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in). The patrol vessels are propelled by two shafts powered by two Caterpillar 3616 V16 diesel engines rated at 6,197 horsepower (4,621 kW).[3] They have a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[2][a] For electrical power, the Durango class are equipped with two 260 kilowatt generators and one 190 kW generator.[2]
The patrol vessels are armed with a single Bofors 57 mm (2.2 in)/70 caliber gun Mk 3 mounted forward capable of firing 220 rounds/minute to a range of 17 kilometers (11 mi). The ships mount an Alenia 2 combat data system and Saab EOS 450 optronic director for fire control. They are equipped with air and surface search radar.[3] The Durango class has a complement of 74 including 10 officers with the capability to transport 55 additional personnel.[2] Vessels of the class carry an 11-meter (36 ft) interceptor craft capable of over 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph). The vessels also mount a helicopter deck over the stern and a hangar and are capable of operating one medium helicopter.[3]
Construction and career
editThe ship was laid down at ASTIMAR 20 shipyard in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca on 14 December 1999. Sonora was launched and commissioned into the Mexican Navy on 4 September 2000.[3] In 2014, Sonora was among the Mexican units dispatched to Peru for the multi-national military exercise UNITAS.[4] In 2018, Sonora was authorized to train with foreign navies. In July, the patrol vessel trained with the United States Navy at San Diego, California.[5] In 2020, a member of Sonora's crew tested positive for COVID-19. The crew member was sent home while the rest of the crew, who showed no signs, remained isolated aboard their ship.[6]
Notes
editCitations
edit- ^ a b Saunders 2004, p. 474.
- ^ a b c d SEMAR.
- ^ a b c d e Saunders 2009, p. 519.
- ^ "Marina participará fuera del país en ejercicios multinacionales". Unión Cancun (in Spanish). 6 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "Armada Ships from Mexico Go to Other Countries for Internships". Maritime Herald. 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
- ^ Alejandri, Claudia (3 May 2020). "Más de 100 elementos de Semar están en aislamiento en Guaymas". Expresso (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
Sources
edit- Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2004). Jane's Fighting Ships 2004–2005 (107 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
- Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2009). Jane's Fighting Ships 2009–2010 (112 ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Jane's Information Group Inc. ISBN 978-0-7106-2888-6.
- "Buque Tipo Patrulla Oceanica Clase "Durango"" [Oceanic Patrol Vessel Class "Durango"]. Secretaria de Marina Mexico (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 March 2020.