Argentine icebreaker

History of our first polar ships

Corvette ARA Uruguay

Built at the Cammell Laird Bros. shipyard in Birkenhead England at a cost of £ 32,000, according to a contract signed for two twin units (Uruguay and Paraná). Launched on March 6, 1874 under the command of the English captain Jaime A. Powlett and a crew of 27 men, they began their journey to the country in convoy with the Paraná, both arriving in Montevideo on July 5, 1874. In this port they were expected by their Argentine commanders, who received the ships symbolically on July 6, to then set sail and enter the Riachuelo the following day.

In 1903 the Swedish scientific expedition embarked on the Antarctic, led by Dr. Otto Nordenskjöld, was lost in Antarctic waters. The Argentine Republic found the corvette Uruguay suitable for rescue and commissioned it to be adequately prepared for the fight against the ice, reinforcing the bow and stem, filling the double bottoms with cork sawdust, adding a "whale-loin" castlet at the bow two aft, one per side, as well as tanks for an additional 6 tons of oil. On October 8, 1903, Uruguay sailed from Dársena Norte fired by the President, Julio A. Roca, with only 22 men, commanded by TN Julián Irízar. The journey to Cerro Nevado was good and fast, almost without setbacks. On November 8 there was a happy meeting with Dr. Nordenskjöld and his companions, among whom was Ensign Sobral. He returned to Buenos Aires, on December 2, 1903.
In 1904 he returned to Antarctica to carry out the relays of the brand new Orcadas base that was operated until that moment by members of the Scottish expedition of William Bruce, in the 1904-1905 season. during which he unsuccessfully searched for the French Expedition of Dr. Jean Charcot whose whereabouts were unknown. Thus with this small and fragile ship, the Drake continued sailing, Cape Horn, to resupply the Orcadas base until 1922. It also arrived at San Pedro Island (South Georgia) between 1909 and 1919, supplying the Argentine Fishing Society, whaling station, coal and food and even raising charts and carrying out hydrography. Today, almost a hundred years after her incorporation into the Argentine Navy, the corvette "Uruguay" is the oldest ship in the navy, converted into a museum of her own glories, in the port of Buenos Aires.

Schooner Austral

The government concerned about having a ship suitable for Antarctic missions, acquired Le Francais from Dr. Charcot, on November 22, 1905, for the sum of $ 50,000. On December 17 it was renamed AUSTRAL, under the command of Lieutenant Lorenzo Saborido.

With an oak hull specially built for polar navigation, a three-masted schooner rig, it was launched at the Gautier shipyard in St. Maló, France, on June 27, 1903. Its dimensions in meters were: 40.00 x 4 .00 x 4.80 and had a displacement of 900 tons. She was equipped with a 250 hp steam auxiliary engine, coupled to a propeller. Her original crew was 25 crew members.

In the summer of 1906 she carried out a campaign to the Orkney Islands and upon her return she underwent several modifications carried out in the North Dock Naval Workshop, among them the change of the propulsion machine. Under the command of Lieutenant Arturo Celery, she sailed from Buenos Aires on December 19, 1906, in a new Antarctic campaign.

On December 21, in the midst of a strong storm, the schooner was shipwrecked after stranding at Banco Ortiz. The crew was rescued by the notice GAVIOTA, from the Argentine Navy. As a consequence of the accident, “Uruguay” had to resume its Antarctic destination and sail until 1922 to carry out the annual replacement of the Laurie Island observatory. From 1923 to 1947, when the annual Antarctic campaigns began, the routine trips continued. of relief and resupply of the observatory of the island Laurie the following naval transports: "National Guard", "Pampa", "1º de Mayo" and "Chaco".

Icebreaker A.R.A. General San Martin

Brief historical review

It was the first icebreaker of the Argentine Navy, for 25 years it sailed the frozen Antarctic seas, permanently carrying out Summer and Winter Campaigns, carrying out search and rescue missions for ships, navigators and expeditionaries, enabling the foundation of shelters and Antarctic bases, resupplying them, relieving their crews, exploring the confines of the Weddell Sea and carrying out oceanographic, hydrographic and meteorological research tasks throughout the Argentine Antarctica

The beginnings of his Antarctic work

Coming from Germany, where it was built, it arrived in our country in 1954 under the command of the frigate captain Luis Tristán de Villalobos. She immediately participated in the 1954/1955 Summer Antarctic Campaign. The Antarctic Naval Force, which the icebreaker was part of, was under the command of the captain Alicio Ogara. It consisted of the Argentine Navy ships Bahía Aguirre and Bahía Buen Suceso, Punta Loyola tank, Chiriguano and Sanavirón hydrographic and Yamana rescue, four planes, three helicopters and six landing craft (EDPV), completed the force.

Foundation of the General Belgrano Army Base South latitude record for the icebreaker

In the Summer Antarctic Campaign 1955-1956, the captain Alicio Ogara made a deep penetration towards the south of the Weddell Sea, to install together with the Army personnel, led by General Hernán Pujato, the General Belgrano Base that was inaugurated on January 18, 1955, on that occasion breaking the South latitude record reached by a ship within the sea ice field. It continued to carry out the 1956/1957 and 1957/1958 summer campaigns with the transport units Bahía Aguirre acting alongside the icebreaker. and Chiriguano hydrographic. He carried out a winter campaign under the command of the frigate captain Jorge A. Boffi and, although the conditions of the ice field did not allow a deep penetration towards the south of the Weddell, the scheduled meteorological, biological and oceanographic observations were partially completed. In the Antarctic campaign of 1962/63, the icebreaker was ordered to carry out circumpolar navigation in order to carry out glaciological and bathythermographic studies. permanent scientific base in charge of a chief of the Navy, military personnel for operation and maintenance of equipment and mechanisms, and a group of civilian scientists.

Icebreaker ARA Almirante Irízar

Built in 1977 at the Wärtsilä Shipyards in Helsinki, Finland, it was delivered to the Argentine Republic on December 15, 1978. Since then it has participated year after year in the supply of Argentine Antarctic bases, and of other countries and is the flagship of the Antarctic Naval Force. It is the only icebreaker with a seat in the southern hemisphere, other ships in the hemisphere have polar transport category. It participated in the Malvinas war as a hospital ship until the end of the conflict, without suffering attacks. In June 2002, it participated in the Operation "Cruz del Sur", rescue of the polar transport ship Magdalena Oldendorff, trapped in the Antarctic ice, advancing on 330 km of ice, supplied the ship with medicine, fuel and food. Between mid-spring and autumn, Admiral Irizar participates in the Antarctic Campaigns, using the Ushuaia Naval Base as a point of support, goes to the Argentine bases, replenishes them, collects the waste they produce and transfers the replacement personnel in the same.

(Antarctic Museum Rooms 15 –17 - 19)