ARA Bahía Paraíso

	Model of the Bahía Paraíso.
History
Argentina
Name	Bahia Paraiso
Builder	Astilleros Príncipe y Menghi SA
Yard number	147
Laid down	1979
Launched	1980
Commissioned	1981
Decommissioned	1989
Identification	IMO number: 8012970; Pennant number: Q6 (as supply ship) ; A52 (during Falklands War until April 1981 when repainted as hospital ship with no numbering) ; B1 (late in career and as research vessel);
Fate	sank in waters off Palmer Station, Antarctica
General characteristics
Length	133 m (436 ft 4 in)
Beam	20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Propulsion	2 × Sulzer diesel engines 12,000 hp (8,900 kW), dual shaft, 2 screws
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	124 crew + 252 troops or 124 crew + 84 passengers
Aviation facilities	hangar and flight deck for two helicopters

ARA Bahía Paraíso was an Argentine Navy auxiliary ship that sank in 1989, 2 miles (3.2 km) from Palmer Station at Arthur Harbor, Antarctica,^[1] resulting in a 170,000 US gal (640,000 L; 140,000 imp gal) oil spill.^[2]^[3]

Construction and design

Bahía Paraíso was ordered by the Argentine Navy on 27 February 1979^[a] as a supply ship for use in Antarctic waters. The ship was launched from the Argentine shipyard Astilleros Príncipe y Menghi SA on 3 July 1980, entering service on 3 December 1981, with the pennant number Q 6.^[5]

Bahía Paraíso was 130.7 m (429 ft) long overall and 120.0 m (393.7 ft) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 19.5 m (64 ft) and a draught of 7.0 m (23.0 ft). The ship had an icebreaking hull. Displacement was 9,200 t (9,100 long tons) full load. Two diesel engines rated at a total of 15,000 shp (11,000 kW) drove two controllable pitch propellers, giving a speed of 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h).^[6]

The ship's holds had a capacity of 1,200 m³ (42,000 cu ft) dry cargo, with an additional 250 m³ (8,800 cu ft) refrigerated storage, together with 1200 tons of cargo fuel.^[7] A flight deck and hangar for two helicopters was fitted. The ship had a crew of 124, and could carry 84 civilian passengers, who could be replaced by 252 troops.^[4]

Operational history

The ship operated as a naval auxiliary vessel from 1981 to 1986 and served in the Falklands War as a troop transport as well as a hospital ship.^[8] It was involved in transporting troops to Leith Harbour prior to the Invasion of South Georgia.

After the war it reverted as an Antarctic supply ship for the Navy with occasional tourists on board. It was on a resupply trip with tourists to Antarctica on January 28, 1989 when it struck rock and sank off Anvers Island.^[9] Passengers and crew were rescued by the Spanish Navy oceanographic research vessel Las Palmas and the Chilean Navy tug Cruz de Forward.

The resultant oil spill of about 200,000 gallons of diesel and jet fuel ^[10] constitutes the largest oil spill in Antartica. Chilean Coast Guard Tender Yelcho arrived February 6 to begin clean up operations.^[11]

Notes

^ Jane's Fighting Ships states that Bahía Paraíso was laid down on that date.^[4]

References

Citations

^ Sweet, Stephen T.; Kennicutt, Mahlon C.; Klein, Andrew G. (2015-02-20). "The Grounding of the Bahía Paraíso, Arthur Harbor, Antarctica". Handbook of Oil Spill Science and Technology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 547–556. doi:10.1002/9781118989982.ch23. ISBN 978-1-118-98998-2.
^ "The world's frozen clean room". Business Week. 22 January 1990.
^ Smith, James F. (5 April 1990). "Struggling to Protect 'The Ice'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-30.
^ ^a ^b Moore 1985, p. 17
^ Couhat & Baker 1986, p. 9
^ Couhat & Baker 1986, pp. 9–10
^ Couhat & Baker 1986, p. 10
^ "The Falklands War".
^ "Bahia Paraiso ARA [+1989]". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
^ "Oil Spill Case Histories".
^ "Marine Fuel Spill Response: A Case Study in Polar Waters" (PDF).

Bibliography

Burden, Rodney A.; Draper, Michael I; Rough, Douglas A.; Smith, Colin R.; Wilton, David (1986). Falklands: The Air War. British Aviation Research Group. ISBN 0-906339-05-7.
Couhat, Jean Laybayle; Baker, A. D., eds. (1986). Combat Fleets of the World 1986/87: Their Ships, Aircraft and Armament. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85368-860-5.
Moore, John, ed. (1985). Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–1986. London: Jane's Yearbooks. ISBN 0-7106-0814-4.