PR-72P-class corvette

The PR-72P class are a series of French-designed corvettes in service with the Peruvian Navy. Six units were ordered in 1976 by the Peruvian Navy from the Société Française de Construction Navale (SFCN). Subsequently, three of them were built by the company's own Villeneuve-la-Garenne shipyard, and the rest subcontracted to Lorient Naval Dockyard. Pennant numbers were originally P-101 to P-106, but were later modified to CM-21 to CM-26, where CM stands for corbeta misilera, Spanish for guided missile corvette.

BAP Sánchez Carrión (CM-26)
Class overview
Builders:	Villeneuve-la-Garenne (SFCN) Lorient Naval Dockyard
Operators:	Peruvian Navy
In commission:	July 25, 1980
Planned:	6
Completed:	6
Active:	6
General characteristics
Type:	Corvette
Displacement:	560 tons standard (610 tons full load)
Length:	64 m (210 ft)
Beam:	8.35 m (27.4 ft)
Draft:	2.6 m (8.5 ft)
Propulsion:	4 SACM AGO 240V16 M7 diesel engines 4 shafts, 17,424 shp (12.993 MW) (CM-21,CM-23,CM-25) 4 MTU 12V595 diesel engines 4 shafts, 22,000 shp (16 MW) (CM-22,CM-24,CM-26)
Speed:	30 knots (56 km/h) (CM-21,CM-23,CM-25) 32 knots (59 km/h) (CM-22,CM-24,CM-26)
Range:	2,500 nmi (4,600 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h)
Complement:	36 (accommodation for 46)
Sensors and processing systems:	Thomson-CSF THD 1040 Triton air/surface search radar Decca BridgeMaster E navigation radar Thomson-CSF Vega II fire-control system Thomson-CSF Castor II fire-control radar CSEE Panda optical director
Electronic warfare & decoys:	Thomson-CSF DR-2000 ESM system
Armament:	4 Exocet MM-38 SSMs 1 OTO Melara 76/62mm Compact gun 1 OTO Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO compact gun 1 MGP-86 mount for Igla SAM
Notes:	classified as guided missile corvette

Ships

Pennant number	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned
CM-21	Velarde	Villeneuve-la-Garenne (SFCN)	16 September 1978	25 July 1980
CM-22	Santillana	Villeneuve-la-Garenne (SFCN)	11 September 1978	25 July 1980
CM-23	De los Heros	Villeneuve-la-Garenne (SFCN)	20 May 1979	17 November 1980
CM-24	Herrera	Lorient Naval Dockyard	16 February 1979	10 February 1981
CM-25	Larrea	Lorient Naval Dockyard	12 May 1979	16 June 1981
CM-26	Sánchez Carrión	Lorient Naval Dockyard	28 June 1979	14 September 1981

In 1998 the Peruvian Navy signed a contract with MTU to re-engine three PR-72P-class corvettes. The other units are expected to be similarly modified in the near future.

BAP Herrera (CM-24) during PANAMAX 2006

Sources

• Baker III, Arthur D., The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 2002-2003. Naval Institute Press, 2002.
• Sharpe, Richard (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships 1990 - 91. Jane's Information Group, 1990.