ARA ARA may refer to: Media and the arts * American-Romanian Academy of Arts and Sciences * '' Artistička Radna Akcija'', compilation album released in former Yugoslavia * Associate of the Royal Academy, denoting membership in the British Royal Aca ...

''Rivadavia'' () was an Argentine battleship built during the

South American dreadnought race A naval arms race among Argentina, Brazil and Chile—the wealthiest and most powerful countries in South America—began in the early twentieth century when the Brazilian government ordered three dreadnoughts, formidable battleships whose ca ...

. Named after the first Argentine president,

Bernardino Rivadavia Bernardino de la Trinidad González Rivadavia (May 20, 1780 – September 2, 1845) was the first President of Argentina, then called the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, from February 8, 1826 to June 27, 1827. He was educated at t ...

,Whitley, ''Battleships'', 19. it was the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of its class. was ''Rivadavia''s only sister ship. In 1907, the Brazilian government placed an order for two of the powerful new "

dreadnought The dreadnought (alternatively spelled dreadnaught) was the predominant type of battleship in the early 20th century. The first of the kind, the Royal Navy's , had such an impact when launched in 1906 that similar battleships built after her ...

" warships as part of a larger naval construction program. Argentina quickly responded, as the Brazilian ships outclassed anything in the Argentine fleet. After an extended bidding process, contracts to design and build ''Rivadavia'' and ''Moreno'' were given to the American Fore River Shipbuilding Company. During their construction, there were rumors that the ships might be sold to a country engaged in the First World War, but both were commissioned into the Argentine Navy. ''Rivadavia'' underwent extensive refits in the United States in 1924 and 1925. The ship saw no active service during the Second World War, and its last cruise was made in 1946. Stricken from the naval register in 1957, ''Rivadavia'' was sold later that year and broken up for scrap starting in 1959.

Background

''Rivadavia''s genesis can be traced to the naval arms races between Chile and Argentina which were spawned by territorial disputes over their mutual borders in

Patagonia Patagonia () refers to a geographical region that encompasses the southern end of South America, governed by Argentina and Chile. The region comprises the southern section of the Andes Mountains with lakes, fjords, temperate rainforests, and g ...

and

Puna de Atacama The Puna de Atacama or Atacama Plateau''Atacama Plateau''
article at the ''

Beagle Channel Beagle Channel (; Yahgan: ''Onašaga'') is a strait in the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, on the extreme southern tip of South America between Chile and Argentina. The channel separates the larger main island of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego f ...

. These arms races flared up in the 1890s and again in 1902; the latter was eventually stopped through British mediation. Provisions in the dispute-ending treaty imposed restrictions on both countries' navies. The United Kingdom's

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

bought the two ''Constitución''-class

pre-dreadnought Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, protec ...

battleships that were being built for Chile, and Argentina sold its two ''Rivadavia''-class

armored cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

s under construction in Italy to Japan. After was commissioned by the United Kingdom, Brazil decided in early 1907 to halt the construction of three obsolescent

pre-dreadnoughts Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built between the mid- to late- 1880s and 1905, before the launch of in 1906. The pre-dreadnought ships replaced the ironclad battleships of the 1870s and 1880s. Built from steel, prot ...

and begin work on two

s (the ).Whitley, ''Battleships'', 24. These ships, which were designed to carry the heaviest battleship armament in the world at the time, came as a shock to the navies of South America, and Argentina and Chile quickly canceled the 1902 armament-limiting pact. Argentina in particular was alarmed at the possible power of the ships. The

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

, Manuel Augusto Montes de Oca, remarked that even one ''Minas Geraes''-class ship could destroy the entire Argentine and Chilean fleets. While this may have been hyperbole, either one was much more powerful than any single vessel in the Argentinian fleet. Debates raged in Argentina over whether to spend more than two million

pounds sterling Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...

to acquire dreadnoughts. With further border disputes, particularly with Brazil near the

Río de la Plata The Río de la Plata (, "river of silver"), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and fo ...

(River Plate), Argentina made plans to contract for their own dreadnoughts. After an extended bidding process, ''Rivadavia'' and were ordered from the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in the United States.Scheina, "Argentina," 401.

Construction and trials

Laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 25 May 1910, ''Rivadavia'' was launched and christened on 26 August 1911 by Isabel, the wife of the Argentine Minister to the United States Rómulo Sebastián Naón. Thousands of people were present to witness the event,Launch Rivadavia, Biggest Battleship
" ''The New York Times'', 27 August 1911, 7. including representatives from the Argentine Navy and the country's legation in Washington. The United States sent the assistant chief of the Latin American Division in the State Department, Henry L. James, to be its official representative. Two United States Navy bureau chiefs also attended. It was reported in January 1913 that apart from the usual

fitting-out Fitting out, or outfitting, is the process in shipbuilding that follows the float-out/launching of a vessel and precedes sea trials. It is the period when all the remaining construction of the ship is completed and readied for delivery to her o ...

requirements for ''Rivadavia'' and her sister ship ARA ''Moreno'', two

Victrola The Victor Talking Machine Company was an American recording company and phonograph manufacturer that operated independently from 1901 until 1929, when it was acquired by the Radio Corporation of America and subsequently operated as a subsidi ...

phonographs apiece were included as part of the official specifications. In mid-September 1913, ''Rivadavia'' conducted trials off

Rockland, Maine Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the town population was 6,936. It is the county seat of Knox County, Maine, Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination ...

, after a two-week delay due to turbine malfunctions. During speed trials on the 16th,Accident to Rivadavia
" ''The New York Times'', 19 September 1913, 1. the dreadnought was able to obtain a maximum speed of .
" ''The New York Times'', 17 September 1917, 2. On a 30-hour endurance trial starting the next day, ''Rivadavia'' damaged one of its turbines and had to put in at President Roads, one of

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History ...

's deep-water anchorages. The turbines were still a problem as late as August 1914. One was dropped by a crane in July and had to be removed for repairs in August.

Attempted sale

Over the course of their construction, ''Rivadavia'' and ''Moreno'' had been the subject of rumors that Argentina would accept the ships and then sell them to Japan, a fast-growing military rival to the United States, or to a European country. The rumors were partially true; some in the government were looking to get rid of the battleships and devote the proceeds to opening more schools, and ''The New York Times'' reported in late 1913 that the country had received several offers from interested parties. This angered the American government, which did not want its warship technology offered to the highest bidder. Neither did they want to exercise a contract-specified option that gave the United States first choice if the Argentines decided to sell, as naval technology had already progressed past the ''Rivadavia'' class, particularly in the adoption of the " all-or-nothing" armor scheme. Instead, the United States and its State Department and Navy Department put diplomatic pressure on the Argentine government. After

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

gains in the legislature, the Argentine government introduced several bills in May 1914 which would have put the battleships up for sale, but they were all defeated by late June. Following the commencement of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the German and British ambassadors to the United States both complained to the US State Department; the former believed that the British were going to be given the ships as soon as the ships reached Argentina, and the latter considered it the responsibility of the United States to ensure that the ships never left Argentina's possession. International armament companies attempted to get Argentina to sell to one of the smaller Balkan countries and expected that the ships would then find their way into the war.Livermore, "Battleship Diplomacy," 46–47.

Service

''Rivadavia'' was commissioned into the ''Armada de la República Argentina'' on 27 August 1914 at the Charlestown Navy Yard,Whitley, ''Battleships'', 21. although it was not fully completed until December. On 23 December 1914, ''Rivadavia'' left the United States for Argentina. It arrived in its capital,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, on 19 February 1915. Over 47,000 people came out to see the new ship over the next three days, including the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Victorino de la Plaza Victorino de la Plaza y Palacios (2 November 1840 – 2 October 1919) was an Argentine politician and lawyer who served as President of Argentina from 9 August 1914 to 11 October 1916. As the second son of José Roque Mariano de la Plaza E ...

. In April 1915, ''Rivadavia'' was put into the training division of the Navy, remaining there until 1917, when the navy transferred the ship into the First Division. In 1917, ''Rivadavia'' sailed to Comodoro Rivadavia when communist oil workers went on strike. Later in 1917, the Argentines had to sharply curtail ''Rivadavia''s activities because of a fuel shortage, but they voyaged to the United States with the Argentine ambassador in 1918. ''Rivadavia'' then took on a load of gold bullion and brought it back to Argentina, docking in

Puerto Belgrano Port Belgrano Naval Base ( es, Base Naval Puerto Belgrano - BNPB) is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine ''General Be ...

on 23 September 1918. In December 1920, ''Rivadavia'' participated in ceremonies that marked the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Strait of Magellan. On the 2nd, the ship called on

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

in Chile; 25 days later, it took part in an international

naval review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

. Two years later, ''Rivadavia'' was placed into

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

. In 1923, the Navy decided to send ''Rivadavia'' to the United States to be modernized. The ship departed on 6 August 1924 and reached Boston on the 30th, where it spent the next two years. ''Rivadavia'' was converted to use fuel oil instead of coal and had "a general machinery overhaul".Scheina, "Argentina," 402. A new fire-control system was fitted with rangefinders on the fore and aft superfiring turrets, and the aft mast was replaced by a tripod. A funnel cap was installed so that smoke from the funnels did not interfere with accurate rangefinding of enemy ships. The 6-inch secondary armament was retained, but the smaller 4-inch guns were taken off in favor of four anti-aircraft guns and four 3-pounders. After sailing back to Argentina in March and April 1926,Rivadavia Off For Home
" ''The New York Times'', 15 March 1926, 12. ''Rivadavia'' spent the remainder of the year undergoing

sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s. The dreadnought joined the training division once again in 1927, but after ''Rivadavia'' made four training cruises, the division was disbanded, and the ship remained moored in Puerto Belgrano until 1929. This began a series of cyclic activity followed by being demoted to the reserve fleet. Although active in both 1929 and 1930, ''Rivadavia'' was placed in reserve on 19 December 1930. Shortly thereafter, it was restored to active service to serve as the flagship for 1931 fleet exercises. ''Rivadavia'' went back into reserve in 1932 before coming back out in January 1933. It remained in full commission for most of the rest of the decade as part of the Battleship Division, alongside ''Moreno''. ARA Rivadavia speed trials 2

In January 1937, the ship called on Valparaíso and Callao in Peru. In company with ''Moreno'', ''Rivadavia'' left Puerto Belgrano for Europe on 6 April. After crossing the ocean, they split up, with ''Rivadavia'' mooring at the French port of

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

while ''Moreno'' took part in the British

Coronation Review A fleet review or naval review is an event where a gathering of ships from a particular navy is paraded and reviewed by an incumbent head of state and/or other official civilian and military dignitaries. A number of national navies continue to ...

Spithead Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire, England. It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit, a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire ...

. The two ships then journeyed to several German ports: both put in at

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

before ''Rivadavia'' went to

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

and ''Moreno'' to Bremen. They returned to Argentina on 29 June. While ''Rivadavia'' made an official visit to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

, Brazil, in 1939, Argentina remained neutral for the majority of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and the aging dreadnought saw no active service. Its next cruise came after the war ended (29 October to 22 December 1946), when it called on countries in the Caribbean and northern South America, including

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, Venezuela, and Colombia. This was the last time the ship would be in service under its own power. Moored in Puerto Belgrano from 1948 on, the ship was rendered inoperable in 1951 and cannibalized for many years for useful arms and equipment. On 18 October 1956, the ship was listed for disposal, and it was stricken from the Navy on 1 February 1957. On 30 May, ''Rivadavia'' was sold to an Italian ship breaking company for . Beginning on 3 April 1959, the ship was towed by two

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s to Savona, Italy, where they arrived on 23 May. It was thereafter broken up in

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

Footnotes

Endnotes

References

* Burzaco, Ricardo and Patricio Ortíz. ''Acorazados y Cruceros de la Armada Argentina, 1881–1982''. Buenos Aires: Eugenio B. Ediciones, 1997. . . * Martins, João Roberto, Filho.
Colossos do mares
olossuses of the Seas" ''Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional'' 3, no. 27 (2007): 74–77. . . * Garrett, James L. "The Beagle Channel Dispute: Confrontation and Negotiation in the Southern Cone." ''Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs'' 27, no. 3 (1985):, 81–109. . . . * Livermore, Seward W. "Battleship Diplomacy in South America: 1905–1925." ''The Journal of Modern History'' 16, no. 1 (1944):, 31–44. . . . * Scheina, Robert L. "Argentina" in ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921'', edited by Robert Gardiner and Randal Gray, 400–402. Annapolis, Maryland, United States:

Naval Institute Press The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...

, 1985. . . * ———. ''Latin America: A Naval History 1810–1987''. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. . . * Whitley, M.J. ''Battleships of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia''. Annapolis, Maryland, United States:

, 1998. . .

External links

ARA Rivadavia
at

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and profession ...

"Historia y Arqueología Marítima" (HistArMar) Battleship ARA Rivadavia (1914) – Pictures

* ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2CmqPprTBw Acorazado Rivadaviaat YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivadavia 1911 ships Rivadavia-class battleships Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts