ARA Rivadavia

ARA Rivadavia
History
NameRivadavia
NamesakeBernardino Rivadavia
BuilderFore River Shipbuilding Company
Laid down25 May 1910
Launched26 August 1911
Commissioned27 August 1914
Decommissioned1952
FateSold to Italy for scrapping in 1957
General characteristics
Class and typeRivadavia-class battleship
Displacement
Length
  • 594 ft 9 in (181.28 m) oa,
  • 585 ft (178 m) pp[1]
Beam98 ft 4.5 in (29.985 m)[1]
Draft27 ft 8.5 in (8.446 m)[1]
Propulsion
Speed22.5 knots (25.9 mph; 41.7 km/h)[1]
Range
  • 7,000 nautical miles (8,100 mi; 13,000 km) at 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h)[1]
  • 11,000 nautical miles (13,000 mi; 20,000 km) at 11 knots (13 mph; 20 km/h)[1]
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 12–10 inches (300–250 mm)[1]
  • Turrets: 12 inches (305 mm)[1]
  • Casemates: 91/3–61/5 inches (238–159 mm)[1]
  • Conning tower: 12 inches (300 mm)[1]

ARA Rivadavia (Spanish: [riβaˈðaβja]) was an Argentine battleship built during the South American dreadnought race. Named after the first Argentine president, Bernardino Rivadavia,[2] it was the lead ship of its class. Moreno was Rivadavia's only sister ship.

In 1907, the Brazilian government placed an order for two of the powerful new "dreadnought" 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.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Cite error: The named reference Conways was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Whitley, Battleships, 19.