ARA ''Moreno'' was a

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 ...

battleship designed by the American Fore River Shipbuilding Company for the Argentine Navy (''Armada de la República Argentina''). Named after

Mariano Moreno Mariano Moreno (; September 23, 1778March 4, 1811) was an Argentine lawyer, journalist, and politician. He played a decisive role in the Primera Junta, the first national government of Argentina, created after the May Revolution. Moreno was b ...

, a key member of the first independent government of Argentina, the First Assembly (''Primera Junta''), ''Moreno'' was the second dreadnought of the , and the fourth 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 ...

. Argentina placed orders for ''Moreno'' and its only sister ship, , in reply to a Brazilian naval building program. During their construction, the two dreadnoughts were subject to numerous rumors involving Argentina selling the two battleships to a country engaged in 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 ...

, but these proved to be false. After ''Moreno'' was completed in March 1915, a series of engine problems occurred during the

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 which delayed its delivery to Argentina to May 1915. The next decade saw the ship based 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 ...

as part of the Argentine Navy's First Division before sailing to the United States for an extensive refit in 1924 and 1925. During the 1930s the ship was occupied with diplomatic cruises to Brazil, Uruguay, and Europe until 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 ...

broke out. During this time, ''Moreno'' was employed little as Argentina was neutral. Decommissioned in 1949, ''Moreno'' was scrapped in Japan beginning in 1957.

Background

''Moreno''s genesis can be traced to the numerous naval arms races between Chile and Argentina, which in turn 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 ...

. Naval races flared up in the 1890s and in 1902; the latter was eventually settled via 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, Brazil decided in early 1907 to halt three obsolescent pre-dreadnoughts which were under construction in favor of two or three

s.Whitley, ''Battleships of World War Two'', 24. These ships, which were designed to carry the heaviest battleship armament in the world at the time, came as an abrupt 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 Argentine fleet. Although debates raged in Argentina over whether it would be prudent to counter Brazil's purchase by acquiring their own dreadnoughts, which would cost upwards of 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 ...

, further border disputes—particularly near the River Plate with Brazil—decided the matter, and they ordered and ''Moreno'' from the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in the United States.Scheina, "Argentina," 401.

Construction and trials

After the two new dreadnoughts were awarded to Fore River, ''Moreno'' was subcontracted out to the

New York Shipbuilding The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was an American shipbuilding company that operated from 1899 to 1968, ultimately completing more than 500 vessels for the U.S. Navy, the United States Merchant Marine, the United ...

Corporation of Camden,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

as called for in the final contract. ''Moreno''s

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...

was laid on 9 July 1910, and construction was overseen by the Argentine Naval Commission. After the completion of the hull, it was launched on 23 September 1911. Isabel Betbeder, wife to the chief of the Argentine Naval Commission, sponsored ''Moreno''. The ship was then moored to a dock to commence

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 ...

. It was reported in January 1913 that apart from the usual naval requirements for ''Moreno'' and her sister ship ARA ''Rivadavia'', 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. ''Moreno'' was finished on 15 February 1915,Whitley, ''Battleships of World War Two'', 21. and commissioned into the Argentine Navy nine days later.Burzaco and Ortíz, ''Acorazados y Cruceros'', 95. Over the course of their construction, ''Rivadavia'' and ''Moreno'' were the subject of various rumors insinuating that Argentina would accept the ships and then sell them to a European country or Japan, a fast-growing rival to the United States. The rumors were partially true; Argentina was looking to get rid of the battleships and devote the proceeds to opening more schools. This angered the American government, which did not want its warship technology offered to the highest bidder—yet they did not 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''s, 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. The Argentine government, bolstered by

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 ...

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

, 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 they reached Argentina, and the latter charged the United States with ensuring that the ships fell into Argentina's possession only. International armament companies attempted to influence Argentina into selling them to one of the smaller Balkan countries, from which they would find their way into the war.Livermore, "Battleship Diplomacy," 46–47. In October 1914, ''Moreno'' sailed the

New York Naval Shipyard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

to be painted, then conducted its

sea trials 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 i ...

starting on the 25th. Reporters for several newspapers, including ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', and American naval officers were allowed on board during this time; the ''Times'' reporters gave a glowing account of the alcohol-serving

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non ...

on the ship, calling it "the cutest little bar on any of the seven seas"—alcohol was banned on U.S. Navy ships. The trials were plagued with serious engine trouble, culminating in the failure of an entire turbine on 2 November. ''Moreno'' was forced to put in at Rockland,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

—where many of the observers on board were left to be brought back by train to Camden—before proceeding for repairs to the

Fore River Shipyard Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on Quincy Point in 1901. I ...

, which had built the ship's engines. In early 1915, nearly five years after construction had begun, the shipbuilding contractors demanded payment from the Argentine government for additional work, but the Argentines did not believe this was warranted, as ''Moreno'' had been scheduled to be completed more than a year prior. After mediation offered by

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, the

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depar ...

at the time, ''Moreno'' was released on 20 February to Argentine sailors who had been staying in American battleships moored in the

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the ci ...

. Even ''Moreno''s departure was marked by mishaps. On the night of 26 March, ''Moreno'' accidentally rammed and sank the barge ''Enterprise'' in the Delaware River, south of Philadelphia near the city of New Castle. No one was hurt, but the battleship accidentally ran aground immediately after. Efforts to refloat it succeeded, and ''Moreno'' continued on its way at around 7:30 the next morning without damage. On the 29th, President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

was hosted for lunch on board the warship, accompanied by the Argentine ambassador to the United States, Romulo S. Naon. On 15 April, ''Moreno'' ran aground in the river again, this time near

Reedy Island Reedy Island is a small island in the middle of the channel of the Delaware River near its mouth on the Delaware Bay in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is located approximately east of Port Penn, Delaware and southwest of Salem, New Jersey. The i ...

. Like the previous time, the ship was not damaged and tugs were able to refloat the ship the next day.

Service

''Moreno'' docked in Argentina for the first time on 26 May 1915. The ship was immediately assigned to the Argentine Navy's First Division, based out of the major naval base of

, and remained there until 1923 when it was put into the reserve fleet. In 1924, ''Moreno'' was sent to the United States for modernization. The opportunity to show the flag was not missed; ''Moreno'' made stops in Valparaiso and Callao before transiting the Panama Canal and sailing north.Whitley, ''Battleships of World War Two'', 21–22. Most of the work was done in Philadelphia, though armament changes were made in Boston. ''Moreno'' was converted to use fuel oil instead of coal, was fitted with a new fire-control system, rangefinders were added to the fore and aft superfiring turrets, and the aft mast was replaced by a tripod. To reduce exhaust interference when spotting ships in a battle, a funnel cap was installed.Burzaco and Ortíz, ''Acorazados y Cruceros'', 94. The main armament's range was increased from to , and the turrets were modified to double the firing rate. 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. When ''Moreno'' returned to Argentina in August 1926, it was initially assigned to the training division of the Navy before being reassigned to the First Division. In 1932, ''Moreno'' was moved into a new Battleship Division with ''Rivadavia''. The remainder of the 1930s was filled with diplomatic cruises.Whitley, ''Battleships of World War Two'', 22. ''Moreno'', escorted by the three s, brought Argentine president

Agustín Pedro Justo Agustín Pedro Justo Rolón (26 February 1876 – 11 January 1943) was an Argentine military officer, diplomat and politician, who served as the president of Argentina from 1932 to 1938 during the Infamous Decade. Justo took part in the coup of ...

to Brazil in 1933 for a major diplomatic visit. Departing in the afternoon of 2 October, he arrived in

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 ...

on the morning of 7 October to huge celebrations. Brazilian ships of the first and second squadrons, along with three squadrons worth of warplanes, met ''Moreno'' at sea and escorted it to the harbor. When Justo landed and traveled by car to Guanabra Palace, the road was flanked by a plethora of army and naval forces along with thousands of citizens. Rio was described as "ablaze with light", and a high imitation of France's Arc de Triomphe was erected, onto which various colors were projected."Brazil Welcomes Head of Argentina," ''The New York Times'', 8 October 1933, 18. Justo then took a

royal train A royal train is a set of railway carriages dedicated for the use of the monarch or other members of a royal family. Most monarchies with a railway system employ a set of royal carriages. Australia The various government railway operators of ...

, originally designed for Albert I of Belgium's use during Brazil's 1922 centennial celebrations, to

Sao Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U ...

. After three days, he traveled to Santos, where he boarded ''Moreno'' to travel first to Uruguay, then back to Argentina; he arrived in the latter on 22 October. In 1934, ''Moreno'' was sent as one of Argentina's representatives for the anniversary of Brazil's independence. In 1937, ''Rivadavia'' and ''Moreno'' were sent on a diplomatic cruise to Europe. Departing Argentina on 6 April, they split up when they reached the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

. ''Moreno'' participated in the British Spithead Naval Review, where ''The New York Times'' described it as "a strange vestigial sea monster in this company of more modern fighting ships."

Hanson Baldwin Hanson Weightman Baldwin (March 22, 1903 – November 13, 1991) was an American journalist who was the long-time military editor of ''The New York Times''. He won a Pulitzer Prize "for his coverage of the early days of World War II". He wrote ...

, "158 Warships Boom Salute to George in Spithead Review," ''The New York Times'', 21 May 1937, 1 and 9. Afterward, ''Moreno'' met up with ''Rivadavia'' at

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port city in the Finistère department, Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of the peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French m ...

and cruised together to

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 splitting up again; ''Moreno'' went to Bremen, while ''Rivadavia'' put in at

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

. They then sailed for home and arrived in Puerto Belgrano on 29 June. In September 1939, ''Moreno'' and ''Rivadavia'' traveled together to Brazil with naval cadets. However, before they could return, four s had to be sent to escort the ships back, as the

had erupted in Europe. Since Argentina remained neutral in the war, ''Moreno'' saw little active service. By 1949, the venerable dreadnought had been decommissioned into reserve and was used as a barracks. In 1955, ''Moreno'' was used as a

prison ship A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many nat ...

during the Liberating Revolution (''Revolución Libertadora''). The ship was stricken from the navy list on 1 October 1956; on 11 January 1957, Argentina sold ''Moreno'' for scrap for $2,468,660 to the Japanese Yawata Iron and Steel Company. On 12 May, the Argentine fleet assembled to salute the battleship one last time as it was towed out by the Dutch-owned ocean tugs ''Clyde'' and ''Ocean''. ''Moreno'' was taken through the Panama Canal to the scrappers, arriving on 17 August."96 Day Tow," ''The New York Times'', 18 August 1957, 61.

Footnotes

Endnotes

References

* Burzaco, Ricardo and Patricio Ortíz. ''Acorazados y Cruceros de la Armada Argentina, 1881–1982''. Buenos Aires: Eugenio B. Ediciones, 1997. . . (in Spanish) * 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. . . . * Martins, João Roberto, Filho.
Colossos do mares
olossuses of the Seas" ''Revista de História da Biblioteca Nacional'' 3, no. 27 (2007): 74–77. . . * 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 Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, 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. . * Scheina, Robert L. ''Latin America: A Naval History 1810–1987''. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1987. . . * Whitley, M.J. ''Battleships of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia''. Annapolis:

, 1998. . .

External links

"Historia y Arqueología Marítima" (HistArMar) – Battleships ARA ''Moreno'' & ''Rivadavia'' – History & Pictures

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreno 1911 ships Rivadavia-class battleships Ships built by New York Shipbuilding Corporation