 ARAMoreno | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Moreno |
| Namesake | Mariano Moreno |
| Builder | |
| Laid down | 9 July 1910 |
| Launched | 23 September 1911 |
| Commissioned | 26 February 1915 |
| Decommissioned | 1949 |
| Fate | Scrapped in Japan |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Rivadavia-classbattleship |
| Displacement | |
| Length | |
| Beam | 98 ft 4.5 in (29.985 m)[1] |
| Draft | 27 ft 8.5 in (8.446 m)[1] |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 22.5 knots (25.9 mph; 41.7 km/h)[1] |
| Range | |
| Armament |
|
| Armor | |
ARAMoreno[A] was adreadnoughtbattleship designed by the AmericanFore River Shipbuilding Company for theArgentine Navy. Named afterMariano Moreno, a key member of the first independent government of Argentina, theFirst Assembly (Primera Junta),Moreno was the second dreadnought of theRivadavia class, and the fourth built during theSouth American dreadnought race.
Argentina placed orders forMoreno and its onlysister ship,Rivadavia, 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 theFirst World War, but these proved to be false. AfterMoreno was completed in March 1915, a series of engine problems occurred during thesea trials which delayed its delivery to Argentina to May 1915. The next decade saw the ship based inPuerto Belgrano 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 theSecond World War broke out. During this time,Moreno was employed little as Argentina was neutral.Decommissioned in 1949,Moreno wasscrapped in Japan beginning in 1957.
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 inPatagonia andPuna de Atacama along with control of theBeagle Channel. 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'sRoyal Navy bought the twoConstitución-classpre-dreadnought battleships that were being built for Chile, and Argentina sold its twoRivadavia-classarmored cruisers under construction in Italy to Japan.[2][3]
AfterHMS Dreadnought was commissioned, Brazil decided in early 1907 to halt three obsolescentpre-dreadnoughts which were under construction in favor of two or threedreadnoughts.[4] These ships, which were designed to carry the heaviest battleship armament in the world at the time,[5] came as an abrupt shock to the navies of South America,[4] and Argentina and Chile quickly canceled the 1902 armament-limiting pact.[6] Argentina in particular was alarmed at the possible power of the ships. TheMinister of Foreign Affairs,Manuel Augusto Montes de Oca, remarked that even oneMinas Geraes-class ship could destroy the entire Argentine and Chilean fleets.[7] While this may have been hyperbole, either one was much more powerful than any single vessel in the Argentine fleet.[8] 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 millionpounds sterling, further border disputes—particularly near theRiver Plate with Brazil—decided the matter, and they orderedRivadavia andMoreno from theFore River Shipbuilding Company in the United States.[1][9]
After the two new dreadnoughtswere awarded to Fore River,Moreno wassubcontracted out to theNew York Shipbuilding Corporation ofCamden,New Jersey as called for in the final contract.[10]Moreno'skeel was laid on 9 July 1910, and construction was overseen by the Argentine Naval Commission. After the completion of thehull, it waslaunched on 23 September 1911. Isabel Betbeder, wife to the chief of the Argentine Naval Commission,sponsoredMoreno. The ship was then moored to a dock to commencefitting-out.[11] It was reported in January 1913 that apart from the usual naval requirements forMoreno and her sister ship ARARivadavia, twoVictrolaphonographs apiece were included as part of the official specifications.[12]Moreno was finished on 15 February 1915,[13] andcommissioned into the Argentine Navy nine days later.[14]
Over the course of their construction,Rivadavia andMoreno were the subject of various rumors insinuating that Argentina would accept the ships and then sell them to a European country or Japan, afast-growing rival to the United States.[15] 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 theRivadavias, particularly in the adoption of the "all-or-nothing" armor scheme. Instead, the United States and itsState Department andNavy Department put diplomatic pressure on the Argentine government.[16]
The Argentine government, bolstered bysocialist 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 theFirst World War, 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 smallerBalkan countries, from which they would find their way into the war.[B][17]
In October 1914,Moreno sailed theNew York Naval Shipyard to be painted, then conducted itssea trials starting on the 25th. Reporters for several newspapers, includingThe New York Times, and American naval officers were allowed on board during this time; theTimes reporters gave a glowing account of the alcohol-servingcafé on the ship, calling it "the cutest little bar on any of the seven seas"—alcohol was banned on U.S. Navy ships.[18]
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 atRockland,Maine—where many of the observers on board were left to be brought back by train to Camden—before proceeding for repairs to theFore River Shipyard, which had built the ship's engines.[19]
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, asMoreno had been scheduled to be completed more than a year prior. Aftermediation offered byFranklin D. Roosevelt, theAssistant Secretary of the Navy at the time,Moreno was released on 20 February to Argentine sailors who had been staying in American battleships moored in thePhiladelphia Navy Yard.[20][21][22]
EvenMoreno's departure was marked by mishaps. On the night of 26 March,Moreno accidentally rammed and sank the bargeEnterprise in theDelaware River, 30 miles (48 km) south of Philadelphia near the city ofNew Castle. No one was hurt, but the battleship accidentally ran aground immediately after. Efforts to refloat it succeeded, andMoreno continued on its way at around 7:30 the next morning without damage.[23] On the 29th, PresidentWoodrow Wilson was hosted for lunch on board the warship, accompanied by the Argentine ambassador to the United States,Romulo S. Naon.[24] On 15 April,Moreno ran aground in the river again, this time nearReedy Island. Like the previous time, the ship was not damaged and tugs were able to refloat the ship the next day.[25][26]
Moreno docked in Argentina for the first time on 26 May 1915.[C] The ship was immediately assigned to the Argentine Navy's First Division, based out of the major naval base ofPuerto Belgrano, 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 inValparaiso andCallao before transiting the Panama Canal and sailing north.[28]
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.[28][29] The main armament's range was increased from 13,120 yards (12,000 m) to 20,800 yards (19,000 m), and the turrets were modified to double the firing rate.[14] The 6-inch secondary armament was retained, but the smaller 4-inch guns were taken off in favor of four 3-inch (76 mm)anti-aircraft guns and four3-pounders.[28][29]
WhenMoreno 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 withRivadavia. The remainder of the 1930s was filled with diplomatic cruises.[30]Moreno, escorted by the threeMendoza-class destroyers, brought Argentine presidentAgustín Pedro Justo to Brazil in 1933 for a major diplomatic visit.[30][31] Departing in the afternoon of 2 October, he arrived inRio de Janeiro on the morning of 7 October to huge celebrations. Brazilian ships of the first and second squadrons, along with three squadrons worth of warplanes, metMoreno at sea and escorted it to the harbor. When Justo landed and traveled by car toGuanabra 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 95-foot (29 m) high imitation of France'sArc de Triomphe was erected, onto which various colors were projected.[32] Justo then took aroyal train, originally designed forAlbert I of Belgium's use during Brazil's 1922 centennial celebrations, toSão Paulo. After three days, he traveled toSantos, where he boardedMoreno to travel first to Uruguay, then back to Argentina; he arrived in the latter on 22 October.[30][33]
In 1934,Moreno was sent as one of Argentina's representatives for the anniversary of Brazil's independence. In 1937,Rivadavia andMoreno were sent on a diplomatic cruise to Europe. Departing Argentina on 6 April, they split up when they reached theEnglish Channel.[28]Moreno participated in the BritishSpithead Naval Review, whereThe New York Times described it as "a strange vestigial sea monster in this company of more modern fighting ships."[34] Afterward,Moreno met up withRivadavia atBrest, France and cruised together toWilhelmshaven before splitting up again;Moreno went toBremen, whileRivadavia put in atHamburg. They then sailed for home and arrived in Puerto Belgrano on 29 June.[28]
In September 1939,Moreno andRivadavia traveled together to Brazil with naval cadets. However, before they could return, fourBuenos Aires-class destroyers had to be sent to escort the ships back, as theSecond World War had erupted in Europe. Since Argentinaremained neutral in the war,Moreno saw little active service. By 1949, the venerable dreadnought had beendecommissioned into reserve and was used as abarracks. In 1955,Moreno was used as aprison ship during theLiberating Revolution (Revolución Libertadora). The ship wasstricken from the navy list on 1 October 1956; on 11 January 1957, Argentina soldMoreno forscrap for $2,468,660 to the JapaneseYawata 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-ownedocean tugsClyde andOcean.Moreno was taken through the Panama Canal to the scrappers, arriving on 17 August.[D][30][35]
