computer line drawing by Alexander van Maanen
Rivadavia-class
Local and regional Dutch newspapers intended some attention to the Argentinean navy perhaps in relationship to what was going on in the South American area regarded the Dutch West Indies colony.
The evening edition of the Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad dated 20 September 1923 reported that the Argentinean government intended to modernize the battleships Vadavia [=the Rivadavia] and Moreno and that the Senate was informed.(1)
The evening edition of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant dated 10 December 1924 published a item dated Buenos Aires 9 December according to which the naval commission of the House of representatives proposed the building of 12 new warships including 2-10.000 ton cruisers, 4 destroyers of 1.400 ton, one destroyer of 1.800 tons and 5 submarines of 1.300-1.500 tons.
The evening edition of the Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad dated 30 September 1925 wrote that the Senate approved a credit of 200.000.00 for the building of new cruisers and submarines.
The evening edition of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant dated 21 May 1926 published a tiding that the Argentinean government supplied a credit of 32.000.000 dollars to buy small warships including 2 cruisers, 2 destroyers, 3 small submarines and two gunboats with a total tonnage of around 15.000 ton.
The Het Vaderland: staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad morning edition dated 1 October 1926 published the following item. Buenos Aires, 30 September. According to a tiding of the press association Reuter allowed the chamber of representatives a credit of 75.000.000 pesos (gold) to increase the navy. Intended were the purchase of two light cruisers, small submarines, mother ships for floatplanes and destroyers. The evening edition of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant dated 30 September 1926 published the same item. The morning edition of the De Sumatra Post dated 1 October 1926 supplied more details. The parliament allowed the budget in a secret meting for a program of ten (?) years consisting of the building of 3 light cruisers, 5 destroyers and 6 submarines, repairing old ships, the establishment of a navy yard at Mardelplata and the increase of the yards at River Plata and Puerta Belgrano.
The newspaper Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië dated 23 February 1927 published a item dated Buenos Aires dated 22 February according the Argentinean government made clear she was to neglect the by Coolidge proposed disarmament conference but to wait for the results of the conference at Genève. According to the evening edition of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant dated 25 April 1 that year was the Argentinean Department of Navy permitted to buy torpedo boats, submarines, planes and other equipment in Italy, England and France. The Tilburgsche Courant dated 29 September 1927 published a tiding that the French government offered Argentine a loan of 50.000.000 to be used for building warships in France. The conditions of the loan were comparable with the contract between Spain and Argentina the latter country obtaining a credit for the building of two destroyers and other warships. If the French loan was accepted was France to built some cruisers and destroyers for Argentina. According to the evening edition of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant dated 20 October 1927 ordered Argentina the building of 3 submarines in Italy.
According to the evening edition of the Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant dated 22 June 1928 arrived at Buenos Aires two corvettes and two tugs build in England for the Argentinean navy.
Note
1. These were dreadnought battleships with a displacement of 27,500 long tons/27,900 tons (standard)-30,100 long tons/30,600 tons (full load) and as dimensions 181,28 x 29,985 x 8,446 metres or 594’9”x 98’4½”x 27’8½” and an armament consisting of 12-30,5cm guns, 12-152,cm guns, 16-10,2cm guns and 2-533cm guns. The Rivadavia was laid down at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts on 25 May 1910, launched on 26 August 1911, commissioned on 27 August 1914, decommissioned in 1952, sold 5 years to Italy to be broken up which was done in 1959. In 1924-1925 she and her sister ships were indeed extensively refitted in the United States. The Moreno was laid down at the New York Shipbuilding at Camden, New Jersey on 9 July 1910, launched on 23 September 1911, decommissioned in 1949, sold to Japan in 1956 to be broken up which was done in begin 1957.
