Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-23
Aruentina's Second Big Battle
ship Launched at Camden.
TWO LARGEST IN WORLD
The Moreno and Her Sister Ship
Head List of Dreadnoughts.
BRILLIANT COMPANY PRESENT
Minister Naon and Staff and Many
Navy officers Witness
Initial Plunge.

PHILADELPHIA. September "a
Ranking as one of the greatest war
ships ever constructed for any gov
eminent i'm the world. the Argentine
battleship Moreno was launched shortly
before 5 o'clock this afternoon from
the yard of the New York Shipbuilding
Company at Camden. \. j. The only
other vessel her equal now ahoat is
her sister ship. the Rivadavia, recently
launched by the Fore River Shipbuild-
ing Company. at Quincy. Mass.
The Moreno was christened by Sonora
Isabel Betbeder. wife of Rear Admlrai
Onofre Betbeder president of the Argen-
tine naval commission, as proxy Tor
Sonora Josefa Figueroa Alcorta, wife OF
the former president of the Argentine
Republic, who had been selected as the
sponsor. but was unable to come to
this country.
Minister Naon Present.
A large company of invited guests
saw the giant ship take her first plunge
into the Delaware river. the birthplace
of many other big warships. Among
the guests were Senor DIR. Romulo ,.
Naon the Argentine minister at WASH
ington, and his staff, Rear Admiral Bet
tine naval commission, high of1cers In
the American navy and representatives or
shipyards and steel companies in the
east.
The Moreno. named after Mariana Mo.
reno a famous figure in the history Oh
the South American republic, rep
resents the last word in the pres
ent-day development of the tweiVe-lnch-
gun battleship. She is greater IN polna
OF length and displacement than the Utah
and Florida, the greatest ships now In
the service OF the United States govern
ment and these two giant American
tishters outrank any ship affoat IN any
other foreign navy. The Utah ana l. lori
da have displacement of :20O0 tons,
whereas the Moreno. when completed,
will have cI.6U.
According to the figures given out bS
the builders the Moreno and Rivadavia
are even larger than the superdread-
naught New York. the keel of which was
recently laid in New York. and which will
have a displacement OF 2s,ON tons. Brit
ish designers are working to Outsfrip any
OF these huge fighting machines. planning
the Queen Mary with displacement OF
&.0CO tons.
The great strides made in battieship
building will be realized when ii Is re-
memhered that tine original dreadnaught
built by England. and which Is the unit
for the modern fighting ship. had dis
plscemen. of only $4,000 tons.
To Cry Twelve 12-Inch Guns.
The Moreno will carry twelve twelve
inch guns. Her contemporaries in this
respect are the Arkansas. built in
Camden and the Wyoming. construct
ed by the Cramps in Philadelphia,
neither Of which is yet in commits
sion: the Austrian Viribus Units. the
German Thuringer. the Japanese ka-
wachi. the Russian SevastOpol. the
Brazilian Sac Paulo. the Italian Dante
Alighieri and the French Courbet and
Jean Bart The Jean Bart was launch
ed yesterday.
The next step forward in battleship
building. so far as armament is con-
cerned. is a reduction of two in the
number of main guns, ct the same time
increasing the caliber to fourteen
inches. The superdreadnau2ht New
York will have ten fourteen-inch guns.
and ship in the same class is under
construction in Great Britain.
The speed Of the Moreno will be in
excess of cotemporary designs.
Whereas vessels OF this class average
twenty-one knots an hour. the Mo-
reno under her contract, will have to
develop twenty-five and one-half knots.
She Is expected to develop 10000
horsepower, while the engines of the
New York are designed to develop
$4,000.
Nearly coo Feet Long.