ARA Moreno ARA " Moreno " was a dreadnought battleship designed by the American Fore River Shipbuilding Company for the Argentine Navy ( " Armada de la República Argentina " ) . Named after Mariano Moreno , 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 . Argentina placed orders for " Moreno " and her 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 , but these proved to be false . After " Moreno " was completed in March 1915 , a series of engine problems occurred during her sea trials which delayed her delivery to Argentina to May 1915 . The next decade saw the ship based in Puerto 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 the Second World War 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 and Puna de Atacama along with control of the Beagle 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 ' s Royal Navy bought the two " Constitución " - class pre - dreadnought battleships that were being built for Chile , and Argentina sold its two " Rivadavia " - class armored cruiser 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 dreadnought s . 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 , 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 , 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 . Construction and trials . After the two new dreadnoughts were awarded to Fore River , " Moreno " was subcontracted out to the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden , New Jersey as called for in the final contract . " Moreno " s keel was laid on 9 July 1910 , and construction was overseen by the Argentine Naval Commission . After the completion of the hull , she 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 , which was finished on 15 February 1915 . She was commissioned into the Argentine Navy nine days later . 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 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 First 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 smaller Balkan countries , from which they would find their way into the war . In October 1914 , " Moreno " sailed to New York where she was painted in the New York Naval Shipyard , then conducted her sea trials starting on the 25th . Reporters for several newspapers , including " The New York Times " , and American naval officers were allowed on board during this time ; the " Times " reporters gave a glowing account of the alcohol - serving café on the ship , calling it " the cutest little bar on any of the seven seas " . 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 — 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 , 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 , the Assistant 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 the Philadelphia Navy Yard . Even " Moreno " s departure was marked by mishaps . On the night of 26 March , " Moreno " accidentally rammed and sank the barge " Enterprise " when she was on 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 her succeeded , and " Moreno " continued on her way at around 7 : 30 the next morning without damage . On the 29th , President Woodrow Wilson 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 . Like the previous time , she 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 . She was immediately assigned to the Argentine Navy ' s First Division , based out of the major naval base of Puerto Belgrano . She remained there until 1923 when she 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 . 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 . 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 she returned to Argentina in August 1926 , " Moreno " was assigned to the training division of the Navy before being reassigned to the First Division sometime after the training division was abolished in 1928 . In 1932 she was moved into the new Battleship Division with " Rivadavia " . The remainder of the 1930s was filled with diplomatic cruises . " Moreno " , escorted by the three s , brought Argentine president Agustín Pedro Justo to Brazil in 1933 for a major diplomatic visit . Departing in the afternoon of 2 October , he arrived in Rio 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 met " Moreno " at sea and escorted her 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 . Justo then took a royal train , originally designed for Albert I of Belgium ' s use during Brazil ' s 1922 centennial celebrations , to Sao Paulo . 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 . " Moreno " participated in the British Spithead Naval Review , where " The New York Times " described her as " a strange vestigial sea monster in this company of more modern fighting ships . " Afterward , " Moreno " met up with " Rivadavia " at Brest , France and cruised together to Wilhelmshaven before splitting up again ; " Moreno " went to Bremen , while " Rivadavia " put in at Hamburg . 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 Second World War had erupted in Europe . Since Argentina remained neutral in the war , " Moreno " was utilized little . By 1949 , she had been decommissioned into reserve and was used as a barracks ship . In 1955 , during the Liberating Revolution ( " Revolución Libertadora " ) , she was used as a prison ship ; " Moreno " s crew was reduced to the bare minimum during this time . On 1 October 1956 , the ship was stricken from the navy list ; on 11 January 1957 , Argentina sold " Moreno " to the Japanese Yawata Iron and Steel Company for scrapping for $ 2 , 468 , 660 . Five months later on 12 May , the Argentine fleet assembled to salute the battleship one last time as she was towed out by the Dutch - owned ocean tug s " Clyde " and " Ocean " . " Moreno " was towed through the Panama Canal to the scrappers , arriving on 17 August .