Port Belgrano Naval Base
Port Belgrano Naval Base ( - 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 Belgrano" (named after Manuel Belgrano) which sounded the area in late 1824. Home of the Argentine Seas Fleet ( "Flota de Mar"), it concentrates the major ships and arsenals; and is close to the main bases of other Argentine Navy organisations: Marine's camp "Baterías" and Naval aviation's air base "Comandante Espora" ( - BACE) . History. Designed by Italian engineer Luis Luiggi, Puerto Belgrano  opened on November 30, 1896 under the name Puerto Militar (). In 1911, the French-owned railway company Ferrocarril Rosario y Puerto Belgrano opened a broad gauge () line between Puerto Belgrano and Rosario. The harbor was renamed Puerto Belgrano in 1923. The base grew in importance with the size of the fleet. During World War I and World War II the s and were docked here, and during the Cold War the aircraft carriers and were docked at this base. The shipyard continues doing maintenance and refits of vessels and submarines. On April 2006, the Royal Navy's Antarctic patrol vessel  entered Puerto Belgrano for repairs after damaging its rudder while in Antarctica in February. It was the first time since the end of the 1982 Falklands War () that a British Royal Navy ship had entered the Argentine naval base. Facilities. The base contains a naval hospital, specialized workshops, six middle and tertiary level military schools, a banking headquarters and seven residential neighborhoods for naval personnel. Space launch pad. A launch pad was considered for the planned Argentine space launch vehicle "Tronador II". Land for the construction of the facilities were ceded to CONAE (Argentine Space Agency). The location was selected  because of existing Navy facilities, security measures already in place, large enough available area, and a favorable location for launches into polar orbits.