ARA El Plata

ARA El Plata was the first of two s built in Britain in the 1870s for the Argentine Navy.

Description

El Plata was long overall, with a beam of and a draft of. She displaced, and her crew numbered 120 officers and enlisted men.
The ship had two compound steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft, rated at a total power of. This gave her a maximum speed of. El Plata carried of coal which gave her a range of approximately.

History

ARA El Plata was ordered by President Sarmiento in 1872, along with her sister ship Los Andes. She was intended to serve as a river monitor, due to concerns regarding the use of low-freeboard turret ships at sea following the HMS Captain disaster. Despite the Argentine Navy's concerns, she spent much of her service life on seagoing expeditions, and she also served as a guard ship for the mouths of major rivers.