.gif)
ARA Veinticinco de Mayo (cruiser)
Encyclopedia
The ARA Veinticinco de Mayo was a cruiser
which served in the Argentine Navy
through World War II
. The English translation of the name is the Twenty-fifth of May, which is the date of Argentina's May Revolution in 1810.
The Veinticinco de Mayo was built in Italy
and was the first ship of the Veinticinco de Mayo class
of cruisers. Three vessels were to be produced, but in the end, only Mayo and her sister ship Almirante Brown were acquired, both in 1931.
These ships were unusual in several ways. First, they carried 7.5 inch guns, only the third class of warship to do so. Also, like the Italian Zara class
and other Italian-built warships of the era they carried their floatplanes under the foredeck and launched them from a fixed catapult over the bows.
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
which served in the Argentine Navy
Argentine Navy
The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....
through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The English translation of the name is the Twenty-fifth of May, which is the date of Argentina's May Revolution in 1810.
The Veinticinco de Mayo was built in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and was the first ship of the Veinticinco de Mayo class
Veinticinco de Mayo class cruiser
The two Veinticinco de Mayo class heavy cruisers served in the Argentine Navy through World War II. They were the only post-Washington Naval Treaty heavy cruisers built for a South American Navy...
of cruisers. Three vessels were to be produced, but in the end, only Mayo and her sister ship Almirante Brown were acquired, both in 1931.
These ships were unusual in several ways. First, they carried 7.5 inch guns, only the third class of warship to do so. Also, like the Italian Zara class
Zara class cruiser
The Zara class was an Italian heavy cruiser design of the Regia Marina from the early 1930s, considered by many to be one of the best cruiser designs of World War II...
and other Italian-built warships of the era they carried their floatplanes under the foredeck and launched them from a fixed catapult over the bows.
Further reading
- Burzaco, Ricardo. Acorazados y Cruceros De La Armada Argentina. Eugenio B, Buenos Aires, 1997. ISBN 987-96764-0-8 (in Spanish)
- Arguindeguy, Pablo. Apuntes sobre los buques de la Armada Argentina (1810-1970). Comando en Jefe de la Armada, Buenos aires, 1972. ISBN n/d (in Spanish)
External links
- History of argentinian cruisers, at HISTARMAR (in Spanish)