In the period November 1888 - June 1889, the Corvette Argentina fulfilled the fourth trip of application of the cadets of the Naval Military School. That ship was commanded by Captain Martin Rivadavia, who found that Argentina had defects that made it necessary to replace it with another ship that was equipped with the most modern nautical elements and made it suitable to adequately cover the ship’s task. school.
It was so in 1893 Captain Rivadavia elevated to the head of the General Staff of the Navy, Rear Admiral Daniel de Solier, a project to build a school ship for the Argentine Navy.
The foundations of Rivadavia managed to get the political authorities to consider them, specifying the project that followed with the signature of the respective construction contract for the ship.
On September 13, 1895, by decree, Captain Manuel Domecq García was appointed commander-inspector of the ship-school to be built, for which he was given the background and plans of the future ship.
Domecq García carried out an exhaustive analysis of all this and produced an extensive report to the General Staff of the Navy, in which he made observations and requested authorization to carry out modifications to the original project, which deserved the approval of the superiority. Arrived in Great Britain, Captain Domecq Garcia contacted the directors of the Laird Brothers Shipyard in Birkenhead. After multiple studies, consultations and discussions, a definitive agreement was reached, which concluded with the signing of the respective contract.
The sea trials took place on May 19, 1898 and five days later the armament was tested. On June 30, 1898, the national pavilion was hoisted on the frigate Presidente Sarmiento.
In charge of Lieutenant Thorne, Sarmiento sailed from Liverpool on July 14, 1898, with stops in Vigo and Genoa. Sailing only, arrived at the Foreign Rada of the port of Buenos Aires on September 10 of that year.
First trip
He served as a school-ship between 1899 and 1939, making 37 trips of instruction around the world, circling several times and always being an ambassador of Peace of the Argentine Nation, even in times of international war. In its scales was visited by personalities of the time, today historical figures such as Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany or Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and was part of the naval magazines of the coronations of Edward VII of England and Alfonso XIII of Spain. He also participated in the opening of the Panama Canal and the inauguration of the statue of San Martín in Boulogne-Sur-Mer and the statue of General Belgrano in Genoa.
He participated in the maneuvers and in the Great Naval Magazine of the Centennial of the May Revolution, where the Infanta Isabel de Borbón and the President of the Republic embark on it; in the Mar del Plata Maritime Journals of the years 1902 and 1939.
On April 18, 1938 the glorious ship sailed from the Port of Buenos Aires to fulfill the last of the trips of application (No. 37), which would end in November this year.
From 1939 he stopped making international trips but he remains part of the Instruction Division of the Military Naval School, where his cadets make biweekly embarkations for short trips of instruction by sea. Since the 50’s, his trips are limited to navigating the Río de la Plata, Paraná and Uruguay. In 1956 he participated as a presidential vessel in the Mar del Plata Naval Magazine, after which he made a confraternity trip to Uruguay, anchoring in Montevideo. In those years it is Insignia vessel of the Naval Training Force.
His last destination in activity is that of ship-school, for the training of the subordinate personnel of the School of Seamanship and professional course of Cabos de Mar.
The year 1961 is the last as a naval unit because at the end of December it becomes the Museum Ship of the Amada Argentina and its conservation and definitive location for its custody is studied.
On June 18, 1962 the PEN issued Decree No. 5589, declaring the Fragata ARA “President Sarmiento” as a National Historic Monument. It was inaugurated as a Museum Ship on May 22, 1964.
Main characteristics
Length: 85.5 meters.
Beam: 13.32 meters
Strut: 7.55 mts.
Medium draft: 18 feet.
Displacement: with full fuel 2,733 tons.
Speed: 13 knots, economic 6 knots.
**Crew:**31 officers, about 40 cadets and 275 crew members
CONCLUSION
I described the history of this boat so beloved by all our nation Im proud of it because it represents our culture our past and of course the future as well. This is my little tribute to this national emblem I hope you like it and enjoy reading this pos
