Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 17, 2015
The two Rivadavia-class battleships were constructed for Argentina as a part of a wider South American naval arms race. To counter Brazil's two Minas Geraes-class dreadnoughts, Argentina began seeking bids for at least two such battleships in 1908. Over the next two years, fifteen shipbuilders from five countries vied for the contracts, complemented by efforts from their respective governments. Argentina's choice in early 1910 of the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, based in the United States, shocked the European bidders, but could partly be explained by the American steel trust's ability to produce steel at a lower cost than any other country. Amid increasing tension in Europe that would lead to the First World War, newspapers speculated that the Argentine dreadnoughts would be sold to a European nation. Under diplomatic pressure, the Argentines decided to keep the ships; after numerous delays, they arrived in the country in February and May 1915. The dreadnoughts were modernized in the 1920s, and in the latter half of their life were frequently employed as training ships and diplomatic envoys. Both were sold for scrap in the late 1950s. (Full article...)
Part of the Rivadavia-class battleships and South American dreadnought race featured topics.