ARA PRESIDENTE SARMIENTO, Training Ship for the Argentine Navy at West 135th, Street, New York City

ARA PRESIDENTE SARMIENTO, Training Ship for the Argentine Navy at West 135th, Street, New York City

ARA PRESIDENTE SARMIENTO, training ship for the Argentine Navy is seen here at West 135th, Street, New York City. The ARA PRESIDENTE SARMIENTO was originally built as a training ship for the Argentine Navy and named after Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, the seventh President of Argentina. It is considered to be the last intact cruising training ship from the 1890s. ARA PRESIDENTE SARMIENTO made thirty seven annual training cruises including six circumnavigations of the globe.Builder: Laird Brothers, Birkenhead, EnglandLaunched: 31 August 1897In service: 1897Out of service: 1961General characteristicsType: Sail training shipDisplacement: 2,750 tonsLength: 266 ftBeam: 43.0 ftDraught: 18.5 ftPropulsion: In addition to its sailing rig this ship includes a large triple expansion steam engine supplied by two coal-fired boilers exhausting through the rear stack. An additional auxiliary boiler exhausting through the forward stack provides steam for other than propulsion, including two engines driving electrical generators on the main deck (below the weather deck).Helm: A three-wheel chain drive allows up to six helmsmen to control the rudder. Such a crew of operators was not always required due to the inclusion of an electric servo-drive for normal operation but was useful for the training of cadets.Armament: Four Armstrong gun mounts are positioned amidships, two on each side, with additional smaller weapons. The museum information indicates those as 5-inch pieces, but Norman Friedman identifies those as 120-mm L45 Elswick Pattern Y. The Palisades Park amusement park can be seen across the Hudson in New Jersey.Torpedoes: A single torpedo scuttle using gravity expulsion exited at the bow. The scuttle has been removed and the exit port welded shut, but in the current museum configuration a torpedo is suspended in a position on the main deck ready to enter the former scuttle entrance. Additional torpedo storage is provided below this main deck.