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[[File:Argentine Rivadavia Class Battleship 1912.jpg|thumb|upright|{{Sclass|Rivadavia|battleship}} under construction in the US for the Argentine Navy. Photo taken in 1912. Two ships of this class entered service in 1914–1915 and served until 1956.]]
A [[South American dreadnought race|naval arms race between Argentina, Brazil and Chile]], the most powerful and wealthy countries in South America, began when the Brazilian government ordered [[three
For most of both world wars, Argentina was [[neutral country|neutral]], only [[Argentina during World War II|declaring war on the Axis in March 1945]]. In 1940 Argentina's navy was ranked the eighth most powerful in the world (after the European powers, Japan, and the United States) and the largest in Latin America. A ten-year building programme costing $60 million had produced a force of 14,500 sailors and over a thousand officers. The fleet included two [[First World War]]-era (but modernized) American-built {{Sclass|Rivadavia|battleship}}s, three modern cruisers, a dozen British-built destroyers, and three submarines, plus minelayers, minesweepers, coastal defence ships, and gunboats. A [[Naval aviation|naval air force]] was also in operation.<ref>Associated Press. "Plan Big Navy for Argentina". ''Youngstown Vindicator'' March 10, 1940. (Retrieved via Google News 10/25/10).</ref>
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