ARA Libertad (Q-2)

Libertad entering Dársena Norte, Buenos Aires
History
Argentina
NameLibertad
Owner Argentine Navy
Ordered13 November 1953 (from a 1946 project)
BuilderRío Santiago Shipyard, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Laid down11 December 1953
Launched30 May 1956
Commissioned28 May 1963
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
TypeSteel hulled, full-rigged class "A" tall ship
Displacement3,765 tonnes
Length103.75 m (340.4 ft) (hull 91.7 meters)
Beam14.31 m (46.9 ft)
Draft6.60 m (21.7 ft)
PropulsionPre mlu: 2 × Sulzer diesel engines Post mlu: 2 × MAN diesel engines B&W mod. 6L23/30-D, each with 6 inline cylinders and 960 kW at 900 rpm
SpeedPre mlu: 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h) (engine power only) Post mlu: 13.73 knots (25.43 km/h) (engine power only)
Range12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km) at 8 knots (15 km/h) (engine power only)
Complement24 officers, 187 crewmen, as well as 150 cadets
Armament4 47 mm QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss cannons

ARA Libertad (Q-2) is a steel-hulled, full-rigged, class "A" sailing ship that serves as a school vessel in the Argentine Navy. One of the largest and fastest tall ships in the world, holder of several speed records, she was designed and built in the 1950s by the Río Santiago Shipyard, Ensenada, Argentina. Her maiden voyage was in 1961, and she continues to be a training ship with yearly instruction trips for the graduating naval cadets as well as a traveling goodwill ambassador, having covered more than 800,000 nautical miles (1,500,000 km) across all seas, visited about 500 ports in more than 60 countries, and trained more than 11,000 navy graduates.