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Noticias Argentinas

January 6
Today the famous fighter pilot, Lieutenant de Aero Roja, on loan to Fabrica Militar de Aviones (FMA) took the new prototype FMA I-02 fighter up for its first flight. The unpainted polished silvery prototype was rolled out of the works hangar after some minro last minute adjustments. The thirty-two minute flight revealed no serious problems although Roja complained the ailerons were too heavy but the engine performed without any problems. He found the long nose tricky for ground handling but in the air he praised the excellent visibility from the canopy. Developed from scratch as a modern fighter the I-02 is heavily based on war experience and rectifying faults in the I-01 series. An order for 144 aircraft has already been placed to equip two fighter Regiments.
Provisional specifications for the fighter are;
Dimensions: span 10.6m; length 10.3; height 3.42m; wing area 197sq ft; wing loading 38 lb/sq ft; power loading 0.17 lb/hp
Weights: maximum take-off 7,500lbs
Powerplant: one 1300hp Spartan 1300S V-12 inline engine with supercharger
Performance: max speed 400+ mph at 15,000 feet; service ceiling 35,000ft; rate of climb 2,598ft per minute at 1,500ft; range 690 miles full fuel load
Armament: four 13mm Browning HMG in wings and a ventral bomb-rack for one 250-500lb bomb

An artist's impression of a production I-02 fighter

January 11
The Nationalisation Investigation Committee met for the first time today in Cordoba to fully discuss the government’s plan to nationalise the oil and steel industries. Outside around a hundred trade union members held a demonstration in favour of the proposal. The police broke the crowds up and some minor scuffles broke out in which ten demonstrators were injured. Unions claim police brutality.

January 12
Union demonstrations are joined by striking transport workers and the police set up roadblocks in the city and Guardia Civil units were called in. Rather than advancing to break up the crowds they turned a blind eye as a group of right-wing activists waded into the demonstrators. Four men are killed and forty others injured.

January 13
Violence continued today outside the Chamber of Deputies building and Labour and Industry Minister Carlos Saavedra Lamas left the meeting to plead with the crowd to go home but failed to impress them. In the afternoon President Eduardo Garcia blamed the violence on Marxist trouble makers and ordered the Guardia Civil to break-up the strikes. They used tear-gas and batons and many were injured. Across the capital and western Argentina around forty suspected Marxists were arrested and held for questioning.

January 14
The demonstrations of the past few days have broken up but a heavy police presence remains across the capital.

January 20
After joint talks with Chile it has been decided to rebuild the meter-gauge (1000mm; 3 ft 3+3/8 in) Central Transandine Railway which runs from Valparaiso in Chile to Mendoza, Argentina. Chile had been in discussions with Swiss engineers who will take responsibility for rebuilding and upgrading of the Chilean side of the railway in order to minimize the steep gradients. A new tunnel will connect the Chilean and Argentine broad-gauge railways with a technologically challenging design which will result in the second-longest railway tunnel in the world (after the Simplon Tunnel) and this work is being carried out by British engineers who have recently completed the Woodhead Tunnel in England which is two-tracks wide and 3 miles 66 yards long under the Pennines. British investors are matching whatever funds the Ministry of Transport pledges towards the project and the Argentine State Railways is looking into new locos and carriages for the route. It is possible that British shares in the former Transandine Railway Company will be brought back by British investors from the Argentine State Railways to operate the line on completion. Work on the railway lines will begin within two months and the whole project is scheduled for completion in 1942/43.

February 13
Today the Compania Argentina de Aeronavegacion Tucan owned by the Tucan aircraft company ordered four Lockheed Super Electra airliners for delivery in August to replace its elderly Fokker trimotors.

February 15
Today two of the longest serving ships in the Argentine Navy have been decommissioned. The two elderly armoured gunboats, Parana and Rosario, brought in 1907 have been replaced by two brand-new vessels built at the AFNE Paraguay Yard and Encarnation as part of the Paraguay economic recovery plan. The crews in fine uniforms lined up on deck with their commander Contra Almirante Smith-Sabatini and hoisted down the ensign. In the afternoon they transferred to their new ships and commissioned the boats.
Parana had been extensively rebuilt during the war owing to serious damage with new Army-type guns and weapons. Parana will be used as a gunnery training ship on the Rio Parana with a secondary floating battery role in wartime while Rosario will be disposed of. Another two new gunboats are planned.

February 21
In response to questions asked in the Chamber of Deputies about military spending on rocketry research the Army today revealed that trials were underway with a small rocket with a diameter of around 80mm and that probably over 80 will be expended during trials. When pushed to reveal what these rockets were for and whether they were necessary Defence Minister Vice Almirante (ret). Juan Perez Benedicto Hood said “these weapons will revolutionise artillery and are the cutting edge in weapons technology,” and he also added “we are at least a year to two years ahead of the South African Empire in this research.”

Should Chile be aware of this research it will offer money to assist the program.

March 9
The Fuerza Aerea Argentina today placed an order with the British firm of Westland for 28 Westland Lysander reconnaissance aircraft to equip one reconnaissance Grupo. Delivery is expected to be fulfilled by the end of the year.

March 14
General de Aero Pedro Zann is appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Fuerza Aerea Argentina. In 1912 he passed through Flying School and in 1918 entered Officer School. In 1921 he had his first command, Aerea Regimenta No.1 and by 1925 commanded Northern Group. Promoted Major General de Aero in 1930 he was appointed Commander Northern Area Airfields and in 1935 was appointed head of Commando Paraguay and led this unit during the war with distinction. He was promoted again in March 1936 because of his exceptional war record. In January 1937 he became Inspector General of Equipment.

March 19
The Chamber of Deputies votes on the Government’s Nationalisation Bill. There has been much discussion all week on the subject but the government feels it will get support for the Bill.
The votes are;
Aye: 47%
Nay: 44%
Abstain: 9%
A decisive vote is not reached and another vote is called for by the Conservative Party under an 1846 Chamber Regulation.

March 26
The 13,000 ton Posta Marina Los Andes, Argentina Express Mail Ship today officially entered service today with the Compania Argentina de Marinanavegacion. The mail carrier, one of the very few commercial carriers, will revolutionise mail shipment and has four FMA I.Ae 4 planes based aboard. Her regular route will be Comodoro Rivadavia to Southampton, England, non-stop with aerial delivery of mail to SAE, Kongo, Atlantis, French West Africa, Iberia and France. The same route will be sailed on the return voyage. In addition to her mail sorting facilities and extensive mail holds she also carries bulk cargo and 120 passengers. A planned second steamer for a proposed Comodoro Rivadavia to Yokohama via Darwin has been postponed owing to funding problems. The Los Andes should sail on her maiden voyage in two months time. Compania Argentina de Marinanavegacion is 50% owned by Royal Australian Steamship Lines.

The ship sounds interesting - have a springsharp or drawing?

Probably looks a lot like the Australian "civillian carriers" that caused a lot of Cleito problems back a few years ago. I suspect, though, that their day has already past, what with various long-ranged aircraft coming into service already or in the near future.

This is the SS report I used when we discussed the design a long, long time ago.
The ship may have been altered slightly due to her seven-year building period.

Posta Marina Los Andes, Argentina Express Mail Ship laid down 1931
Displacement:
12,825 t light; 13,140 t standard; 15,782 t normal; 17,895 t full load
Dimensions: Length overall / water x beam x draught
506.15 ft / 492.13 ft x 82.02 ft x 19.52 ft (normal load)
154.28 m / 150.00 m x 25.00 m x 5.95 m
Machinery:
Diesel Internal combustion generators,
Electric motors, 2 shafts, 14,800 shp / 11,041 Kw = 18.02 kts
Range 15,000nm at 15.00 kts
Bunker at max displacement = 4,755 tons
Complement:
703 - 915
Cost:
£2.229 million / $8.916 million
Distribution of weights at normal displacement:
Armament: 0 tons, 0.0 %
Machinery: 443 tons, 2.8 %
Hull, fittings & equipment: 4,382 tons, 27.8 %
Fuel, ammunition & stores: 2,957 tons, 18.7 %
Miscellaneous weights: 8,000 tons, 50.7 %
Overall survivability and seakeeping ability:
Survivability (Non-critical penetrating hits needed to sink ship):
31,903 lbs / 14,471 Kg = 295.4 x 6 " / 152 mm shells or 3.5 torpedoes
Stability (Unstable if below 1.00): 1.07
Metacentric height 4.2 ft / 1.3 m
Roll period: 16.7 seconds
Steadiness - As gun platform (Average = 50 %): 80 %
- Recoil effect (Restricted arc if above 1.00): 0.00
Seaboat quality (Average = 1.00): 2.00
Hull form characteristics:
Hull has a flush deck
Block coefficient: 0.701
Length to Beam Ratio: 6.00 : 1
'Natural speed' for length: 22.18 kts
Power going to wave formation at top speed: 41 %
Trim (Max stability = 0, Max steadiness = 100): 40
Bow angle (Positive = bow angles forward): 15.00 degrees
Stern overhang: 6.89 ft / 2.10 m
Freeboard (% = measuring location as a percentage of overall length):
- Stem: 26.64 ft / 8.12 m
- Forecastle (10 %): 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Mid (50 %): 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Quarterdeck (10 %): 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Stern: 26.25 ft / 8.00 m
- Average freeboard: 26.26 ft / 8.00 m
Ship space, strength and comments:
Space - Hull below water (magazines/engines, low = better): 65.0 %
- Above water (accommodation/working, high = better): 230.3 %
Waterplane Area: 32,382 Square feet or 3,008 Square metres
Displacement factor (Displacement / loading): 178 %
Structure weight / hull surface area: 95 lbs/sq ft or 466 Kg/sq metre
Hull strength (Relative):
- Cross-sectional: 0.93
- Longitudinal: 2.04
- Overall: 1.00
Hull space for machinery, storage, compartmentation is excellent
Room for accommodation and workspaces is excellent
Ship has slow, easy roll, a good, steady gun platform
Excellent seaboat, comfortable, rides out heavy weather easily