A twenty-two million order for battleships was not a bad thing for American ship builders. And yet that was the contract given them by the Argentine Republic, after a fierce competition in which twenty-five firms from five of the leading nations of the world were engaged. The Eagle may well scream a little, for it is the first time that the United States has been considered a serious competitor in the building of battleships. The European nations used every influence, including that of their diplomatic representatives and a “knocking” of American manufacturers, to secure the order, but all to no avail. The American builders were the lowest bidders; they promised the boats in a shorter time; and the visit of the fleet a few years ago showed the Argentinos that we could build first class battleships. The writer was in Buenos Aires when the contract was let, and it awakened the people of that section of the world to the fact that the United States has become an active competitor in all lines of business. These “Dreadnaughts,” which will be known as the “Rivadavia” and “Moreno,” will be 604 feet long, with a displacement of 20,500 tons, and a speed of 22½ knots will be generated by engines of 40,000 horsepower, and the normal draught will be 27 feet. The height of the turret above the water will be 26½ feet and at the poop it will be 17 feet. The armour will extend for 250 feet in the centre, 4¾ feet above and 3⅓ feet below the normal water line with a uniform thickness of one foot. The total weight of the armour will be 7,000 tons. The outward appearance of these two leviathans will be very similar to the “Arkansas” and “Wyoming,” of our own navy. The armour both above and below the water line will be heavier than has heretofore been in use, while the bottom will be well protected against submarines by nickel steel. The armament will consist of twelve thirteen-inch guns in six turrets, twelve six-inch guns in the central casement and an equal number of four-inch guns well located. The coal bunkers will have a capacity of four thousand tons, besides several hundred tons of petroleum. Both of these leviathans of the deep will be delivered early in the year 1912. [Illustration: THE ARMOURED CRUISER, “PUEYRREDON”]