Port Belgrano Naval Base is the largest naval base of the Argentine Navy, situated next to Punta Alta, near Bahía Blanca, about 348 miles south of Buenos Aires. It is named after the brigantine General Belgrano which sounded the area in late 1824.
Home of the Argentine Seas Fleet, it concentrates the major ships and arsenals; and is close to the main bases of other Argentine Navy organisations: Marine's camp Baterías and Naval aviation's air base Comandante Espora.
Designed by Italian engineer Luis Luiggi, Puerto Belgrano opened on November 30, 1896 under the name Puerto Militar. In 1911, the French-owned railway company Ferrocarril Rosario y Puerto Belgrano opened a broad gauge (5 feet 7 inches) line between Puerto Belgrano and Rosario. The harbor was renamed Puerto Belgrano in 1923.
The base grew in importance with the size of the fleet. During World War I and World War II the Rivadavia-class battleships ARA Moreno and ARA Rivadavia were docked here, and during the Cold War the aircraft carriers ARA Independencia and ARA Veinticinco de Mayo were docked at this base.