The Mendoza class were a group of destroyer

Destroyer

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...

s built in Britain for the Argentine Navy

Argentine Navy

The Navy of the Argentine Republic or Armada of the Argentine Republic is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Army and the Air Force....

 in the 1920s. They were the first part of the Argentian re-armament programme of the 1920s

Design

The ships were based on British Destroyer leaders

Thornycroft type leader

The Thornycroft type leader or Shakespeare class were a class of five destroyer leaders designed by John I. Thornycroft & Company and built by them at Woolston, Southampton for the Royal Navy towards the end of World War I. They were named after historical naval leaders. Only Shakespeare and...

 built at the end of World War I, with minor modifications. British pattern weapons were used. There was a limited modernisation in the 1950s when 40mm Bofors guns and updated sensors were fitted

Ships

All three ships were built by J. Samuel White

J. Samuel White

J. Samuel White was a British shipbuilding firm based in Cowes, taking its name from John Samuel White . It came to prominence during the Victorian era...

 & Co in Cowes

Cowes

Cowes is an English seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east Bank...

, Isle of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...

, The ships were named after provinces of Argentina

Ship	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned
ARA La Rioja (E-4)	2 February 1929	23 July 1929	April 1962
ARA Mendoza (E-3)	18 July 1928	24 January 1929	April 1962
ARA Tucuman (E-5)	16 October 1928	3 May 1929	April 1962