In 1966 this vessel obtained the world speed record in sailing on its voyage across the North Atlantic, covering a distance of 2,058.6 nautical miles (3,812.5 km) in 8 days and 12 hours.

The Rio Santiago Shipyard started its activities on June 15 of 1953, by the Decree N° 10.627 that established the creation of "Astilleros y Fábricas Navales del Estado (AFNE)", a company integrated by the "Astillero Río Santiago (ARS)" and by the "Fábrica Naval de Explosivos Azul (FANAZUL)", dependent of the Admiralty (Spanish: "Ministerio de Marina").

[citation needed] This factory, the largest in Argentina,[1] suffered its worst crisis in the 1990s when it almost became private, finally ending up as a part of the Buenos Aires province.

After suffering the third change of direction in two years, the Rio Santiago Shipyard was back to work at full capacity for the first time in two decades.

After president of Venezuela Hugo Chávez visited the shipyard in 2005, both governments signed contracts to provide eight tanks for the Venezuelan oil company.

In September 2010, signed a preliminary agreement with Ukrainian shipyard Chernomorsky Shipbuilding in order to gain experience in the construction of ice class ships.

[6] In August 2018, the company suffered multiple dismissals and, faced with the possible closure of the Río Santiago Shipyard plant, the workers mobilized in the city of La Plata to defend their jobs.

The buildings used to be united by a series of tunnels for the electric, water vapor, and compressed air feeders, which reach a length of more than five kilometers.