The Fragata Sarmiento is a 19th-century sail-and-steam frigate moored in one of Puerto Madero's old docks and preserved as a museum ship. Built in England and launched in 1897, she served as the training vessel of the Argentine Navy and circled the globe dozens of times over four decades, carrying cadets on long ocean voyages before being retired and opened to the public in the 1960s.
She is remarkably well kept, her gleaming brass, polished wood, and rigging giving a vivid sense of life aboard a sailing warship. Below deck, displays of nautical instruments, uniforms, and curiosities gathered on her voyages — including a stuffed menagerie of animals collected around the world — fill the cramped cabins. It is an inexpensive, family-friendly stop that breaks up a walk along the Puerto Madero waterfront.