Almirante Lynch class destroyer

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Almirante Condell destroyer
Almirante Lynch class CN Ensign
General characteristics
Displacement:
  • 1,430 tons standard
  • 1,850 tons full load
Length: 101 mts (331 ft)
Beam: 9.9 mts (32 ft 6 in)
Draught: 3.35 mts (11 ft)
Propulsion:
  • 6 White-Forster type water-tube boilers
  • 3 shafts direct steam turbines, 30,000 hp
Speed: 31 kts
Range: 4,205 nm at 15 knots with 403 tons coal, 83 tons oil
Complement: 160 (197 in ex British ships)
Armament: As built;
  • 6 x 4 in L/40 QF Mark VI, single mounting P Mk. XI
  • 2 x twin tubes for 21 in torpedoes (4 x single in Botha)

As rearmed;

  • 2 x 4.7 in L/45 BL Mark I, single mounting CP Mk. VI
  • 2 x QF 2 pdr pom-pom Mk. II, single mounting HA Mk. II
  • 2 x 4 in L/40 QF Mark IV, single mounting P Mk. IX
  • 2 x twin tubes for 21 in torpedoes

The Almirante Lynch class destroyers were a group of ships built for the Chilean Navy just before World War I. The Chileans had long been customers of British shipyards and ordered six ships from J. Samuel White in 1911. These destroyers were a private design by J. Samuel White that were significantly larger and heavier armed than their contemporary British destroyers. They had four funnels, a tall, narrow fore funnel and three broad, short funnels behind.

They were initially armed with six single QF 4 inch guns, unusually arranged with four on the forecastle - two sided in front of the wheelhouse and two sided abreast it - the remaining pair being sided on the quarterdeck. These guns were of a novel Elswick design for the Chileans and when the ships were rearmed they were replaced with standard Royal Navy models. As rearmed in 1918 they carried a BL 4.7 inch gun on the forecastle and another on a bandstand between the after pair of funnels, retained the pair of 4 inch guns abreast the wheelhouse and had two QF 2 pounder pom-poms.

Only two ships were delivered before the outbreak of war and served in the Chilean Navy until 1945. The remaining four ships were purchased by the British in 1914 and fought in the Royal Navy during World War I as the Faulknor class Flotilla leaders. The three surviving ships were returned to the friendly nation of Chile in 1920, but being worn out were scrapped in 1933.

[edit] Ships

Ship Launched Commissioned Fate
Almirante Lynch 28 September 1912 1913 Decommissioned 1945
Almirante Condell 28 September 1912 January 1914 Decommissioned 1945
Almirante Riveros , (ex HMS Faulknor), ex Almirante Simpson 26 February 1914 late 1914 Returned to Chile 1920, Scrapped 1933
Almirante Uribe , (ex HMS Brooke (1914)), ex Almirante Goni 25 May 1914 Late 1914 Returned to Chile 1920, Scrapped 1933
Almirante Williams (ex HMS Botha) 2 December 1914 1915 Returned to Chile 1920, Scrapped 1933
HMS Tipperary, ex Almirante Riveros 5 March 1915 Early 1916 Sunk during Battle of Jutland, 31 May 1916


[edit] General characteristics

  • Armament
    • 6 - 4 in guns ( ex British ships had 2-4.7 inch & 2-4 inch guns)
    • 4 - Machine guns ( 2 pom poms in ex British ships)
    • 6 - 21 inch torpedo tubes (4 in ex British ships)

[edit] References

  • Whitley, M.J. (1988). Destroyers of World War 2. Cassell Publishing. ISBN 1-85409-521-8. 
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