Almirante Lynch-class destroyer (1912)

Almirante Lynch-class destroyer (1912)
Almirante Condell
Class overview
Builders:	J. Samuel White, United Kingdom
Operators:	Chilean Navy Royal Navy
Built:	1911–1915
In commission:	1913–1945
Planned:	6
Completed:	6
Lost:	1
General characteristics
Type:	Destroyer
Displacement:	1,430 long tons (1,453 t) standard 1,850 long tons (1,880 t) full load
Length:	101 m (331 ft 4 in)
Beam:	9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
Draught:	3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
Propulsion:	6 × Foster-White type Water-tube boilers 3 shaft Parsons direct turbines 30,000 hp (22,371 kW)
Speed:	31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph)
Range:	4,205 nmi (7,788 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) with 403 tons coal, 83 tons oil
Complement:	160 (197 in ex-British ships)
Armament:	As built; • 6 × 4 in L/40 QF Mark VI, single mounting P Mk. XI • 2 × twin tubes for 21 in (530 mm) torpedoes (4 × single in Botha) As rearmed; • 2 × BL 4.7 in (120mm) L/45 Mark I, single mounting CP Mk. VI • 2 × QF 2 pdr pom-pom Mk. II, single mounting HA Mk. II • 2 × 4 in L/40 QF Mark IV, single mounting P Mk. IX • 2 × twin tubes for 21-inch 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, and formed the Almirante Williams class - taking their name from the original name of HMS Botha - but being worn out were scrapped in 1933.

The class of ships was named after Admiral Patricio Lynch, Chilean sailor, hero of the War of the Pacific.

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 Broke), 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

General characteristics

Armament

• 6 × 4 in (100 mm) guns (ex British ships had 2 × 4.7 in (120 mm) and 2 × 4 inch guns)
• 4 × machine guns (2 × pom-poms in ex-British ships)
• 6 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (4 in ex-British ships)

References

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