ARA El Plata (1874)

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Monitor El Plata.jpg
Watercolor of El Plata
History
Flag of Argentina.svgArgentina
NameARA El Plata
Builder Laird Brothers, Birkenhead
Launched29 August 1874
Stricken16 November 1927
FateSold, 1927
General characteristics (as built)
Type El Plata-class monitor
Displacement1,535–1,677 long tons (1,560–1,704  t)
Length180 ft (54.9 m) (p/p)
Beam44 ft (13.4 m)
Draft9 ft 1 in (2.8 m)
Installed power750  ihp (560  kW)
Propulsion2 shafts, 2 compound steam engines
Speed9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Range1,400  nmi (2,600 km; 1,600 mi)
Complement120
Armament
Armor
  • Belt: 4.5–6 in (114–152 mm)
  • Deck: 1 in (25 mm)
  • Gun turret: 8–10 in (203–254 mm)

ARA El Plata was the first of two El Plata-class monitors built in Britain in the 1870s for the Argentine Navy.

Contents

Description

El Plata was 186 feet (56.7 m) long overall, with a beam of 44 feet (13.4 m) and a draft of 9.5–10.5 feet (2.9–3.2 m). She displaced 1,535–1,677 long tons (1,560–1,704 t), and her crew numbered 120 officers and enlisted men. [1]

The ship had two compound steam engines, each driving one propeller shaft, rated at a total power of 750 indicated horsepower (560 kW). This gave her a maximum speed of 9–9.5 knots (16.7–17.6 km/h; 10.4–10.9 mph). El Plata carried 120 long tons (122 t) of coal which gave her a range of approximately 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km; 1,600 mi). [1]

History

ARA El Plata was ordered by President Sarmiento in 1872, along with her sister ship Los Andes. [2] She was intended to serve as a river monitor, due to concerns regarding the use of low-freeboard turret ships at sea following the HMS Captain disaster. [2] Despite the Argentine Navy's concerns, she spent much of her service life on seagoing expeditions, and she also served as a guard ship for the mouths of major rivers.

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References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Chesneau & Kolesnik, p. 401; Ironclads Vasco da Gama and Andes, p. 108; Silverstone, p. 11
  2. 1 2 Branfill-Cook, Roger (30 August 2016). River Gunboats: An Illustrated Encyclopaedia. Casemate Publishers. ISBN   978-1-84832-380-3.

Bibliography