Almirante Brown 1931
Veinticinco de Mayo 1945
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| Almirante Brown | C1 | OTO, Sestri Ponente, Italy | 12.10.1927 | 28.9.1929 | 18.7.1931 | stricken 6.1961 | |
| Veinticinco de Mayo | C2 | 163 | OTO, Livorno, Italy | 29.11.1927 | 11.8.1929 | 11.7.1931 | stricken 3.1960 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
6800 |
|
Displacement full, t |
9000 |
|
Length, m |
162.5 pp 170.8 oa |
|
Breadth, m |
17.8 |
|
Draught, m |
4.66 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
2 sets Parsons geared turbines, 6 Yarrow boilers |
|
Power, h. p. |
85000 |
|
Max speed, kts |
32 |
|
Fuel, t |
oil 2300 |
|
Endurance, nm(kts) |
8030(14) |
|
Armour, mm |
belt: 70, bulkheads: 60 - 40, deck: 25, turrets: 50, CT: 65 |
|
Armament |
3 x 2 - 190/52 Odero-Terni, 6 x 1 - 102/45 Odero-Terni, 6 x 1 - 40/39 Vickers-Terni 1917, 6 - 533 TT (beam, 12), 1 catapult, 2 seaplanes (O2U Corsair) |
|
Complement |
780 |
Project history: To the mid-1920s
Argentina had the most numerous Navy on continent, however its cruiser forces
hopelessly become outdated. The ten years Naval programme accepted in 1926 with
total cost of 75 million peso, provided
building of three heavy cruisers. Competition has benefited
by OTO, the same year received an order on two ships (the third was financed, but
never ordered).
Design was developed on a basis
of Italian heavy cruiser Trento, but differed
by decreased dimensions, main guns calibre, protection and machinery structure. Though cruiser possessed a set of lacks peculiar to Italian shipbuilding school (hull
construction weakness, insufficient machinery reliability, congestion by armament), nevertheless,
they have allowed the Argentina Navy to go out on qualitatively new level and next two decades have ensured the resolute superiority over
navies of the basic contenders, Brazil and Chile.
The hull had a bulb and big bow flare, but, unlike a prototype,
had a forecastle.
Odero-Terni 190mm/52 guns were the forced version of 190mm/45
guns installed on British Hawkins class
cruisers. Turrets were designed on the basis of turrets
of Trento, guns were in common gun slides with maximal elevation angle 46°. TTs were
fixed and placed on a main deck. In a fore end there
was "Gagnotto" catapult and underdeck hangar containing 2 seaplanes (originally Vought 02U Corsair,
later Grumman G5).
Machinery took places by linear
scheme. On trials at forced draught ships reached 116000hp and 33.5kts, but in
service conditions speed was significantly lower.
In 1937 inconvenient in usage catapult was landed from both ships, hangar was used for placing of additional accommodation spaces. In 1939 behind a
funnel new rotating catapult was installed; thus the height of funnel was increased, the superstructure form
was altered. In 1944 new cranes were mounted. In days of war Supermarine Walrus
and Grumman G15 Duck seaplanes were based on cruisers.
Both ships arrived to Argentina 15.9.1931.
Ship protection: Protection scheme as a whole repeated Trento, differing in smaller thickness of horizontal protection. The citadel was stretched from bow to aft turret. 70mm belt was closed by 60-40mm transverse bulkheads, and was connected by the upper edge with flat 25mm main deck. Above a belt the side up to upper deck level was protected by 25mm plating.
Modernizations: 1937, both: - catapult, 2 seaplanes
1939, both: + new rotated catapult, 2 seaplanes (Walrus); funnel was raised
1949, both: + type 268 radar
6/1950, both: - 6 x 1 - 40/39; + 4 x 2 - 40/60 Mk 1
1956, both: - 6 x 1 - 102/45, 1 catapult, 2 seaplanes; + 6 x 2 - 40/60 Mk 1
Naval service: Almirante Brown was damaged 3.10.1941 at collision with destroyer Corrientes and battleship Rivadavia: repair was lasted 3 months. Both were broken up in Italy in 1962.
Almirante Brown 1931
Veinicinco de Mayo 1946
Many thanks to Wolfgang Stöhr for additional information on this page.
© Ivan Gogin, 2011-15