ARA El Plata (1874)

Watercolor of El Plata
History
Argentina
NameARA El Plata
BuilderLaird Brothers, Birkenhead
Launched29 August 1874
Stricken16 November 1927
FateSold, 1927
General characteristics (as built)
TypeEl 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.

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.

See also

References

Notes

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

Bibliography

  • Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-907-3.
  • "Ironclads Vasco da Gama and Andes". Warship International. X (1). Toledo, Ohio: Naval Records Club: 106–08. 1973.