British battleships (ex-Libertad 1902-1903) HMS Triumph 1902-1915

Swiftsure-class

Lord Nelson-class

Laid down as the Libertad for Chilean account at Vickers, Sons&Maxim, Barrow-in-Furness on 26 February 1902, launched on 15 January 1903, completed in June 1904, commissioned o 21 June 1904, added to the China Station on 28 August 1913, laid up in reserve at Hong Kong, commissioned in August 1914 and finally sunk off the Gaba Tepe by the German submarine U-21 when she was firing at Ottoman fortifications in the Dardanelles on 25 July 1915. Building costs without armament 847.520 pond sterling.

Of the Swiftsure-class consisting of the Swiftsure and the Triumph, preceded by the King Edward VII-class and succeeded by the Lord Nelson-class. The battleships were ordered by Chile as a result of a disturbed relation with Argentina as a countermeasure against the two armoured cruisers (1) to be built for Argentina. For this reason were both ships smaller as most of the contemporarily battleships and lighter armed and regarded as 2nd class battleships conform British standards. Their dimensions depended on the limits of the graving dock at Talcahuano, Chile. The ships were acquired on 3 December 1903 for 2.430.000 pond sterling by the British government to prevent that Russia would buy them as preparations for a probably armed conflict with Japan.

 General technical class specifications. With a displacement of 12.370 (normal)-14.060 (deep load) tons and as dimensions 144,9 (over all) x 21,7 x 8,3 metres or 475.3 x 71.1 x 27.4 feet. The 2-4cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines and 12 Yarrow boilers supplied via 2 shafts 12.500 ihp a speed of 19 knots and with 10 knots a range of 6,210 nautical miles. Their crew numbered 803 men. The armament consisted of 2x2-25,4cm/10” breech loading guns, 14x1-7,5” breech loading guns, 14x1-14pd quick firing guns, 4x1-5pd quick firing guns and 2x1-45cm/18” submerged torpedo tubes. The armament consisted of a 7,6-17,8cm/3-7” thick belt, 5,1-15,2cm/2-6” thick bulkheads, 2,5-7,6cm/1-3” thick decks with the conning tower, greets, barbettes and casemates protected by respectively 27,9cm/11”, 20,3-25,4cm/8-10”, 5,1-25,4cm2-1)  and 17,8cm/7”.

Note
1. Argentina sold both armoured cruisers named Rivadavia and Moreno and built in Italy at Japan.