Portugal interested in acquiring three scouts in 1910

Austro-Hungarian scout cruiser Admiral Spaun. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

With a letter of the US Legation at Lisbon dated 18 December 1911 received the Secretary of State a translation of a proposal of the Portuguese Minister of Navy dealing with increasing the fleet as published in the Diaro de Noticias. The plan could only be realized with a foreign loan so interested bankers needed active support of their governments. It included the building of three scouts of 3,500 tons each, maximum horsepower 22,000 hp and a speed of 27 knots. The armour was to consist of about 6cm at the sides and a 2cm thick protected deck.Armament 4-12cm cal 50 guns, 4-7.6cm cal 50 guns and 2 torpedo tubes. Cost of each scout 1,600,000.000 dollars, total cost 4,800,000.00 dollars. Scouts were to be of the Admiral Spaun type with slight alterations.

Note

1. Austro-Hungarian scout cruiser SMS Admiral Spaun, laiud down by Pola Navy Yard, Pola [nowadays Pula, Crotia] on 30 May 1908, launched on 30 October 1909, commissioned on 15 Novemnber 1910, transferred to State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs on 31 October 1918, seized by Italian forces on 9 November 1918, handed over to the Allied powers on 10 November 1918, ceded to the United Kingdom in 1920 and sold to be broken up in Italy executed between 1920-1921.

Source

Record Group 64: Records of the National Archives and Records Administration Series: Records of the Department of State Relating to Internal Affairs of Portugal. Military Affairs and the Army: 853.20 - 853.206/7 THRU Naval Affairs, Navy, Naval Vessels: Equipment and Supplies: 853.34 - 853.348. Microcopy 705 roll 13