HMS Canada (1913)

Super-Dreadnought Battleship [ 1915 ]

HMS Canada began her service life with the British Royal Navy in World War 1 and was then sold to the Chilean Navy in 1920.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/29/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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Built by Armstrong Whitworth at Elswick, HMS Canada served the British Royal Navy during World War 1 (1914-1918) after it was ordered by the government of Chile. While Chile looked to match its South American neighbors in the region's naval race, the British entry into the First World War required any and all warships to fighter the good fight. The hull of what was to become "Canada" was laid down on November 27th, 1911 but purchased by the British government for Royal Navy (RN) service. Launched on November 27th, 1913 as "Almirante Latorre", the warship was acquired by the British on September 9th, 1914 and commissioned into RN service on October 15th, 1915 as "HMS Canada" - it was not until well after the war in April 1920 that the warship was officially sold off to Chile to end its days.

Like other warships of the British cause during World War 1, HMS Canada was one of the participants in the famous Battle of Jutland of May-June 1916. Tactically inconclusive, the battle nonetheless kept the German High Seas Fleet contained for the remainder of the war while the British Grand Fleet suffered greater losses in participating ships. HMS Canada survived the battle and the whole of the war.

In Chilean Navy service, the aging vessel became the fleet's flagship. From 1929 until 1931, it returned to British waters for a much-needed modernization. A September 1931 mutiny damaged the ships reputation and the fallout of the Great Depression forced the veteran into reserve status. It returned to active service by the time of World War 2 (1939-1945) where it serve the Chilean Navy in general patrol sorties in local waters. Her end came in 1959 when she was stripped of her usefulness, sold off, and ultimately scrapped in Japan.

As built, the warship displaced 29,060 tons under load and had a length of 625 feet, a beam of 92.5 feet, and a draught of 33 feet. The coal-and-oil-fed propulsion system included 21 x Yarrow boilers feeding Parsons low-pressure stream turbines and Brown-Curtis high-pressure steam turbines. Output power was 37,000 horsepower which allowed for speeds of nearly 23 knots.

Aboard was a complement of 834 officers and enlisted. Armor protection reached 9 inches at the belt, 1.5 inches at the deck, 10 inches at the barbettes, and 10 inches at the primary turrets. The all-important conning tower was protected over in 11 inches of armor plate.

Armament centered on 10 x 14" (356mm) /45 caliber BL main guns backed by 16 x 6" (152mm) secondary guns and 2 x 3" (76mm) Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns. The main guns were set in pairs across five turrets, two fitted at the forecastle, one near midships, and the remaining two facing the stern. The sixteen 6" emplacements dotted the forward and rear hull superstructures to provide all-around firing capability. There were also 4 x 47mm automatic cannons and 4 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes installed - giving the warship considerable firepower for its time at sea.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1915

Origin

United Kingdom

Status

DECOMMISSIONED
Destroyed, Scrapped.

Complement

1,176
PERSONNEL

Class

Iron Duke-class

Number-in-Class

2
VESSELS

Ships-in-Class

HMS Canada (Almirante Latorre); HMS Eagle (Almirante Cochran)

United Kingdom; Chile (as Almirante Latorre)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.

✓ Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.

✓ Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.

✓ Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.

✓ Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.

✓ Flag Ship / Capital Ship
Serving in the fleet Flag Ship role or Capital Ship in older warship designs / terminology.

Length

661.0 ft
201.47 m

Beam

92.0 ft
28.04 m

Draught

29.0 ft
8.84 m

Displacement

32,120
tons

Installed Power: 21 x Yarrow boilers with low pressure Parsons steam turbines and high pressure Brown-Curtis steam turbines generating 37,000 shaft horsepower.

Surface Speed

23.0 kts
(26.5 mph)

Range

4,402 nm
(5,066 mi | 8,153 km)

10 x BL 14" (356mm) /45 caliber turreted main guns.

12 x 6" (152mm) secondary guns (barbettes).

2 x 3-inch (76mm) Anti-Aircraft (AA) guns.

4 x 3-pdr (47mm) tertiary guns.

4 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes (submerged).

Supported Types

Graphical image of a modern warship turreted deck gun armament

Graphical image of a historical warship turreted main gun armament

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

None.

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