Almirante Grau class cruiser
Almirante Grau during the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War of 1941
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Almirante Grau class |
| Builders: | Vickers Limited, Barrow |
| Operators: |
 Peruvian Navy
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| Built: | 1905–1907 |
| In commission: | 1906–1958 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Scrapped: | 2 |
| General characteristics (As built) | |
| Type: | Scout cruiser |
| Displacement: | 3,100 long tons (3,150 t) Normal |
| Length: | 115.82 m (380 ft) oa |
| Beam: | 12.34 m (40 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.267 m (14 ft) |
| Installed power: | 14,000 ihp (10,000 kW) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, triple-expansion steam engines |
| Speed: | 24 kn (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
| Range: | 3,276 nmi (6,067 km; 3,770 mi) at 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Complement: | 320 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: |
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The Almirante Grau class was a class of two scout cruisers built for the Peruvian Navy between 1905 and 1907. Both ships remained in service until 1958.
In 1905, Peru placed orders with the British shipbuilder Vickers for two scout cruisers, similar in design to Vickers' Sentinel class built for the British Royal Navy. Named Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi, the ships were far more powerful than any other ship in the Peruvian Navy, which had suffered severe damage in the War of the Pacific twenty years earlier and had not ordered any new warships since. As such, these ships were intended to be the "pioneers of the modern [Peruvian] Navy," which as of 1905 would eventually be composed of three Swiftsure-like pre-dreadnoughts, three armored cruisers, six destroyers, and numerous smaller warships, all acquired as part of a nine-year, $7 million outlay. None of these purchases came to fruition, and Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi remained the most powerful Peruvian warships for many years.
While scout cruisers were mainly used for working with destroyers while in British service, the Peruvian ships were far more powerful than any other ships in the country's navy, and remained that way for many years.Almirante Grau was only intended to be the fleet's flagship until a more powerful warship was purchased; along with Coronel Bolognesi, they would be the "pioneers" of a modern navy.
The ships were 115.82 metres (380 ft) long overall and 112.78 metres (370 ft) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 12.34 metres (40 ft 6 in) and a draught of 4.267 metres (14 ft). Displacement was 3,100 long tons (3,150 t) Normal. They were powered by two coal-fired four-cylinder triple-expansion steam engines, each driving a single propeller shaft. The engines were fed with steam at 1,700 kilopascals (250 psi) by ten Yarrow boilers. The machinery was rated at 14,000 indicated horsepower (10,000 kW) giving a contract speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph). 500 t of coal were carried, sufficient to give a range of 3,276 nautical miles (6,067 km; 3,770 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
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