Chilean battleship Capitán Prat
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Chile
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| Name: | Capitán Prat |
| Namesake: | Captain Arturo Prat |
| Operator: | Chilean Navy |
| Ordered: | 18 April 1889 |
| Builder: | La Seyne |
| Laid down: | 1889 |
| Launched: | 20 December 1890 |
| Acquired: | May 1893 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap in 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Ironclad battleship |
| Displacement: | 6,901 t (6,792 long tons; 7,607 short tons) |
| Length: | 328 ft (100 m) |
| Beam: | 60 ft 8 in (18.49 m) |
| Draft: | 22 ft 10 in (6.96 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 18.3 kn (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) |
| Complement: | 480 |
| Armament: |
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| Armor: |
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Capitán Prat was a unique ironclad battleship of the Chilean Navy built in the late 1880s and completed in 1890. Armed with a main battery of four 9.4 in (240 mm) guns in four single turrets, Capitán Prat was the first battleship in the world to be equipped with an electrical system. She was built in the La Seyne dockyard in France, and commissioned into the Chilean fleet in 1891. Foreign navies tried to purchase the ship twice before the outbreak of wars, including an American attempt in 1898 and a Japanese offer in 1903.
Capitán Prat served in the fleet for about ten years, until she was disarmed in accordance with a treaty signed with Argentina intended to stop a naval arms race between the two countries. The ship returned to service, however, and remained on active duty with the fleet until 1926, when she was reduced to a coastal defense ship. In 1928–1930, she was used as a submarine tender, and in 1935, she was disarmed and used as a training ship for engineers. She remained in the Navy's inventory until 1942, when she was sold for scrap.
Capitán Prat was 328 feet (100 m) long between perpendiculars and had a beam of 60 ft 8 in (18.49 m). She displaced 6,901 metric tons (6,792 long tons; 7,607 short tons) and had a draft of 22 ft 10 in (6.96 m). Her hull was steel-built, with wood and copper sheathing, and was equipped with a ram bow. The ship mounted two masts, both with fighting tops. She had a crew of 480 officers and enlisted men.
She was powered by a pair of horizontal expansion engines that were supplied with steam by five cylindrical boilers. The boilers were trunked into two funnels on the centerline. Her propulsion system was rated at 12,000 indicated horsepower (8,900 kW) for a top speed of 18.3 kn (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph). She was designed to carry 400 t (390 long tons; 440 short tons) of coal, though she could carry up to 1,100 t (1,100 long tons; 1,200 short tons). She was the first battleship of any navy to utilize electricity to power machinery.
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