Chilean ship Almirante Lynch (1891)
Encyclopedia
The gun torpedo vessels Almirante Lynch and her sister ship
Almirante Condell, were purchased in England and launched in 1890.
torpedo
tubes, one in the bow and two in each broadside. They also had two fourteen-pounder guns in echelon on the forecastle and one on the poop, four 3-pounder guns, and two machine guns.
in the Chilean Civil War
of 1891. During the war, on April 23, 1891, the Almirante Lynch and her sister ship
Almirante Condell attacked and sank the rebel ironclad frigate Blanco Encalada (1875). Early in April a portion of the revolutionary squadron, comprising the Blanco Encalada and other ships, was sent southward for reconnoitring purposes and put into the port of Caldera. During the night of April 23, and whilst the "Blanco Encalada " was lying quietly at anchor in Caldera Bay, the Almirante Lynch torpedo gunboat, belonging to the Balmaceda faction, steamed into the bay of Caldera and discharged a torpedo at the rebel ship. The "Blanco Encalada " sank in a few minutes and 300 of her crew perished. This coup severely weakened the Congressional squadron. This was the first successful torpedo attack on a warship.
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
Almirante Condell, were purchased in England and launched in 1890.
Design
The vessels had a high forecastle and poop, and a ram on the bow. the hulls were steel. The principal armament was five WhiteheadRobert Whitehead
Robert Whitehead was an English engineer. He developed the first effective self-propelled naval torpedo. His company, located in the Austrian naval centre in Fiume, was the world leader in torpedo development and production up to the First World War.- Early life:He was born the son of a...
torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
tubes, one in the bow and two in each broadside. They also had two fourteen-pounder guns in echelon on the forecastle and one on the poop, four 3-pounder guns, and two machine guns.
Service History
Almirante Lynch was part of the small force of ships at disposal of José Manuel BalmacedaJosé Manuel Balmaceda
José Manuel Emiliano Balmaceda Fernández was the 11th President of Chile from September 18, 1886 to August 29, 1891. Balmaceda was part of the Castilian-Basque aristocracy in Chile...
in the Chilean Civil War
Chilean Civil War
The Chilean Civil War of 1891 was an armed conflict between forces supporting Congress and forces supporting the sitting President, José Manuel Balmaceda. The war saw a confrontation between the Chilean Army and the Chilean Navy, which had sided with the president and the congress, respectively...
of 1891. During the war, on April 23, 1891, the Almirante Lynch and her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
Almirante Condell attacked and sank the rebel ironclad frigate Blanco Encalada (1875). Early in April a portion of the revolutionary squadron, comprising the Blanco Encalada and other ships, was sent southward for reconnoitring purposes and put into the port of Caldera. During the night of April 23, and whilst the "Blanco Encalada " was lying quietly at anchor in Caldera Bay, the Almirante Lynch torpedo gunboat, belonging to the Balmaceda faction, steamed into the bay of Caldera and discharged a torpedo at the rebel ship. The "Blanco Encalada " sank in a few minutes and 300 of her crew perished. This coup severely weakened the Congressional squadron. This was the first successful torpedo attack on a warship.