Английская Википедия:Bahia-class cruiser
Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship class overviewШаблон:Infobox ship characteristics
The Bahia class was a pair of scout cruisers built for Brazil by Armstrong Whitworth in the United Kingdom, based on a design that borrowed heavily from the British Шаблон:Sclass scout cruisers. The class comprised the lead ship Шаблон:Ship and her sister Шаблон:Ship, along with a canceled third ship, Ceara.[1] Both were named after states of Brazil. As a class, they were the fastest cruisers in the world when commissioned, and the first in the Brazilian Navy to use steam turbines for propulsion.
In the mid-1920s, both ships were extensively modernized with three new Brown–Curtis turbine engines and six new Thornycroft boilers, and, in the process, was converted from coal-burning ships to oil-burning. The refit resulted in a striking aesthetic change, with the exhaust being trunked into three funnels, instead of two. The armament was also modified; three [[Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon|Шаблон:Convert Madsen guns]], a Шаблон:Convert Hotchkiss machine gun, and four Шаблон:Convert torpedo tubes were added.
In the Second World War, both were used as convoy escorts. On 4 July 1945, Bahia was lost after an accident caused a massive explosion which incapacitated the ship and sunk her within minutes, resulting a large loss of life. Rio Grande do Sul survived the war and was scrapped in 1948.
Design
The class's design borrowed heavily from the British Шаблон:Sclass scout cruisers.[2] The ships displaced Шаблон:Convert,[2][3] and their dimensions were Шаблон:Convert overall, Шаблон:Convert between perpendiculars, Шаблон:Convert at the beam, and a draft of Шаблон:Convert forward, Шаблон:Convert amidships, and Шаблон:Convert aft.[3] They were powered by five Parsons steam turbines, and ten Yarrow boilers, with a coal bunker that could hold a normal load of Шаблон:Convert, and a maximum load of Шаблон:Convert.[4]
The Bahia class was designed to reach a speed of Шаблон:Convert;[3] both ships exceeded this during trials with Bahia reaching Шаблон:Convert at trial.[2] As designed, the class's range was Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert, or Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert.[4] The class was armed with ten Шаблон:Convert/50 caliber, six [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss|QF 3 pounder Шаблон:Convert/50 caliber guns]][2][3] and two Шаблон:Convert torpedo tubes.[2] The class was lightly armored with only Шаблон:Convert of deck armor, with the conning tower having Шаблон:Convert.[2] Vickers would later pitch the Bahia design to the Ottoman Navy in 1912, but nothing came of it prior to the outbreak of the First World War.[5]
Construction
The class was part of a large 1904 naval building program by Brazil.[6][7] Also planned as part of this were the two Шаблон:Sclass dreadnoughts, ten Шаблон:Sclasss, three submarines and a submarine tender.[7][8] With a design that borrowed heavily from the British Adventure-class scout cruisers,[2] BahiaШаблон:'s keel was laid first on 19 August 1907 in Armstrong Whitworth's Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne yard, followed by Rio Grande do Sul 30 August 1907.[2][9] Construction took about a year and a half, and both ships were launched in 1909.[6][9]Шаблон:Efn-ua Both ships were completed and commissioned into the navy in 1910.[3] As a class, Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul were the fastest cruisers in the world when they were commissioned,[2] and the first in the Brazilian Navy to utilize steam turbines for propulsion.[3]
Modernization
Шаблон:Multiple image In the mid-1920s,[2][3][6]Шаблон:Efn-ua the class underwent significant modernization.[3] The original five turbines were replaced by three Brown–Curtiss turbines, while the original ten boilers were replaced by six Thornycroft oil-burning boilers, which necessitated the addition of a third funnel. The former coal bunkers, along with some of the space freed up by the decrease in boilers, were converted to hold Шаблон:Convert of oil.[3] These changes resulted in BahiaШаблон:'s top speed increasing to Шаблон:Convert.[2] All of the boats on board were replaced, and three [[Madsen 20 mm anti-aircraft cannon|Шаблон:Convert Madsen guns]], a Шаблон:Convert Hotchkiss machine gun, and four Шаблон:Convert torpedo tubes were added to give the ship a defense against aircraft and more power against surface ships.[3]
The class was modernized again twice during the Second World War, in both 1942 and 1944. The modernizations were not as extensively as it was in the 1920s; the Brazilian Navy's official history of Bahia reports these but does not specify what modifications the ship underwent in which year.[3] Two [[QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss|Шаблон:Convert]] guns were replaced with Шаблон:Convert L/23 AA guns, Madsen guns were replaced with seven Oerlikon 20 mm cannons in single mounts, and a director for these guns was installed.[3] Two depth charge tracks were added, improved range-finders were added to the Шаблон:Convert guns, and sonar and radar were fitted, in addition to other minor modifications.[3]Шаблон:Efn-ua
Loss of the Bahia
On 4 July 1945, Bahia was acting as a plane guard for transport aircraft flying from the Atlantic to Pacific theaters of war. While BahiaШаблон:'s gunners were firing at a kite for anti-aircraft practice, one fired too low and hit depth charges stored near the stern of the ship. A massive explosion incapacitated the ship and sank her within minutes, resulting a large loss of life.[2][10][11]
Notes
Footnotes
References
- ↑ "The Brazilian Navy," Times (London), 28 December 1909, 48f.
- ↑ 2,00 2,01 2,02 2,03 2,04 2,05 2,06 2,07 2,08 2,09 2,10 2,11 Ошибка цитирования Неверный тег
<ref>; для сносокConwaysне указан текст - ↑ 4,0 4,1 Ошибка цитирования Неверный тег
<ref>; для сносокJANESне указан текст - ↑ Шаблон:Cite book
- ↑ 6,0 6,1 6,2 Шаблон:Cite web
- ↑ 7,0 7,1 Gardiner and Gray eds. (1985), p. 403
- ↑ Scheina (2003), p. 37
- ↑ 9,0 9,1 Шаблон:Csr
- ↑ Scheina (2003), p. 427
- ↑ Шаблон:Cite magazine
