ALMIRANTE LATORRE (14) destroyer

[aukepalmhof]

Built as one of the County class guided missile destroyers under yard No 176 by Vickers-Armstrong in Newcastle upon Tyne for the Royal Navy.
13 September 1962 keel laid down.
09 July 1964 launched as HMS GLAMORGAN (D19), named after the Wells county of Glamorgan.
Displacement 6,200 tons standard, 6,800 tons full load, dim. 158.9 x 16.4 x 6.3m. (draught).
Powered COSAG with two Parsons Marine geared steam turbines, the gas turbines were manufactured by Yarrow & Co Ltd., Glasgow, 30,000 shp, twin shafts, speed 32.5 knots.
Range by a speed of 28 knots, 4,000 miles.
Armament: 1 – GWS 50 launcher for four Exocet anti-ship missiles placed after the refit), 1 – twin launcher for 30 Seaslug Mk2 SAM’s, 2 – twin Mk 6 4.5 inch DP gun when constructed, during the refit the B turret was replaced by four Exocet launchers, 2 – GWS 22 quadruple launchers for 32 Seacat SAMs, 2 – 20mm AA guns and 2 – 12.75 inch STWS 1 triple tubes for 12 Mk 46 anti submarine torpedoes.
One Wessex or Lynx HAS Mk 2 or 3 helicopter.
Crew 471.
11 October 1966 commissioned. Building cost around £14,100,000.

Between 1977 and 1979 she underwent a major refit.
02 April 1982 when war started in the Falkland Islands the GLAMORGAN was in a position off Gibraltar to take part in exercises; she was immediately diverted to join the main Royal Navy task force, and served as flagship for Admiral Sandy Woodward during the voyage south until 15 April, when he transferred his flag to HMS HERMES Her most useful armament proved to be her remaining twin 4.5-inch (114 mm) guns, which were used primarily to shell enemy positions on shore.
GLAMORGAN was first in action on the evening and night of 1 May when she joined forces with HMS ARROW and HMS ALACRITY to bombard Argentine positions around Stanley. The three British ships soon came under attack by IAI Dagger jets; two 500 lb bombs fell close alongside GLAMORGAN, causing minor underwater damage.
Two weeks later on 14 May she was again in action, this time supporting British special forces on Pebble Island in the west of the Falklands, and for the next two weeks until the end of May she was almost continuously engaged bombarding various shore positions on the east of the islands mainly as part of a plan to distract attention from the landings at San Carlos Water, but also against the airfield at Stanley and in support of British forces ashore. She even fired a Seaslug missile at the airstrip.
At the beginning of June, the task force having been reinforced with other ships, GLAMORGAN was detached to protect shipping in the Towing, Repair and Logistics Area (TRALA), some 200 miles (320 km) away from the islands, but as the campaign reached a climax she was recalled in the evening of 11 June to support the Royal Marines fighting the Battle of Two Sisters.
At 06:37 the following morning, she was attacked with a sea-to-sea Exocet missile fired from an improvised shore-based launcher on the back of a lorry trailer. The launcher had been removed from the destroyer ARA SEGUI, GLAMORGAN was steaming at about 20 knots (37 km/h) some 18 nautical miles (33 km) off shore. Her outdated radar systems could not detect the incoming missile (which was smaller and faster than they had been designed for), and it was spotted by the Officer of the Watch seconds before impact. The ship was moving fast enough to be able to turn rapidly away from the missile in the few seconds available, and the missile struck her port side towards the stern. The turn prevented the missile from striking the ship's side at right angles and penetrating; instead it hit the angle of the deck coaming and ricocheted into the hangar, causing the Wessex helicopter to explode and starting severe fires in the hangar, the kitchen and the main galley immediately below, although the missile's warhead did not detonate. Thirteen crew members were killed and more wounded. The ship was under way again with all fires extinguished by 10:00.
On the following day, repairs were made at sea and, after the Argentinean surrender on 14 June, more extensive repairs were undertaken in the sheltered bay of San Carlo Water. She sailed for home on 21 June, and re-entered Portsmouth on 10 July 1982 after 104 days at sea.
The ship was badly damaged and spent many months late 1982 for repair and refit on the yard. 1983 again in service and at sea.
1984 She assisted British peace-keeping troops along the Lebanon coast. 1986 Decommissioned .
01 October 1986 commissioned in the Chilean Navy as the ALMIRANTE LATORRE (14). 1996 The Sea Cat was replaced with the Barak SAM missile.
17 December 1998 decommissioned in Valparaiso.
28 December 1998 the ALMIRANTE LATORRE sailed from Valparaiso to Talcahuano. 11 April 2005 under tow from Talcahuano for the breakers yard, she sank off Arica.

Chile 1996 200p sg1753, scott1186

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_de ... te_Latorre http://www.armada.cl and other web-sites. The Encyclopedia of Warships.