Almirante Latorre-class battleship

The '''''Almirante Latorre'' class''' consisted of two [[super-dreadnought battleship]]s designed and constructed by the British company [[Armstrong Whitworth]] for the [[Chilean Navy]].

The '''''Almirante Latorre'' class''' consisted of two [[super-dreadnought battleship]]s designed and constructed by the British company [[Armstrong Whitworth]] for the [[Chilean Navy]].

The ships, which resembled the [[Royal Navy]]'s ''[[Iron Duke-class battleship|Iron Duke]]'' class, were intended to be Chile's entries to the [[South American dreadnought race]]. However, both were purchased by the [[Royal Navy]] prior to completion for use in the [[World War I|First World War]]. Only one, {{ship|Chilean battleship|Almirante Latorre||2}} ({{HMS|Canada|1913|6}}), was finished as a battleship; {{ship|Chilean battleship|Almirante Cochrane||2}} ({{HMS|Eagle|1918|6}}), was converted to an [[aircraft carrier]]. Under their Chilean names, they honored Admirals (''Almirantes'') [[Juan José Latorre]] and [[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald|Thomas Cochrane]]; they took their British names from what was then a dominion of [[Canada]] and a [[HMS Eagle|traditional ship name in the Royal Navy]].

The ships, which resembled the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[Iron Duke-class battleship|''Iron Duke'' class]], were intended to be Chile's entries to the [[South American dreadnought race]]. However, both were purchased by the [[Royal Navy]] prior to completion for use in the [[World War I|First World War]]. Only one, {{ship|Chilean battleship|Almirante Latorre||2}} ({{HMS|Canada|1913|6}}), was finished as a battleship; {{ship|Chilean battleship|Almirante Cochrane||2}} ({{HMS|Eagle|1918|6}}), was converted to an [[aircraft carrier]]. Under their Chilean names, they honored Admirals (''Almirantes'') [[Juan José Latorre]] and [[Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald|Thomas Cochrane]]; they took their British names from what was then a dominion of [[Canada]] and a [[HMS Eagle|traditional ship name in the Royal Navy]].

At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Chile was engaged in an [[Argentine–Chilean naval arms race|intense naval competition]] with its neighbor Argentina. This ended peacefully in 1902, but less than a decade later Argentina responded to Brazil's order for two [[dreadnought]]s with two of its own. The Chilean congress responded by allocating money for its own dreadnoughts, which were ordered from the United Kingdom despite a strong push from the American government for the contracts, probably due to Chile's traditionally strong ties with the British.

At the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries, Chile was engaged in an [[Argentine–Chilean naval arms race|intense naval competition]] with its neighbor Argentina. This ended peacefully in 1902, but less than a decade later Argentina responded to Brazil's order for two [[dreadnought]]s with two of its own. The Chilean congress responded by allocating money for its own dreadnoughts, which were ordered from the United Kingdom despite a strong push from the American government for the contracts, probably due to Chile's traditionally strong ties with the British.