Serrano-class destroyer

Due to its longstanding relationship with the United Kingdom and the quality of British destroyer designs at the time, Chile opted for the John I. Thornycroft & Company option in an international competition to build the Chilean Navy new destroyers.[1][2] The design followed a standard British layout, but was reduced in size and power.[2] The destroyers had a standard displacement of 1,090 long tons (1,107 t) and were 1,430 long tons (1,453 t) at full load. They were 91.44 m (300 ft 0 in) long overall and 87.86 m (288 ft 3 in) between perpendiculars with a beam of 8.84 m (29 ft 0 in) and a mean draught of 3.86 m (12 ft 8 in).[1][2]

The destroyers were propelled by two shafts turned by Parsons-type geared turbines rated at 28,000 shp (20,880 kW). These in turn were powered by steam from three Thornycroft boilers. The vessels had a maximum speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) and carried 320 long tons (325 t) of fuel oil. They had a complement of 130 officers and ratings. During sea trials, all six destroyers exceeded their designed speed by 1–1+1⁄2 knots (1.9–2.8 km/h; 1.2–1.7 mph).[1][2]

The Serrano class was armed with three single 4.7-inch (120 mm)/45 calibre guns with half-height gun shields.[lower-alpha 1] The lack of a fourth gun on the quarterdeck allowed the destroyers to be fitted with minelaying or minesweeping gear. Serrano, Orella and Hyatt were fitted for minelaying, while Riquelme, Aldea and Videla were fitted for minesweeping. For secondary armament for anti-aircraft (AA) defence, the Serrano class was fitted with a single 3-inch (76 mm)/40 AA gun and three machine guns. The destroyers also had two triple-mounted torpedo tubes for 21-inch (533 mm) torpedoes.[2] They were fitted with two depth charge throwers for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).[1]

Serrano and Orella entered service with the Chilean Navy in 1928, followed by the rest of the class in 1929. The light construction of the vessels made them inadequate for the rough waters off the southern coast of Chile, and battleship deployments to that region required that the Serrano class be left behind and older destroyers provide escort. As Chile remained neutral during World War II, the service lives of the Serrano class remained relatively uneventful. Following the war, four of the class, Serrano, Hyatt, Orella and Riquelme, were converted to destroyer escorts in the mid-1950s. The two unmodified ships, Aldea and Videla were decommissioned in 1957 and the four destroyer escorts remained in service until 1962.[2]

• Chilean destroyer Serrano (1896)

• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Whitley, M. J. (2000) [1988]. Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-326-1.