11 may 1916

CR Amazonas & Tender Nevado Huascaran call in Esmaralda escorted by a GC patrol boat.
These 2 ships cross directly the Pacific - 9460nm in 39 days.

Crews of GC Cruisers salute the entrance of the Peruvian ships.

3 Colombians injured in Bharat, now in better condition are transfered to Esmeralda hospital.

Capitan Catalano accept fresh foods from GC, chickens, fruits & good wines, but decline the offer to refuelling.
He answer to the Officer with a large smile:
We have enough oil to go to Valparaiso

...

But...but...our oil is only made from the finest dinosaurs!

Is there such a thing as a good Colombian wine?

The Peruvians must think so.  Evidently Charles failed to keep me from acquiring grape vines like he'd threatened.

Gran Colombia has acces to the fines grapevines in the world.

Envoy Jardan has imported 5 different French vines for his wifes wineyard.

*doh*.....


Plans covert Commando Raid of a Vineyard

12 may 1916

After a quiet night in Esmeraldas, Amazonas & Nevado Huascaran left the harbor in the morning.
They have 900nm to go to Callao.


15 may 1916

Early in the afternoon, Amazonas & Nevado Huascaran arrive in Callao.

They are wellcome home said Almirante Commandante del Armada  - Fidel Salazar Vencedores
La "Musica del Armada" is playing for the entrance in the harbor.
.

Ships & crews are tired, they have made since 22 oct 1915 about 27000nm during the cruise to Bharat.


16 may 1916

Ships are placed for maintenance & crews are free for 6 weeks.

1 july 1916

Fleet Tender Nevado Pisco change statut: active to mobilized.


3 july 1916

A second FT3500t - Nevado Huaytapallana - in Pisco is reactived to 72h

7 July 1916

Nevado Pisco & Nevado Huaytapallana left Callao to San Miguelito
They have just enough oil for the cruise to GC.
They are lend to GC for a period of 6 months.



10 July 1916

They arrived at San Miguelito. They are now under orders of GC Admiralty.

11 july 1916

4800t Escort Cruisers IncaRoca (flag) & Yahuar Huacac
750t Torpedo Boats Sucre, Cochabamba, Potosi & Oruro
3500t Fleet Tender Nevado Huascaran
Placed in Mobilised status are "under 24 H".

This squadron is under orders of Contra-Admiral Jose Luis Deganio

12 july 1916
Squadron of Contra-Admiral Deganio left Callao.
Escort Cruisers & Torpedo Boats are 4 to 5% overloaded for a long cruise.

22 july 1916
Message receive on EC Inca Roca from Callao:
stop-To CA Deganio-stop
War status between RRC vs
Iberia & GC-stop
Your destination is always Philippines-stop
Fleet "Alert Status Level 2"-stop-stop

4 august 1916
The Squadron call 24 H in Pago Pago for refuelling

22 august 1916
Contra-Admiral Deganio Squadron "could be" in Manilla Bay (That depend Navalism History)


Nota:
"Alert Status Level 1" = Peace vigilance
"Alert Status Level 2" = Reinforce vigilance
"Alert Status Level 3" = War vigilance

22 july 1916

Message receive from Minister Del Defensa  - Senor Julio Sorena

To all warships Mobilised "Alert Status Level 2"

29 july 1916

Meeting of Armada Almirantes – Armada Departement

Almirante Commandante del Armada  - Fidel Salazar Vencedores
Almirante Enrico de Chunchoa commandante del 1st BS
Almirante Alessandro Baltazar commandante del 2nd BS
Almirante Cesar Augusto Peludo commandante del 3rd BS


Almirante Commandante del Armada  - Fidel Salazar Vencedores
  -  Senors,
This meeting is made to discuss about the future status of the 2 Antofagasta Battleships.
These Battleships are recent, well balanced but, too small & not well adapted in a modern battleline.
Almirante Baltazar made an interresting suggest to me about this class.
Allessandro...

-   Thank you Salazar.
BB Antofagasta commissioned in 1908 & BB LaPaz commissioned in 1911 are going to have the 1st maintenance in 1918 & 1921.
As you know Almirantes, much Fleet in the world use Battle Cruisers, big Armored Cruisers or Frigates.
The first generation of that class of ships are from 10 000t to 20 000t. We have no ships to engage these ships, or, just Atahualpa.
You know that I am not a friend of those Battlecruisers, they are for me "paper tiger" they have big guns, they run fast & they are unable to receive heavy shells.
Normaly to finish the Second Building Plan, a fast 12000t Armored Cruiser is in the program.
I propose to affect the steel of that cruiser to the rebuilt of Autofagasta & LaPaz...

-   Almirante Peludo
What!!!
We are destitute in fast Cruisers & you are going to take the steel for the Battleships!!!

Almirante Baltazar
-   Yes, but for rebuilt them as Armored Cruisers

Almirante Peludo
-   Armored Cruisers?

Admiral Chunchoa
-   Interresting Alessandro, I would like how you do this?

Almirante Baltazar
-   Fire exercices of the last years & again today show us that a warship with 4 main guns had low chance to hit a target.
To upgrade Antofagasta, I have study the possibility to install another turret front, to have 6 x340

Admiral Chunchoa
-   WAOUH!!!
You must rebuild the ship.

Almirante Baltazar
-   The first half part.
The actual front turret 'll be a B superfiring & I add A turret before.

Admiral Chunchoa
Ah, I see.
Rebuilt the forepart to have 2 turrets & a battleship with 6x340.
You hope to engage 20 000t Battle Cruiser with that new Antofagasta ?

Almirante Baltazar
-   Yes,
We have informations from our Secret Services & Allianza too & not infirmed by ours enginners.
Most Battle Cruisers & Armored Cruisers in the world are protected by probably 200 to 300mm maximum armor. Antofagasta with 6x340 'll able to engage them with good probability of devastating hits.

Almirante Vencedores
-   I add Senors that Antofagasta protection is correct to receive 280 or 305 shells.

Almirante Baltazar
-   With new boilers & about 38 000shp, the speed could be increase to 23 kts, enough to work correctly in the Allianza Battleline.

Admiral Peludo
-   23kts, that is short for an Armored Cruiser, but enough in the battleline.

Almirante Vencedores;
They don't run to enemy Battlecruiser but enemy Battlecruiser or Armored Cruiser come to us.

Admiral Peludo
-   Yes, work in the battleline as a defender against Battle Cruisers or Armored Cruisers.

Almirante Baltazar
-   Exact, & our Battleships are free to engage Battleships

Admiral Chunchoa
-   Did you have the calculation of that rebuilt Alessandro

Almirante Baltazar
-   The first calculation gives:
Length: +18m for A turret
Forecastle higher by one deck until 50% of the length.
Beam: +3m for the displacement
168x27
16200t std
18970t fl
3T2x340
12x152
23kts
– no changement for the protection : Belt 320, deck75.
Survivability 11,025 t
For comparison, Atahualpa survivability is 11,194t
Cost of the rebuilt for one ship
14$
7 000t of steel

Admiral Peludo
-   Expensive rebuilt & no fast Cruiser for Armada

Almirante Vencedores;
-   I agree partially Augusto.
The rebuilt is expensive but if we made nothing, this nice recent class is definitively obsolete.

Admiral Chunchoa
-   Did you think about new 12 000t cruisers with 230 or 275 turrets

Almirante Vencedores;
-   Yes, we could probably built a fast cruiser, not a 12000t but around 8000t.
The 3nd Plan could be perhaps delayed by 1 year, I must discuss with our Minister.
This rebuilt is not an easy work for our engineers & shipyards.

Admiral Peludo
This is an interresting study Alessandro.
But what kind of expensive ships are we going to have,
When I look at the characts, I don't realy know, what kind of ship is this rebuilt.
Are they small Battleships, slow Armored Cruisers or powerfull Escort Cruisers ?

Almirante Vencedores;
Certainly a mixture of them, Augusto

Admiral Chunchoa
I prefer to class that rebuilt as a Squadron Armored Cruiser, able to engage all Cruiser in the world under...hmmm  18 000t.

Almirante Vencedores;
There are much & much powerfull Cruisers in the world & our battleline need ships to engage them. Atahualpa & Waskhar are made to engage Battleships.
Autofagasta & LaPaz rebuilt are interresting to engage powerfull Cruisers.

Almirante Baltazar
They could do that job in Allianza Battleline too.

Almirante Vencedores
Of course, They could do the same job in  an Allianza Squadron against powerfull Armored Cruisers.
Well Almirantes,
If you have more comments or suggest to do,
I 'll see you in 2 days.
I'll see our Defensa Minister, Senor Julio Sorena next week.
Thank you Senors.

You can increase citadel length only by 5% (machinery+magazine spaces) and total length by 10%. So 165m total length and citadel (belt) extension less than 7.5m.

10 august 1916

Message receive from Minister Del Defensa  - Senor Julio Sorena


stop - On Peruvian coast - stop
warships mobilised, "Alert Status Level 1"- stop-stop