List of Dreadnought Battleships of The Royal Navy - Canada Class

Canada Class

In 1911, the Chilean Navy ordered two 28,000 ton displacement Super-dreadnought battleships, each to be armed with ten 14 inch (356 mm) and sixteen 6 inch (152 mm) guns, to be named Almirante Latorre and Almirante Cochrane. Latorre was laid down in November 1911, with Almirante Cochrane being laid down at the Armstrong yards at Newcastle-on-Tyne on 20 February 1913. On the outbreak of the First World War, construction of the two ships was suspended. As Almirante Latorre was almost complete, she was purchased for the Royal Navy, entering service as HMS Canada in 1915. Construction of Almirante Cochrane was much less advanced, and no work was carried out until 1917, when the British decided to complete her as an aircraft carrier for the Royal Navy. She was therefore purchased from Chile at a cost of £1.3 million (£54 million as of 2012), to be converted into the carrier Eagle. She was the fourteenth ship to bear that name.

Her initial redesign was as a base for seaplane operations. After trials with other ships the design was changed to a proper fleet carrier with a full flight deck and "island". She was launched on 8 June 1918 but the delays meant that the Eagle was unfinished at the end of hostilities. Construction was slowed by industrial action following the end of the war, and was suspended in October 1919 as Chile wanted to repurchase the ship and have it re-converted to a battleship. The Royal Navy's need to carry out trials with a carrier fitted with an island meant that construction was resumed in November, carrying out sea trials and initial flying trials in February 1920. It was then sent to Devonport dockyard for completion, with its machinery being converted from part-coal burning to all oil burning, a much longer island being fitted and anti-torpedo bulges added, finally being commissioned on 26 February 1924.