Name Ministro Zenteno Ordered Brazil Laid down 1895 Construction started 1895 Length 101 m | Namesake José Ignacio Zenteno Cost ₤ 265,000 Decommissioned 1930 Launched 1 January 1896 Builder Armstrong Whitworth | |
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Ministro Zenteno was a protected cruiser of the Chilean Navy.
Service history
Ministro Zenteno was laid down in 1895 for the Brazilian Navy, but was sold in August 1895 to the Chilean government. The ship was launched in 1896. Ministro Zenteno was one of four protected cruisers ordered by Brazil, but they eventually acquired only Almirante Barroso due to financial difficulties. The sister ships Amazonas (later USS New Orleans) and Almirante Abreu (later USS Albany) were purchased by the United States Navy.
Ministro Zenteno attended the Pan-American Conference in Mexico in 1901.
In 1907 she sailed off Valparaíso for a training cruise bound for Punta Arenas, Bahía, La Guaira, Bermudas, Hampton Roads, Annapolis, Newport, Plymouth, Brest, El Ferrol, Lisboa, Argel, Malta, Spezia, Genova, Barcelona, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Río de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Talcahuano, and back to Valparaíso on 8 December 1907.