Chilean cruiser O ' Higgins ( 1897 ) The OHiggins was a Chilean armoured cruiser . " OHiggins " was built by the British shipbuilder Armstrong to the design of Philip Watts , and served with the Chilean Navy between 1898 and 1933 . Construction . In April 1896 , the Chilean government ordered an armoured cruiser , to be called " OHiggins " , from Armstrong , Whitworth & Co to the design of Sir Philip Watts at a cost of £700 , 000 . The ship was laid down at Armstrong ' s Elswick , Newcastle - on - Tyne shipyard on 4 April 1896 , launched on 17 May 1987 and completed on 2 April 1898 . Design . " OHiggins " main armament consisted of four 40 calibre guns in single turrets , with two on the ship ' s centreline fore and aft and two port and starboard in line with the forward funnel . Ten 40 calibre guns were fitted , with six in casemates and the remaining four in single turrets . Four guns , ten 12 - pounder guns and ten 6 - pounder guns completed " OHiggins " s gun armament . All guns were designed and built by Armstrongs . Three torpedo tubes were fitted , with two submerged tubes on the ship ' s beam and one above the waterline right aft . The main protection was a belt of armour along the side of the ship , long and deep , which was thick around the ship ' s machinery , reducing to fore and aft . An armoured deck protected the whole length and beam of the ship , with between and thick armour . The ship ' s hull was clad in copper and wood to reduce fouling . The ship was powered by two vertical triple - expansion steam engines , supplied by 30 Belleville water - tube boilers , driving two shafts . These engines generated and propelled the ship to . Up to of coal could be carried , giving a range of at . Operational history . While " OHiggins " was nearing completion at Elswick in the winter of 1897 , tensions were growing between Spain and the United States of America over the ongoing rebellion in Cuba . Rumours circulated that Spain was trying to strengthen its navy in case of war with America by purchasing warships from other countries . The rumoured targets for Spain included the " OHiggins " , the newly completed Chilean armoured cruiser " Esmeralda " and the protected cruiser " Ministro Zenteno " also nearing completion for Chile at Elswicks . As the outbreak of the Spanish – American War became more likely , the United States also attempted to supplement its fleet by purchasing , amongst other ships , the " OHiggins " , but the negotiations did not result in the sale of the Chilean warship , and " OHiggins " arrived at Valparaiso on 25 July 1898 . The ship hosted a meeting between the President of Chile , Federico Errázuriz Echaurren and the Argentine President Julio Argentino Roca at Punta Arenas on 15 Gebruary 1899 , to normalise relations between the two countries . This meeting became known as the " Embrace of the Straits " ( " El Abrazo del Estrecho " ) . The ship was sent to Panama in 1903 as a result of the confrontation between the United States and Columbia that was ended by the separation of Panama from Colombia . In 1919 , " OHiggins " was fitted with assigned a floatplane that could be lowered to and from the sea for operations by crane . An aircraft crashed into " OHiggins " on 24 August 1920 , killing the pilot . The ship was refitted twice , in 1919 – 1920 and 1928 – 29 . In 1931 , " OHiggins " was involved in the large scale mutiny that swept the Chilean fleet , being seized by its crew on 1 September 1931 . " OHiggins " was decommissioned in 1933 and scrapped in 1958 .