ORIGINAL: brian brian
On the Curacao I was going to guess the Brazilian CL the "Bahia" which is also a drink but not much of a Dutch sounding name. I didn't know if it was in WWI either. My WiF counter does show that it sank in July 1945 so I thought that could have likely been an accident...
Warspite1
It was indeed an accident......
[4310 Bahia - by Robert Jenkins]
.B Engine output: 18,000 hp
.B Top Speed: 26.5 knots
.B Main armament: 10 x 4.7-inch (120mm), 6 x 3-pdr (47mm) guns
.B Displacement (standard): 3,100 tons
.B Thickest armour: No belt armour
.P As part of the Brazilian naval expansion program in the early years of the
20th Century (see Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo), the Brazilian Government ordered
two cruisers in 1907.
.P The two ships of the Bahia-class, Bahia and Rio Grande Do Sul, were designed
and built in the United Kingdom and were based on the Royal Navy`s scout cruisers
of the Adventure-class. They were each named after a Brazilian State.
.P As scout cruisers, these ships were fast and lightly armoured vessels and both
ships exceeded their designed speed in trials.
.P They saw service in the First world War, after which, in the twenties, they
had replacement machinery fitted that further improved their top speed. The ships
remained in service long enough to take an active part in World War II after the
Brazilian declaration of war on Germany in August 1942.
.P During the war the Bahia-class ships were mostly used to escort merchant
vessels in the South Atlantic. The war was almost over when, on the 4th July 1945
while operating in the South Atlantic, the Bahia suffered an internal explosion
causing her to quickly sink with the loss of 294 officers and crew.
.P Her sister survived the war and was scrapped in 1948.
