The single 10-inch guns fore and aft fired very heavy shells but had a low rate of fire and limited chances to hit. Each weighed about 25 tons and fired a roughly 200-kilogram shell using a 100-kilogram powder charge. Their chief value was deterrence and the severe damage a lucky hit could cause, while six centrally mounted 6-inch guns formed the effective fighting battery. Chile economized by omitting planned torpedo tubes, and the ship also dispensed with a sailing rig.
Notable Point · 12:50-15:13
Ten-inch deterrence and the practical six-inch battery
Learn why Esmeralda's spectacular 10-inch guns deterred enemies while her broadside 6-inch pieces did most of the practical fighting.