To commemorate the Temex 1967 Exhibition, the Argentina Post Office issued the attractive 20 pesos stamp showing the painting by the marine artist F. Biggeri of the first Argentine Naval School-ship General Brown. She was built at Dumbarton and was laid down in 1865, and launched the following year, as the Amazonas. Speedily and strongly built, she could be used as a "crucero-pirata" or "buque¬corsario", an armed raider, during the War of Secession blockade. Incidentally a twin ship of the Amazonas was sold at that time to Argentina's ally, the Empire of Brazil.
The General Brown was acquired by the Argentine Navy to be used in the war against Paraguay, and cost £19,000 (93,000 pesos). Her cargo capacity was 1,600 tons, she had mixed propulsion, sail and steam, twin screws, each of four blades, giving 120 r.p.m. Steam was supplied by six cylindrical boilers, powering 4-cylinder engines developing 176 horse power. With a length of 254 ft., a 30ft beam, and a depth of 16 ft., the General Brown was iron-hulled, her plates being 8.5 m.m. in thickness. She carried three masts, the- fore and main with courses, topsails and topgallant sails, and on the mizzen mast a mizzen sail and gaff topsail. The helm was in the stern and covered. The vessel carried a wide variety of guns: in the bow was a 16 calibre brass swivel gun and on both sides of the stern were mounted two 7.5 Krupp guns. In 1873 she had four Blackley cannon of 18 calibre, and in the following year six.
One of her duties was to carry war supplies to the troops in action in Paraguay. At the end of hostilities the General Brown was stationed in Entre Rios for some time before being ordered to carry military forces to Bahia Blanca. In June of 1871 her engines were in need of an overhaul and she was
sent to the Lujan River for this maintenance work. At the end of 1871, while the ship was still undergoing repairs, it was decided to disarm her. Capt. Juan Jose Causeros was placed in command, with a crew of 16 men. On November 30, 1872, she left Luzon for Los Pozos, where she was anchored to undergo tests. It was found necessary to make more repairs, these continuing until March 1873, when she was assigned to be the naval school. Courses were started in April 1873, with 22 students.
The students were accommodated in the hold at the stern end of the ship, where room was made to accommodate as many as 80, if found necessary. This was afterwards called the midshipmen's cabin. A general overhauling of the ship took place to fit her for her new school-ship duties. Twenty carpenters and shipwrights were given the task of checking and, where necessary, repairing decks, orlops, rails and cabins. A cadets' dining room had to be fitted in.
In 1883, the General Brown was converted into a sailing corvette and her name was changed to Chacabuco, still assigned to the naval school. Later the training ship served as a sailors' school and finally, in 1894, after 26 years of service in the Argentine Navy, was dismantled, but she was still of service as a warehouse for torpedoes.
Sea Breezes Jan 1969. Argentina SG1211