The Amazonian Navy had no time for the small destroyers built in Europe. The Pacific is a big place and destroyers, like any other ship type, needed the range to go places. That required enough coal bunkerage to get from Mu to Panama, South America, the Pacific Islands and points North. The destroyers tended to be 40-60 feet bigger than the current Royal Navy type (L-S at 270-280 feet) that were designed for operating mainly in the North Sea and around the UK. Long range not a requirement.
These were the oldest destroyers still in service when World War Two broke out. From 1937 the class had been undergoing rebuilds to transform them into long range escorts. This entailed the removal of the forward boiler room and converting the area for extra fuel stowage. This was the first destroyer class that had been built with fuel oil as the major propellant. Later conversion work was much easier because of this. The single 4" low angle guns were removed and replaced with 4" AA (dual purpose) weapons. A new Dual Purpose director was added at the back of the bridge which could also be enlarged with the removal of the fore funnel. Where the funnel had been was filled with a new sick bay.
The twelve ships, in time of war, were earmarked for the Caracas to Newfoundland route guarding the tanker convoys. Because of their Long Range Escort status, the RN requested half the ships go onto the Newfoundland to Liverpool route with the tankers while the RN converted older destroyers of their own to Long Range Escorts. In 1940-41 those six ships reduced to 5, then 4, then 3, as losses to U-boats and long range bombers took their toll on the ships. The remaining three were withdrawn back to the Caracas to Newfoundland route and replaced the lost ship of the class to a U-boat. By the end of 1941 only eight were left. Half the class had been lost to enemy action in two world wars. Only one more of the class was lost. It was on the Caracas to Newfie route when a wolf pack attacked. Unfortunately for the pack, one of the first Glauce class Escort carriers was with the convoy and the escorts counterattacked the U-boats, scattering what should have been a coordinated attack. The Aspidocharme selflessly put itself in the way of two torpedoes heading for the Glauce. Both hit causing tremendous damage and fires to the old ship. Another destroyer came alongside and took off the remaining crew, then sunk it with another torpedo hit. This needed to be done to clear the convoy route of a floating wreck that could damage other shipping. The last of the class returned to Mu at the end of the European war and were decommissioned, their crews being transferred to brand new ships that were completing. 1946 all of the Magnificent Seven were discarded and scrapped. They had served with distinction in two world wars.
