The Anchimache was the only class of Amazonian Navy cruisers to mount the newly developed 7.1" (180mm) gun system. The maximum size allowed by the Washington Treaty went to 8" shortly after these ships were completed. The next heavy cruiser classes would feature another new gun system in 8" (203mm) size. There was nothing wrong with these two cruisers, they had been built to give long range cruising abilities across the Pacific. Being the only cruisers with the 7.1" meant that eventually only the arsenal at Ephesos carried those shells/ammunition which limited the two ships to convoy escorts on the Mu to Panama route.
The two ships were slated for a 1936 rebuild to extend their lives through the 1940's and to keep them on the Trade routes. One of the main things that the rebuild was to do, was to add aircraft handling facilities. This would give the ships a better search capability and aid in convoy cover from the aircraft.
The rebuild took what looked like a typical World War One cruiser into what was now a modern cruiser. This did not change their use on the trade routes, being based on Ephesos. Not unsurprisingly their wars were fairly quiet. Not much happened on the Mu to Panama trade route. Being a Captains ride, the ships would be Escort Command vessel in any convoy they were part of. That was until late 1940 when the German Armed Merchant Raiders hit the sea lanes making large nuisances of themselves. These two ships having the long range to prowl along the trade routes searching for the raiders proved themselves very useful. Anchimache had a battle with the Hansa just North of Tahiti. The Anchimache prevailed, sinking the Hansa but not before the Anchimache had closed to make the identity check on the ship the Hansa was masquerading as, which gave the Hansa the advantage to drop its disguise and open fire while the Anchimache was unready. A major lesson learned. Keep your distance! Be at action stations, and use your aircraft. The Anchimache would spend the rest of 1941 in the dockyards at Ephesos repairing damage.
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