Brazilian cruiser Rio Grande do Sul
| Company type | Cruiser |
|---|---|
| Industry | Naval shipbuilding |
| Founded | August 30, 1907 |
| Founder | Armstrong Whitworth |
| Defunct | 1948 |
| Headquarters | Newcastle upon Tyne , United Kingdom |
| Products | Bahia-class cruiser |
Overview
Rio Grande do Sul was a Bahia-class cruiser constructed for the Brazilian Navy between 1909 and 1910.
Design and Construction
This vessel, named after the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, was ordered from Armstrong Whitworth and assigned yard number 810. The keel was laid on 30 August 1907, followed by its launch on 20 April 1909. It officially entered service on 14 May 1910.
Technical Specifications
The cruiser belonged to the Bahia class and had a displacement of approximately 3,100 tonnes (3,050 long tons; 3,420 short tons). Its overall length measured 122.38 m (401.5 ft), while the length between perpendiculars was 115.82 m (380.0 ft). The beam ranged between 11.89–11.91 m (39.0–39.1 ft), with draft measurements of 3.81 m (12.5 ft) forward, 4.75 m (15.6 ft) amidships, and 4.42 m (14.5 ft) aft.
Propulsion was provided by five Parsons steam turbines powered by ten Yarrow boilers. The ship carried a standard coal load of 150 t (148 long tons; 165 short tons), with a maximum capacity of 650 t (640 long tons; 717 short tons).
During trials, Rio Grande do Sul achieved a speed of 27.016 knots (50.034 km/h; 31.089 mph), with an operational full-load speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph). Its range included approximately 1,400 nautical miles (2,600 km; 1,600 mi) at a cruising speed of 23.5 knots (43.5 km/h; 27.0 mph), and up to 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) when traveling at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
The crew complement varied between 320 and 357 personnel.
Armament and Protection
The ship's offensive capabilities consisted of ten 120 mm (4.724 in)/50 caliber guns, six quick-firing 3-pounder Hotchkiss guns measuring 47 mm (1.9 in)/50 caliber, and two torpedo tubes with a diameter of 457 mm (18.0 in)*.
Armor protection included a deck plating thickness of 19 mm (0.75 in)*, while the conning tower was fortified with armor measuring 76 mm (3.0 in)*.
Service Life
After serving the Brazilian Navy for several decades, Rio Grande do Sul was decommissioned in 1948 and subsequently dismantled.
Notes
All technical data reflect the ship's condition prior to its modernization during 1925–26.
Construction and Commissioning
Rio Grande do Sul was included in Brazil's extensive naval expansion initiative launched in 1904.[1][2] This program also encompassed the construction of two Minas Geraes-class dreadnought battleships, ten Pará-class destroyers, alongside three submarine vessels and a submarine tender.[2][3] The design of Rio Grande do Sul drew significant inspiration from the British Adventure-class class scout cruisers,[4] with her keel being laid down in 1907 at Armstrong Whitworth’s Elswick shipyard located in Newcastle upon Tyne.[4] She required approximately eighteen months to complete before her launch on 20 April 1909, where Madame A. M. Gomez Ferraz acted as sponsor representing Her Excellency Senhora Dr. Carlos Barbosa.[5] Upon commissioning, both Bahia and Rio Grande do Sul were recognized as the fastest cruisers globally,[4] marking the Brazilian Navy’s initial adoption of steam turbine propulsion technology.[6]
Gallery
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Endnotes
- ↑ "Cruzador Bahia – C 12/C 2 Archived 26 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine" (in Portuguese), Navios de Guerra Brasileiros. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Scheina, "Brazil," 403.
- ↑ Scheina, Latin America's Wars, 37.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Scheina, "Brazil," 405.
- ↑ The Engineer. Vol. 107. 1909. p. 420.
References
- Brook, Peter (1999). Warships for Export: Armstrong Warships 1867 – 1927. Gravesend, Kent, UK: World Ship Society. ISBN 0-905617-89-4.
- Moore, John, ed. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Random House [Jane's Publishing Company], 2001 [1919]. ISBN 1-85170-378-0. OCLC 48257502.
- "Rio Grande do Sul I." Serviço de Documentação da Marinha – Histórico de Navios. Diretoria do Patrimônio Histórico e Documentação da Marinha, Departamento de História Marítima. Accessed 27 January 2015.
- Scheina, Robert L. "Brazil" in Robert Gardiner and Randal Gray, eds. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1985. ISBN 0-87021-907-3. OCLC 12119866.
- Whitley, M.J. Cruisers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 1995. ISBN 1-55750-141-6. OCLC 34089382.