&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Cruzador_Almirante-Barroso_(cropped).jpg) Almirante Barroso, picture by Marc Ferrez
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Brazil | |
| Name | Almirante Barroso |
| Namesake | Francisco Manuel Barroso |
| Ordered | Empire of Brazil |
| Builder | Rio de Janeiro Navy Arsenal |
| Cost | 1.4 billion réis |
| Laid down | 1 March 1880 |
| Launched | 17 April 1882 |
| Commissioned | 19 July 1882 |
| Decommissioned | 21 May 1893 |
| Fate | Sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Cruiser |
| Displacement | 2,050 tons |
| Length | 71.25 m (233 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 10.97 m (36 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 5.10 m (16.7 ft) |
| Installed power | 2,200 hp |
| Propulsion | Mixed steam-sail |
| Sail plan | Corvette-rigged |
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Complement | 285 |
| Armament |
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Almirante Barroso was a cruiser operated by the Imperial Brazilian Navy and later the Brazilian Navy from 1882 to 1893. Its name is a tribute to Brazilian admiral Francisco Manuel Barroso da Silva, the Baron of Amazonas. Its construction began in 1880 at the Rio de Janeiro Navy Arsenal, being launched into the sea in 1882. The ship was a demonstration of the potential of the Brazilian naval industry at the time, built with a combination of wood and steel.
Almirante Barroso had a displacement of 2,050 tons and a speed of 13 knots. Its armament included Whitworth cannons, Nordenfelt machine guns, and a Kropatshek portable weapon system. The construction of the ship was a substantial investment, totaling 1.4 billion réis.
After its incorporation into the Evolutions Squadron in 1884, Almirante Barroso participated in instructional commissions and trips around the world, reinforcing the modernization of the Imperial Brazilian Navy. However, the vessel faced a relatively tense moment during the fall of the Brazilian monarchy in 1889, when August Leopold, the Imperial Prince of Brazil, on board the ship during a circumnavigation trip, found himself involved in the political transition.
The ship then continued its circumnavigation journey which culminated in its return to Rio de Janeiro in 1890, after a 301-day voyage around the world. Almirante Barroso was shipwrecked in 1893 on a coral reef in the Red Sea. Despite rescue efforts, the ship could not be saved, resulting in its loss. Years later, divers claimed to have found its remains, but were unable to prove the origins of the shipwreck.