 Minas Geraes at sea in 1909–1910
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Brazil | |
| Name | Minas Geraes |
| Namesake | The state of Minas Gerais[1] |
| Ordered | 1906[1] |
| Builder | Armstrong Whitworth[1] |
| Cost | $8,863,842[2] |
| Yard number | 791[3] |
| Laid down | 17 April 1907[1] |
| Launched | 10 September 1908[1][4] |
| Completed | 5 January 1910[3][5] |
| Commissioned | 18 April 1910[6] |
| Decommissioned | 16 May 1952 |
| Stricken | 31 December 1952[6][7] |
| Fate | Scrapped 1954[6][7] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Minas Geraes-class battleship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length |
|
| Beam | 83 ft (25 m) |
| Draft | 25 ft (7.6 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (12,000 mi; 19,000 km) at 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h) |
| Complement | 900[A] |
| Armament |
|
| Armor |
|
Minas Geraes, spelled Minas Gerais in some sources,[B] was a dreadnought battleship of the Brazilian Navy. Named in honor of the state of Minas Gerais, the ship was laid down in April 1907 as the lead ship of its class, making the country the third to have a dreadnought under construction and igniting a naval arms race between Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
Two months after its completion in January 1910, Minas Geraes was featured in Scientific American, which described it as "the last word in heavy battleship design and the ... most powerfully armed warship afloat".[8] In November 1910, Minas Geraes was the focal point of the Revolt of the Lash. The mutiny, triggered by racism and physical abuse, spread from Minas Geraes to other ships in the Navy, including its sister São Paulo, the elderly coastal defense ship Deodoro, and the recently commissioned cruiser Bahia. Led by João Cândido Felisberto, the mutineers threatened to bombard the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro if their demands were not met. As it was not possible to end the situation militarily—the only loyal troops nearby being small torpedo boats and army troops confined to land—the National Congress of Brazil conceded to the rebels' demands, including a grant of amnesty, peacefully ending the mutiny.
When Brazil entered the First World War in 1917, Britain's Royal Navy declined Brazil's offer of Minas Geraes for duty with the Grand Fleet because the ship was outdated; it had not been refitted since entering service, so range-finders and a fire-control system had not been added. São Paulo underwent modernization in the United States in 1920; in 1921, Minas Geraes received the same treatment. A year later, Minas Geraes sailed to counter the first of the Tenente revolts. São Paulo shelled the rebels' fort, and they surrendered shortly thereafter; Minas Geraes did not fire its guns. In 1924, mutineers seized São Paulo and attempted to persuade the crews of Minas Geraes and several other ships to join them, but were unsuccessful.
Minas Geraes was modernized at the Rio de Janeiro Naval Yard in the 1930s, and underwent further refitting from 1939 to 1943. During the Second World War, the ship was anchored in Salvador as the main defense of the port, as it was too old to play an active part in the war. For the last nine years of its service life, Minas Geraes remained largely inactive, and was towed to Italy for scrapping in March 1954.
- ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference
Conways404was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Office of Naval Intelligence, Information Concerning Some of the Principal Navies of the World; A Series of Tables Compiled to Answer Popular Inquiry, Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1912, 21.
- ^ a b "Minas Gerais (6103887)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 28 April 2009.
- ^ "Launch of a Brazilian Battleship," The Times, news section, 11 September 1908, 8, issue 38749, col. B.
- ^ "Naval and Military Intelligence," The Times, Official Appointments and Notices, 6 January 1910, 4, issue 39162, col. D.
- ^ a b c "Minas Geraes", Navios De Guerra Brasileiros.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Whitley29was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Brazilian Battleship Minas Geraes", Scientific American 102, no. 12, 19 March 1910, 240–241 (New York: Munn & Co., Inc.) ISSN 0036-8733 doi:10.1038/scientificamerican03191910-239 Bibcode:1910SciAm.102..239Check bibcode: length (help).
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