River Gunboats
Page 9
Solimðes in an old engraving which appears quite accurate, apart from the unusual interpretation of her ventilator cowls.
Solimðes. (Courtesy of The Blueprints)
In November of the following year, class leader Javary followed her to the bottom, sunk during a revolt by Admiral de Mello against the government.
Launched:
January 1875 by Le Havre.
Dimensions:
Displ: 3,641 tons; L: 73.15m/240ft; B: 17.37m/57ft; D: 3.48m/11ft 5in.
Crew:
112–135.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × compound steam engines, total 2,200ihp/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × twin 400-pounder (10in) Whitworth MLR; Later + 4 × 25mm Nordenfelt and 2 × smaller MG/Waterline belt 305mm amidships, 178mm ends; Turrets 279mm, faces 305mm; Deck 76mm; Conning tower 95mm.
Fate:
Solimðes foundered 19 May 1892; Javary sunk 22 November 1893 by the batteries of Fort St Joan.
Pernambuco Class
Designed with the help of British naval experts, and laid down in June 1890, Pernambuco was not launched until 1909, and commissioned only in 1910. Her near-sister would take even longer to complete. Pernambuco had a long and peaceful career, lasting thirty-eight years.
Launched:
1909 by Cobras Island Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro.
Dimensions:
Displ: 470 tons (650 tons full load); L: 44.5m/146ft; B: 7.31m/24ft; D: 1.6m/5ft 3in.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 800ihp/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × twin 4.7in L/45; 2 × 6-pounder Nordenfelt QF; 2 × 37mm Pom-Poms/Belt 168mm – 102mm; Conning tower 89mm; Deck 102mm; Turret 152mm.
Fate:
Stricken August 1948.
Class leader Pernambuco early in her service career, her crew manning the side.
Paraguassú photographed during the Second World War. Note her tripod mast supporting a fire-control top. (From an original Brazilian Navy official photo, copy offered for sale by conradoleiloeiro.com.br auction house in 2014)
Paraguassú
Intended as the second of the Pernambuco class, Paraguassú was laid down in July 1890 as the Maranhāo. Her construction was suspended in the 1900s, and she was not launched until June 1931, under the new name of Vitoria. At that point it was decided to completely reconstruct her, so she was returned to the building slip, and cut in half lengthways, in order to widen her by 3.3m (10ft 10in). At the same time her intended armour protection was reduced to minimal bulletproof plating, and the original twin turret was replaced by a single shielded mounting for a 4.7in gun. In her revised form she was re-launched on 28 December 1938 and renamed Paraguassú. Completed in May 1940, she was modified several times, then enjoyed a long and uneventful career, not being withdrawn until 1972.
Launched:
June 1931 as Vitoria; relaunched 28 December 1938 as Paraguassú by Cobras Island Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro.
Dimensions:
Displ: 430 tons (600 tons full load); L: 44.7m/146ft 8in; B: 10.6m/34ft 9in; D: 1.52m/5ft.
Crew:
71.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 1,100ihp/13 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1940: 1 × 4.7in L/50; 2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF. 1942: 1 × 4.7in L/50; 2 × 15-pounder (3.4in) L/13 howitzers; 2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF; 4 × 20mm Oerlikon. 1960: 1 × 4.7in L/50; 2 × 15-pounder (3.4in) L/13 howitzers; 1 × 3in/50; 2 × 40mm Bofors; 2 × 20mm Oerlikon/Belt 19mm; Deck 13mm.
Fate:
Stricken 1972.
Yuhoty Class
Yuhoty and Teffé were two small steam launches armed with a 3-pounder QF.
Launched:
1892 by Cobras Island Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro (?).
Dimensions:
Displ: 33 tons; L: 27.4m/89ft 10in; (between perpendiculars); B: 4.57m/15ft; D: 1.52m/5ft.
Power/Speed:
Single screw (?); steam engine/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF.
Fate:
Both stricken by 1932.
Acre Class
These four river gunboats, Acre, Amapá, Juruá and Missðes were a typical Yarrow design, apart from the use of a single shaft as against their normal twin shaft arrangement. Built in 1904, they were dismantled for transport to Brazil and reassembly in a naval yard, probably the Cobras Island Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro. Armament comprised either the two 6-pounders shown in the photo below, or else a 6-pounder and a 15-pounder howitzer, plus MG. They would have been built with bulletproof hull and superstructure plating.
Launched:
1904 by Yarrow, Scotstoun; relaunched 1906 in Brazil.
Dimensions:
Displ: 110 tons (200 tons full load); L: 36.6m/120ft; B: 6.1m/20ft; D: 0.60m-0.85m/1ft 11½in–2ft 9½in.
Crew:
30.
Power/Speed:
Single screw; 1 × VTE 300ihp steam engine/11 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 6-pounder Nordenfelt QF 4 × MG; or 1 × 6-pounder Nordenfelt QF; 1 × 15-pounder (3.4in) howitzer; 4 × MG/Bulletproof plating.
Fate:
Amapá and Juruá stricken February 1917; Acre stricken March 1921; Missðes stricken October 1933.
Acre-class river gunboat Amapá, armed with two 6-pounder QF on her battery deck. (Brazilian Navy official photo)
Amapá, former Gunboat 320, in 1944. (Photo Admiral Theobaldo Gonçalvez Perreira)
Gunboat 320
Launched:
1912.
Dimensions:
Displ: 200 tons; L: 31.7m/104ft; B: 7.3m/24ft; D: 3.2m/10ft 6in.
Crew:
39.
Power/Speed:
VTE steam engine/15 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 6-pounder QF; 6 × MG.
Fate:
Stricken February 1949.
Javarí Class
Javarí, Solimðes and Madeira were ordered from Vickers in January 1912. As with the dreadnought Rio de Janeiro, the rubber crisis (following the removal of seeds by the British and their propagation at Kew Gardens) meant that Brazil found itself unable to pay for the river gunboats, and they were laid up in the Devonshire Dock in Yarrow. The three were purchased on the outbreak of the Great War by the British Admiralty, and commissioned as HMS Humber, HMS Severn and HMS Mersey respectively. For details, see GREAT BRITAIN.
Oyapock
Oyapock was an ex-revenue cutter rerated as a gunboat in 1926. She was originally built in Britain as the Cidade de Belem, specifically for operations on the river borders with French Guyana.
Launched:
1907 by Thornycroft.
Dimensions:
Displ: 195 tons ; L: 41.76m/137ft; B: 5.5m/18ft; D: 1.83m/6ft.
Crew:
51.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 450ihp/14 knots.
Guns/Armour:
2 × 3-pounder QF; 2 × MG.
Fate:
Stricken 1964.
Oyapock in 1944. (Official Brazilian Navy photo)
Parnaíba
Built as part of Brazil’s naval rearmament programme prior to the Second World War, Parnaíba was designed with assistance from Thornycroft. Initially she carried a 6in gun forward, and a tripod mast was fitted to support a classic RN-style gunnery-control top – which she still has today. During her convoy escort service in the Second World War it was felt the 6in gave her a fighting chance against a marauding German U-boat, while her shallow draught might cause a torpedo to run under her hull. In 1960 the 6in gun was changed for an American 3in/50 which her crew still trains to actively use. More armament changes have brought her up to date, and her helipad enables her to operate a Bell Jet Ranger III or H-12 Squirrel.
Launched:
6 November 1937 Cobras Island Naval Arsenal, Rio de
Janeiro.
Dimensions:
Displ: 620 tons (720 tons full load); L: 55m/180ft 5in; B: 10.2m/33ft 5½in; D: 1.52m/5ft.
Crew:
60–90.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × VTE steam engines, total 1,300ihp; Replaced 1996 by 2 × 650bhp GM 8V92 diesel motors/13 knots.
Guns/Armour:
As built: 1 × 6in L/50; 2 × 15-pounder (3.4in) howitzers; 2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF/Bridge and Deck: 38mm; Belt covering machinery spaces: 76mm. 1945: 1 × 6in L/50; 2 × 15-pounder (3.4in) howitzers; 2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF; 4 × 20mm Oerlikon; depth charges. 1960: 1 × 3in/50; 2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF; 2 × 40mm L/60 Bofors; 6 × 20mm Oerlikon. 1999: 1 × 3in/50; 2 × 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF; 2 × 40mm L/70 Bofors; 2 × 20mm Oerlikon; 2 × 91mm mortars; various MG; Helipad.
Fate:
Still in service.
Modern photo of the veteran river gunboat Parnaíba showing her current configuration. Note she still retains her original tripod mast supporting a fire-control spotting top. (Photo La Defesa)
The 3in L/50 which replaced her original 6in. Note the two 3-pounder Hotchkiss QF mounted port and starboard beneath the bridge wings, retained for saluting purposes. (Photo La Defesa)
The Old Lady packs a punch! (Photo La Defesa)
Piratini Class
Based on the American Cape Class, six boats were built by the Rio Naval Arsenal in the early 1970s: P10 Piratini, P11 Pirajá, P12 Pampeiro, P13 Parati, P14 Penedo and P15 Poti. In 1985 the combined 81mm mortar/0.50 cal mount was replaced by a 20mm Oerlikon, and in 1993 all six boats were transferred from coastal patrol to riverine operations.
Launched:
1970–1 by the Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro.
Dimensions:
Displ: 105 tons (146 tons full load); L: 29m/95ft 2in; B: 5.8m/19ft; D: 2m/6ft 7in.
Crew:
15.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 4 × Cummins VT-12M Diesel motors/17 knots.
Guns/Armour:
As built: 1 × 81mm mortar/0.50 cal combined mount + 2 × 0.50 cal HMG. Current: 1 × 20mm Oerlikon + 2 × 0.50 cal HMG.
Fate:
Still in service.
P10 Piratini. (Photo La Defesa)
Pedro Teixeira Class
P20 Pedro Teixeira (named for the first explorer to follow the Amazon for its full length) and P21 Raposo Tavares, were built in the early 1970s to undertake patrol and troop transport missions. They can support a helicopter, and launch an LCVP using their stern-mounted crane.
Launched:
1970 by the Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro.
Dimensions:
Displ: 690 tons; L: 62m/203ft 5in; B: 9.4m/30ft 10in; D: 1.85m/6ft 1in.
Crew:
80.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 1,620bhp MAN diesel motors/16 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 40mm Bofors; 6 × 0.50 cal HMG; 2 × 81mm mortars; Helipad.
Fate:
Still in service.
Roraíma Class
The three gunboats of this class, P30 Roraíma, P31 Rondônia and P32 Amapá, followed the Pedro Teixeira class in the mid-1970s. They are smaller than the preceding class, but still compact and powerful patrol vessels, carrying a similar armament, but lacking a helipad. A fourth unit was built in 1984 as the Paraguayan Itaipú. For details, see PARAGUAY.
P21 Raposo Tavares. (Photo La Defesa)
Launched:
1974 by the Naval Arsenal, Rio de Janeiro.
Dimensions:
Displ: 340 tons (365 tons full load)
L: 46.3m/151ft 10in; B: 8.4m/27ft 7in; D: 1.3m/4ft 3in.
Crew:
54.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; 2 × 1,814bhp MAN diesel engines/14.5 knots.
Guns/Armour:
1 × 40mm Bofors; 6 × 0.50 cal HMG; 2 × 81mm mortars.
Fate:
Still in service.
CB90H
For details, see UNITED STATES OF AMERICA/SWEDEN.
LPR-40
As part of the Amazon combined forces initiative, Colombia is building LPR-40 river patrol boats for Brazil. They are constructed from aluminium, have extensive ballistic protection, and are air-portable by C-130 Hercules aircraft. The twin waterjets give them extreme flexibility and manoeuvrability in shallow water. The armament can comprise automatic weapon systems remotely-controlled from within the armoured bridge. For details, see COLOMBIA.
P32 Amapá. (Photo La Defesa)
A Brazilian CB90H on patrol. (Photo La Defesa)
BULGARIA
Drazki Class Patrol Boats
Six Normand-type torpedo boats, Drazki, Smeli, Hrabri, Shumni, Letyashti and Strogi, were built in France for Bulgaria between 1905 and 1909. Shumni was sunk by a mine in 1916. Under the terms of the Treaty of Neuilly signed in 1919 the five survivors should have been withdrawn from service, but all that happened was they landed their torpedo tubes and minesweeping gear was installed. The Bulgarian Navy was therefore allowed to keep the ships, as they had lost their offensive capability. In secret, however, the torpedo tubes and torpedoes were kept in store, and beginning in 1925, at regular intervals were regularly refitted to allow the crews to carry out torpedo-firing exercises.
In the run-up to the Second World War the five were recognised as being obsolescent, and were reclassified as patrol boats. After the war most were broken up for scrap, but in 1957 it was intended to retain as a museum ship the Drazki, famous for having torpedoed the Turkish cruiser Hamidiye during the First Balkan War. She had been in use since 1942 as a target vessel, and scrapping had already begun, so certain parts were retained and fitted to the hull of her sister Strogi. She is now preserved as a monument on dry land under the name of her more famous sister.
Launched:
August 1907 and August 1908, built in sections by Schneider, Chalon-sur-Saône, France, assembled in Varna.
Dimensions:
Displ: 97 tons; L: 38m/125ft; B: 4.4m/14ft; D: 2.6m/8ft 6in.
Crew:
23–30.
Power/Speed:
Twin screws; steam engines, 1,900ihp/26 knots.
Guns/Armour:
3 × 47mm QF; 3 × 450mm torpedo tubes.
Fate:
Shumni mined 1916; Remainder scrapped after 1945 except for Strogi, retained as museum ship, Varna.
110-foot Submarine Chasers
In October 1921 the French sold to Bulgaria sub-chasers C-27 and C-80 built in the USA for the French Navy in 1917. They were taken over by Bulgarian crews at Istanbul, and were renamed Belomorec and Chernomorec respectively. Refitted with minesweeping gear, they initially retained their original US 3in/23 cal main gun and two machine guns. The 3in was replaced by a 47mm QF when they were transferred to the Danube in 1928. For details, see FRANCE, RHINE FLOTILLA.
ELCO 80-foot MLs
In 1921 France sold to Bulgaria four 80-foot ELCO MLs built in Canada for France in 1917. They were handed over in Istanbul and took on the names Minaor, Conduktor Dokuzanov, Kapitan-leytenant K. Minkov and Vzriv. They were used as patrol boats on the Danube. Minaor sank in the river in 1932 and Conductor Dokuzanov was discarded in 1934, but the other two served in the Second World War. For details, see GREAT BRITAIN, RHINE FLOTILLA.
Stražar and Graničar
At the time of the Italian armistice in 1943, Bulgarian forces seized the two ex-Yugoslav patrol boats Stražar and Graničar on Lake Ohrid. On 19 May 1944 Admiral Toshev ordered them to be repaired and put back into service as No 1 and No 2 respectively. Only No 1 (Stražar) was in fact commissioned, as a lack of spare parts prevented the use of No 2. On the Bulgarian withdrawal from Lake Ohrid in June 1944 an unsuccessful attempt was made to destroy them with anti-tank mines.
BKA 1124
In 1946, with Bulgaria now part of the Soviet Bloc, the Soviet Navy transferred two of the larger BKA 1124 armoured river monitors to Bulgaria. They retained their Soviet numbering of BK 344 and BK 346.
Both were discarded in 1960. For details, see RUSSIA, BRONEKATER.
Zhuk Class
Between 1977 and 1981 the Soviet Union transferred to Bulgaria the following fourteen Zhuk class patrol boats: Nos 111–117, 511–513, 515, 517–523 and 531–533. For details, see RUSSIA, Part II.
Strogi preserved as museum ship using components from Drazki.
Ex-French ELCO ML Kapitan-leytenant K. Minkov on the Danube. (Image from Website http://vimpel.boinaslava.net)
BURMA / MYANMAR
Following independence from Britain in 1948, Burma, or Myanmar as it has also been known since 1989, has had a turbulent history of ethnic and religious strife. As in British India, the presence of the colonial power enforced a veneer of stability, which dissolved once the British had left. Apart from an initial modest number of vessels given or sold to the Burmese government by Britain, the Burmese have never returned to British shipyards for their developing navy, preferring to hedge their bets in various directions as a ‘non-aligned’ nation. During the period of military rule, very little sensitive information seeped out of the country. Indeed, the leaders were so suspicious of foreign involvement in the internal affairs of Burma, that following the natural disaster caused by Cyclone Nargis in 2008, the fleet of American warships which hastened to help was obliged to leave without unloading the humanitarian aid supplies they had brought, such was the Junta’s fear of an American invasion. Against this backdrop, details of historical Burmese/Myanmar warships have been hard to find. Now the country is beginning to open up to the outside world, and rapidly expanding its offshore naval presence, the history of its internal security riverine force is passing into greater obscurity. Once more, we offer this basic chapter as an inspiration to historians and naval enthusiasts to fill in the gaps and correct any unintentional errors.