The Deodoro class was a pair of coastal defense battleships fielded by the the Brazilian Navy in WW1. Named after its first two presidents, Deodoro da Fonseca and Floriano Peixoto they were part of an emergency vessel acquisition program to modernize the Brazilian Navy. The naval staff estimated the country’s Navy had fallen behind since the end of the monarchical period and the “Imperial Navy” era. The Deodoro however ere still small battleships built and they only raised limited attention at Washington unlike the previous Riachuelo class which quickstarted a rise of the “New Navy”. Scientific American magazine at the time described them as “second-rate battleships” yet, they were still heavily armed and well-armored.

Colorized by Irootoko JR

They were a strange mix, both were built at FCM in France, yet they were armed with British 240 mm and 120 mm Armstrong guns, French machinery boilers, and were protected by up to 350 mm (13.7 inches) U.S. Harvey style armour. They were also typical of French coastal battleships in many ways, between their low freeboard, long superstructures, single-gun main turrets arranged close to ships ends. Their very narrow armored belt tapered to lower edge. They also had a comprehensive underwater protection with many watertight compartments. They served in various naval divisions of the Brazilian Navy between exercises and maneuvers. By 1910, Deodoro was seized by rebels during the Revolta da Armada. In World War I they patrolled the Brazilian coast. In 1924, Deodoro was sold to Mexico, operational until 1934 while Floriano was converted into a hydrographic survey ship in 1931, until decommissioned in 1936.

Development

In the early 1880s, the Brazilian government was concerned about the state of the navy. Minister of the Navy José Rodrigues de Lima Duarte, managed to convince the Legislative Assembly the urgent need to modernize the fleet, which at the time kept a few 1860s generation riverine casemate ironclads and sea going steam frigates. The first important step was to acquired from britain two large ironclads, Riachuelo and Aquidabã. However, under the republic, a first “Revolta da Armada” broke out between 1891 and 1894, with monarchist rebels chashing with the new government’s loyalist forces and this halted the acquisition plan. In fact, most of the Brazilian squadron fell into Royalist hands, leaving the Republicans with too few vessels to engage them. The government attempted to acquire ships from abroad, a brand new new squadron dubbed the “Paper Fleet” as many were converted civilian vessels operated by US mercenaries. The war ended in 1894 when the Royalists sailors’ morale shattered due to internal divisions.

Upon the return of Rui Barbosa, living in exile in Europe, the navy started to be re-evaluated. He published articles called “Lições do Extremo Oriente” (Lessons from the Far East) in which he detailed the recent Japanese Navy’s achievements in Battle of the Yalu against the Chinese and underline the importance of a modern naval power and the need for material and human revitalization. It had a profound impact on the faction willing to relaunch shipbuilding. Prominent naval commentators leveled harsh criticism on the Brazilian Navy condition and Rui Barbosa argued that the fleet had been “reduced to scattered, lifeless remnants.” Artur Silveira de Motta called it a “Lilliputian navy.” Américo Brazilio Silvado called it “a veritable heap of ruins” and Artur Dias “what exists there is nothing more than a handful of disjointed wreckage”. All this was needed to counter understandable criticism by those seeing the Navy as a “nestle of potential anti-Republican rebellion”.

However many recalled how the Brazilian Navy had been instrumental in the Paraguayan War era with its 94 vessels, including sixteen ironclads for a total of c6,500 officers and sailors. 30 years later barely six ships were seaworthy, many others lacking maintenance in tropical conditions had practically rotten away. They also lacked modern artillery, and the loyal sailors were too few to operate them. The Brazilian government eventually authorize the urgent construction of two ironclads in France, what became the Deodoro class as well as three torpedo-cruisers in Germany, the Tupi class, and three protected cruisers in the United States. This new plan was necessary to answer that situation.

A commission sent in Europe found the best deal for its coastal battleships in France at FCM (Forges & Chantiers de la Mediterranée) at La Seyne near Toulon, French Riveria. The yard promised quick delivery albeit the Brazilians preferred to have her equipped with Arsmtrong Guns in britain, and French boilers Lagrafel d`Allest were eventually installed, so secondary contracts were passed. It’s uncertain if Emile Bertin worked on their design, but they certainly incorporated many elements of his trademark underwater protection, with many side compartments filled with cork and potentially coal instead to extend their range. Also typical of French coastal battleships, their armour was designed to resist the largest battleship’s artillery when their own armament was of secondary caliber. The contract was signed in 1895, but they were laid down in 1896 and 1897, launched in 1898 after a suspension to revise the design and completed in 1900-1901 which usual for FCM.

Design of the class

Hull and general design

These Deodoro class battleships displaced of 3,162.5 tonnes for a full-load displacement of 3,350.5 tonnes. They measured 81.50 meters between perpendiculars, 83.60 meters overall, ram comprised, for 70 meters along the keel and had a molded beam of 14.60 meters, maximum beam at the waterline of 14.40 meters, and hull full height of of 6.90 meters, but draft of 4 meters forward, 4.40 meters aft. The hull was made entirely of local steel. In general layout they looked symmetrical, with two straight masts with military tops, equal lenght fore and aft decks and a large casemate amidship, a small, low bridge forward, searchlights on top platforms fore and aft and a single large funnel. The searchlights were Sauter-Harlé models with 600 mm reflectors for 16 Kw. The crew amounted to c380 officers and men (exactly 16 officers and 344 enlisted personnel), and they had a dozen boats, most of which were under davits and the remainder on deck between the funnel and aft mast equipped with a boom.

Powerplant

The deodoro class had two triple-expansion steam engines capable of 3,400 hp to drive two propellers with a diameter of 3.40 meters. They were fed by eight water-tube boilers Lagrafel d’Allest boilers arranged in four groups. Auxiliary equipment included two evaporators with a capacity of 250 liters per hour, two Card-Rayner distillers capable of producing 8,000 liters per hour, two Sauter-Harlé surface condensers, and 16 freshwater tanks with a total capacity of 16,000 liters. Maximum speed of 15 knots (27.78 km/h), as contracted and obtained on trials. They had six coal bunkers with a capacity for 250 tons, albeit other sources states 232. If all side watertight compartmebts could be filled also with coal, it could be doubled. Range figures are unknown still. There was auxiliary power when the boilers were cold: Electricity was generated by four Sauter-Harlé compound dynamos (400 amperes, 80 volts), driven by two-cylinder steam engines.
Note that in 1912 the Lagrafel D’Allest were replaced by modern oil-firing Babcock & Wilcox models with 400t of oil, more than doubling the range.

Protection

They were protected by Harvey armour. They did not came from the US but FCM had its own fundries and acquired the Harvey process under licence. This was the best of its day before Krupp cemented armour. The deodoro class thus had the folmlowing
-Complete 1.68m deep belt 350mm (13.8 in) thick at the top, 150mm (6 in) bottom amidships, tapering to 100mm (4 in) at the ends
-45mm (1.8 in) sloping protective deck.
-Watertight integrity was ensured by 17 watertight compartments, protected by nickel-steel armor 350 mm amidships, 150 mm at the ends.
-There was 120 mm (5 in) armor on the upper sections, 100 mm on the lower sections of the armour deck
-The turret faces were 240mm thick (9.45 in)
-The secondary casemate guns were protected besides the casqemate walls, by shields 52mm (2 in) thick
-This was supplemented by a cofferdam system with many watertight side compartments and a double bottom for most of the lenght.
-The casemate and superstructure were protected by 100 mm armor
-The deck plating had two superimposed layers for 36 mm total (1.5 in) over the boilers and machinery, 30-35 mm elsewhere.

Armament

The main armament consisted of two electrically operated 240mm Armstrong guns, one mounted forward and one aft in single turrets. In complement the casemate housed four manually operated 120mm rapid-fire guns arranged with two forward and two aft mounts. There were also six 57mm Maxim-Nordenfelt rapid-fire guns mounted on the superstructure to defend against torpedo boats as well as a two 31mm Nordenfelt guns installed on the bridge and two Vickers automatic guns of unspecified caliber in the fighting tops, and a single 7mm (0.3 in) Hotchkiss machine gun. There were also two submerged 470mm (18 inches) Whitehead BR20 torpedo tubes. Fire control was ensured by a British Hurlimann rangefinder with a maximum range of 7,000 meters.

240mm/45 Armstrong D

9.45-inch (240 mm) 45-caliber Pattern D breech-loading naval and coastal defense guns designed by the Elswick Ordnance Company (Sir W.G. Armstrong & Mitchell/Armstrong-Whitworth) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Length: 240 mm (approx. 9.45 inches) bore diameter with a barrel length of 45 calibers. Armstrong-Whitworth (Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK) made this export-oriented heavy naval artillery and secondary batteries or coastal defense installations popular with various late-19th/early-20th-century navies (such as Brazil’s Deodoro-class coastal defense ships or related contemporary designs).

120mm/50 Armstrong EE

The 120mm/50 or 4.7-inches Armstrong, frequently designated as the Model 1909 or Elswick Pattern EE was a 4.7-inch naval and coastal defense gun. While built by Armstrong Whitworth and Vickers as a dual- or surface-action piece primarily standard on early 20th-century Italian and export warships (such as the Dante Alighieri and Conte di Cavour classes). Specifications & Performance: 120 mm (4.7 in)Barrel Length: 50 calibres. Weight (Oscillating Mass) 3.37 to 3.66 tons. Muzzle Velocity: 840 to 850 m/s (2,750–2,788 ft/s). Projectile Weight 22.75 to 23.15 kg (50–51 lb).

57mm/40 6pdr Hotchkiss

The well known QF 6-pdr Hotchkiss QF naval gun used to repel torpedo boats, was mass-produced and adopted by most navies at the time. Mass 821–849 lb (372–385 kg) barrel & breech, Length 8.1 ft (2.5 m)
Barrel length 7.4 ft (2.3 m) 40 calibre. Shell: 57x307R; see ammunition section, Calibre 57-mm (2.244 in).
Breech: Vertical sliding-block, recoil Hydro-spring, 4 inch. Elevation dependent on mount for a rate of fire of 25/minute.
Muzzle velocity: 1,818 feet per second (554 m/s) and effective range 4,000 yards (3,700 m).

Brassey’s naval annual depiction

Career of the Deodoro class

Construction proceeded under the supervision of Admiral José Cândido Guillobel. Deodoro was laid in 1896, changed from the initial name of “Ipiranga” to “Marshal Deodoro”, and finally “Deodoro” and first ship of the Brazilian navy to bear this name, honoring first president, Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca. Construction was temporarily suspended while the design was modified. She was launched on June 18, 1898, in a grand ceremony attended by representatives from Brazil and the French Navy, even a Russian gunboat. The launch was triggered by electric button cutting a rope, and releasing the bottle of champagne breaking against the ship. Floriano’s keel was laid in 1897, launched on either July 6, 1898, or July 6, 1899 depending on the source. The name chosen was very much inspired by the lead ship, the second president, Marshal Floriano Peixoto. However with the Spanish-American War (1898) breaking out, Spanish representative were so eager to complete the Armada they came to FCM to inspect the completing Deodoro and her sister ship for a possible purchase. US delegates also arrived for the same. Scientific American magazine which also came, described them as “built only for second-rate naval powers” but also on how “incredible that so much armor and armament could be installed on ships of this size”.

Deodoro was commissioned on June 20, 1898 and she started her trip to Brazil via Gibraltar, however at the time, the Boer war was ongoing and ships went to supply them under scrutiny by the RN so she sail with her lights out at night not to attact attention. After arrival and months of training she took part in various naval divisions. In 1910, she was seized by sailors during the Revolt of the Lash uprising also involving the more recent Minas Gerais-class dreadnoughts and cruiser Bahia also recently acquired. After mutineers were granted amnesty her next mobilization was for World War I, patrolling the Brazilian coast with her sister and the cruiser Tupi until sold to the Mexican Navy in 1924 and kept active until 1934, until sold for scrap.
Her sister Floriano was commissioned on December 31, 1900 and served in several Brazilian naval divisions. In 1913, she was in large naval exercises off the coast of São Sebastião Island, observed by President Hermes da Fonseca and the Minister of the Navy. During the First World War she patrolled the Brazilian coast with Deodoro and Tupi. From 1931 she became a hydrographic vessel, until 1936.

Deodoro was ordered in 1895, laid down in 1896 as seen above, launched on 18 June 1898, completed on 1899 but commissioned in 1900 named after Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca, a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the head of provisional government and the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, followed a military career, and became a national figure.
Sea trials were successful, including a 24-hour test run at 14 knots average. After delivery, she headed for Brazil, stopping at the Canary Islands to recoal. A British warship however suspected she was a privateer chartered by the Boers, heading south to disrupt British merchant shipping off southern Africa. Signals were exchanged and the crew managed to convince the RN they were Brazilian, and were advised to sailed with their lights off over the following nights. She arrived at Rio on February 18, 1900. On January 2, 1901, her unit, the Station Division, was disbanded, she entered the newly created Second Evolution Division. In addition to Deodoro was the battleship Aquidabã (earlier Riachuelo class), cruiser Tiradentes, torpedo cruiser Tymbira. She wa spart of many exercises and by November took part in the commemorations of the 12th anniversary of the Republic’s proclamation.

In April 1902, her unit was disbanded and on the 30th she was transferred to the Battleship Division under command of Rear Admiral João Justino de Proença. From November 27 she travelled to Bahia state to transport the body of Vice President Dr. Manoel Victorino Pereira. She also took part in naval exercises and maneuvers in Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande. By January 27, 1903, Deodoro sailed to Santos to support the lottery-based selection process for the Navy vacancies and returned to Rio with three of them and 41 volunteers. She was next refitted at Rio de Janeiro Naval Arsenal. On October 2, 1904 she sailed to Buenos Aires for the inauguration if the new president and back to Brazil on November 4. In November the “Vaccine Revolt” broke out and a rebellion by students from the Praia Vermelha Military School under the government of Rodrigues Alves on the 14th. 700 mutineers under the command of General Silvestre Travassos marched toward Catete Palace, seat of the federal government, clashed with the police, repelled by gunfire and retreated to the school, then fortified it. Deodoro was ordered to fire several shots at the school, destroying its wall, forcing the students to disperse. The next day, the school fell to the army. In 1906-1907 Deodoro, Floriano and Tupy made several exercizes along the coast.

By 1910, the Revolt of the Lash started and embroided São Paulo, Minas Geraes, and Deodoro, Bahia, after the flogging of African-descent sailor Marcelino Rodrigues Menezes. The two hundred lashes almost killed him and quickstarted the revolt. The Navy committed only the loyalist cruisers Rio Grande do Sul and Barroso plus eight Pará-class destroyers when the Rebels had three battleships and a modern cruiser.
The high command sailed toward Guanabara Bay and on the 24th, Minas Geraes, Deodoro, and Bahia moved to confront them flying the rebel ensign. The assassination of João Batista das Neves, former Deodoro commander now at the helm of the battleship Minas Geraes after he boarded her was a sign the rebels won’t budge. On the 25th, Deodoro and others returned to port after an agreement between both sides, later signed on the 26th, bringing the Revolt to an end given many concessions. By December 9 however a new mutiny broke out again on Deodoro, São Paulo, and Minas Geraes, Rio Grande do Sul but was not widely followed and was quickly suppressed.

In 1912, Deodoro* received new boilers and had her armament modernized (no source). On September 28, 1913, she took part in a military exercise observed by President Hermes da Fonseca, MoD Vespasiano Gonçalves de Albuquerque e Silva, and was back at Rio de Janeiro on October 4. In early January 1914, she was assigned to the Second Naval Division. She took part in military exercises off the coast of Santa Catarina and returned to Rio de Janeiro in February. She later carried the body of Senator Pinheiro Machado assassinated on September 8 to Porto Alegre.
From the summer of 1914, Brazil declared neutrality but by May 1916, the Brazilian freighter Rio Branco was torpedoed and sunk while under British supervision, crewed by Norwegian sailors. This sparked outrage and protests albeit the government clung to the legality of the attack. Still, Brazil declared war on Germany on August 26, 1917, after other merchant ships were sunk with the unrestricted submarine warfare.
In 1917, Deodoro became flagship of the Northern Naval Force to improve the Brazilian coast defences, alongside her sister Floriano, the cruisers Tiradentes and República, destroyers Piauhy and Santa Catarina under command of Rear Admiral João Carlos Mourão dos Santos. However he considered his flagship, Deodoro, to be already obsolete due her low speed and having rookie gunners guns due to the lack of amunitions for training. Still she was regarded as “the only ship with reasonable combat capabilities.” On June 25, 1919 she emerged from the Spanish Flu pandemic, with 110 sailors contracting but no fatalities and left the Northern Naval Force, disbanded.

Deodoro after her 1912 refit, sporting her later white livery.

In 1920, Deodoro represented Brazil in Montevideo (Uruguay) for local festivities on August 25, back on September 16. On January 19, 1921, she departed for exercises, back on on March 31. In April 1924, she was at last decommissioned. At the time, the Mexican Navy was expanding and looked at exiosting ships to purchase, and after unsuccessful attempts with other navies, the Mexicans offered 8000 réis for the Deodoro, which was a signed deal. She was transferred to the Mexican Navy and the money obtained funded the construction of the submarine Humaitá.
Renamed Anahuac she departed Rio on May 21, arrived in Mexico on July 15, as the only “modern” battleship ever operated by the Mexican Navy, patrolling the Gulf of Mexico and later helping President Emilio Portes Gil suppressing the Sonora revolt of March 1929. In 1931, she became a training ship, permanently decommissioned in November 1934 and scrapped. Her monumental flag was gifted by the Brazilian government in 1924 to the Museo Naval México.

Floriano was laid down at FCM in 1897, launched on 6 July 1898 and commissioned 31 December 1900. Marshal Floriano Peixoto was the second President of Brazil, serving as head of state from November 23, 1891, to November 15, 1894. Nicknamed the “Iron Marshal,” he took power mid-term after the resignation of the republic’s first president, Deodoro da Fonseca. In 1901 she traveled to Britain to pay respects at the funeral of Admiral Thomas Cochrane. While back she became the flagship of the Northern Naval Force. On September 24, 1913, she sailed to São Sebastião to take part in large naval maneuvers assisted by President Hermes da Fonseca. With her were Minas Geraes, São Paulo, Deodoro, Barroso, Bahia, Rio Grande do Sul, Tupy, Tamoyo, Tymbira for the BBs and cruisers, and the destroyers Amazonas, Pará, Piauhy, Rio Grande do Norte, Alagoas, Parahyba, Sergipe, Paraná, and Santa Catarina.
By January 1914, Floriano sailed for exercises and maneuvers with the Second Naval Division and was back by mid-February. In 1916, she entered the newly formed Northern Naval Division under Rear Admiral João Carlos Mourão dos Santos (see above) and assisted by the Amazon Flotilla. In 1918, she joined the newly formed “War Operations Naval Division” and served as its flagship for years under Alberto de Barros Raja Gabaglia. In 1922, while anchored alongside Rio Grande do Sul she was struck by shell fragments fired from Fort Copacabana (moderate damage, no casulaties).

In 1931, now deemed obsolete, she was converted and redesignated as a hydrographic vessel under command of Nogueira da Gama, a descendent of the famous Portuguese explorer. On March 7 she departed for a hydrographic survey of Ilha Grande in Angra dos Reis. Officers on Floriano conducted the survey made a “first” in Brazil, without specific training yet existed. In May she was prepared for another hydrographic survey in Mangaratiba and Ilha Grande, to develop new methods for a field in its infancy test new equipment. Thhen the nautical chart of Sepetiba Bay was published. By November she was decommissioned as a Navigation vessel. In 1934, she was also stricken from the Amazon Flotilla, disarmed, converted as a floating barrack for the next two years and stricken for good in 1936 from the Navy list and sold for BU.

Read More/Src

Books

Lyon, Hugh (1979). “Brazil”. In Chesneau, Roger & Kolesnik, Eugene M. (eds.). Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1860–1905.
Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World’s Capital Ships. Hippocrene Books.
Levantamentos Hidrográficos do Capitão de Fragata Manoel Nogueira da Gama. Consultado em 2 de julho de 2021
The New International Year Book. New York: Dodd, Mead and Company. 1925. p. 505.

Links

naval.com.br
navypedia.org/
books.google.fr
scientificamerican.com/
arquivodamarinha.dphdm.mar.mil.br
books.google.fr/
Revista marítima brasileira, Volume 38 Capa Serviço de Documentação Geral da Marinha, 1919
pt.wikipedia.org/ Classe_Deodoro
en.wikipedia.org Deodoro-class

Model Kits

None found