View source for Brazilian battleship Aquidabã

{{other uses|Aquidaba (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Aquidaba LOC det 4a04853.jpg
|Ship caption=''Aquidabã'' off US coast, probably in 1893
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country= Empire of Brazil
|Ship flag= [[File:Bandeira Imperial oficial (com heráldica certa).svg|60px]]
|Ship name=''Aquidabã''
|Ship namesake=[[Aquidabán River]]<ref name=BrazilNavy/>
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Samuda Brothers]], [[Cubitt Town]], London
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=17 January 1885
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=1887
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship nickname=Steel Lion
|Ship fate = Sank 21 January 1906 after powder magazine exploded
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Ironclad warship]]
|Ship displacement={{convert|4921|t|LT|lk=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|280.2|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|52.03|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|18|ft|4|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*8 × [[Scotch marine boiler|cylindrical boilers]]
*{{cvt|6500|ihp|lk=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*2 × shafts
*2 × [[Marine steam engine#Compound engine|compound-expansion steam engines]]
|Ship speed={{convert|15.8|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range={{convert|4500|nmi|km|lk=in}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
|Ship complement=277
|Ship armament=*2 × twin {{convert|9.2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} guns
*4 × single {{convert|5.5|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} guns
*13 × single 1&nbsp;pounder guns
*5 × {{convert|14|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armor=*[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{convert|7|-|11|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|2|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
*[[Gun turret]]s: {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''''Aquidabã''''' ({{IPA|pt|ɐkidaˈbɐ̃|lang}}), anglicized to Aquidaban, was a Brazilian [[ironclad warship|ironclad]] [[battleship]] built in the mid-1880s. The ship participated in two naval revolts; during the second she was sunk by a government [[torpedo boat]]. After being [[Marine salvage|refloated]], ''Aquidabã'' was sent to (Germany) for repairs and modernization. During a routine cruise in 1906, the ship's ammunition [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]]s exploded, which caused the vessel to sink rapidly with a great loss of life.

==Design==
[[File:Aquidaba-2.jpg|thumb|left|''Aquidabã'' seen prior to 1898, as the multiple masts have not been replaced yet<ref name=Conways1860>Lyon, p. 407</ref>]]
''Aquidabã'' was {{convert|280|ft|m|abbr=on|1}} long, had a beam of {{convert|52|ft|m|abbr=on|1}}, and had a draft of {{convert|18|ft|4|in|abbr=on|1}}. The ship displaced {{convert|4921|LT|lk=on}} and had a crew of 277 officers and enlisted men. She was powered by a pair of [[Marine steam engine#Compound engine|compound-expansion steam engines]], each driving one propeller shaft using steam provided by eight [[Scotch marine boiler|cylindrical boilers]]; this produced up to {{convert|6500|ihp|lk=on}} for a top speed of {{convert|15.8|kn|abbr=on}}. Fuel stores were initially {{convert|300|t|abbr=on}}, though after refits this was increased to {{convert|800|t|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Conways1860/>

''Aquidabã''{{'}}s main armament consisted of four {{convert|9.2|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns mounted in two twin [[gun turret]]s, each of which was placed off the centerline, ''en echelon'', with the forward turret offset to port and the aft turret to starboard. Secondary weapons included four {{convert|5.5|in|mm|0|adj=on}} guns, two fore and two aft, and thirteen 1-pounder guns, all on single mounts. The ship was also equipped with five {{convert|14|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s; three were above water, while the remaining two were below the [[waterline]]. The ship was equipped with [[compound armor]]. The [[armored belt]] was {{convert|11|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} thick in the central portion of the ship, where the most critical parts of the ship were located. This included the propulsion machinery spaces and ammunition magazines. At the ends of the ship, the thickness was reduced to {{convert|7|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}. The main-battery turrets were protected with {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} worth of armor, as was the [[conning tower]].<ref name=Conways1860/><ref name=BrazilNavy/>

==Construction and career==

''Aquidabã'' was built in England by [[Samuda Brothers]] for £345,000&nbsp;[[pounds sterling]];<ref name=BrazilNavy/> her [[keel]] was laid on 18 June 1883, and she was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 17 January 1885.<ref name=Conways1860/><ref name=Miramar>{{csr|register=MSI|id=6101090|shipname=Aquidaban |accessdate=19 October 2009 }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Though the Brazilian Navy's official history of the ship gives a keel laying date of May 1883, both ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860&ndash;1905'' and the Miramar Ship Index agree on 18 June.<ref name=BrazilNavy>{{cite web |title=''Aquidabã'' |url=http://biblioteca.dphdm.mar.mil.br/Internet/navios/Index.asp?codNavio=85 |work=Histórico de Navios On-Line |publisher=[[Brazilian Navy|Marinha do Brasil]] |language=pt |access-date=26 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812103536/http://biblioteca.dphdm.mar.mil.br/Internet/navios/Index.asp?codNavio=85 |archive-date=12 August 2011  }}</ref><ref name=Miramar/>|group="A"}} The ship was a slightly smaller version of the earlier battleship {{ship|Brazilian battleship|Riachuelo||2}}, being shorter, having a lighter draft, and being equipped with only one funnel.<ref name=Conways1860/> After undergoing gunnery trials on 14 August,<ref name=Poder>{{cite web|url=http://www.naval.com.br/NGB/A/A090/A090.htm|title=Encouraçado de Esquadra; Aquidabã|work=Navios de Guerra Brasileiros; 1822&nbsp;– Hoje|publisher=Poder Naval Online|access-date=26 October 2009|language=pt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107062233/http://www.naval.com.br/NGB/A/A090/A090.htm |archive-date=7 November 2007}}</ref> she sailed from England on 16 December, calling upon [[Lisbon]] and [[Bahia]] before reaching her ultimate destination of [[Rio de Janeiro]] on 29 January 1886.<ref name=BrazilNavy/>

===Rebellions===

[[File:BRÉSIL. — L'Aquidaban BOMBARDANT LES FORTS DE RIO-DE-JANEIRO. — (Dessin de M. Fouqueray, d'après une photographie instantanée.).jpg|thumb|300px|''Aquidabã'' bombarding the forts of Rio de Janeiro (drawing of Fouqueray, according to a photography, published in ''[[Le Monde Illustré]]'', nº 1.916, 1893).]]

''Aquidabã'' was part of a rebellion which started on 23 November 1891, headed by Rear Admiral [[Custódio José de Melo]]. Two years later (1893), she voyaged to the United States to take part in the [[Naval Review#Nineteenth century|International Naval Review]]. In that same year, she was the [[flagship]] of the ''[[Revolta da Armada]]'' (''Revolt of the Navy''), once again led by de Melo.<ref name=BrazilNavy/> On 16 April 1894, ''Aquidabã'' was anchored off the coast of [[Santa Catarina (state)|Santa Catarina]], near the [[Fortaleza de Santa Cruz de Anhatomirim|Fortress of Anhatomirim]]. Early in the morning, the first class [[torpedo boat]] {{ship|Brazilian torpedo boat|Gustavo Sampaio||2}}, accompanied by three other torpedo boats, attacked ''Aquidabã''; two torpedoes connected with the battleship and she sank in shallow water, inflicting only light damage in return.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/05/30/106907043.pdf|title=The Sea Fight at Desterro; Disabling and abandonment of the Aquidaban|date=30 May 1894|work=[[The New York Times]]|pages=2|access-date=26 October 2009|format=PDF|first=Our|last=Own|archive-date=3 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003224702/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/05/30/106907043.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The battle, which marked the first use of torpedoes by the Brazilian military, signaled the end of the revolution in Brazil. The members of the revolutionary government based in [[Florianópolis|Desterro]], in the [[Santa Catarina (island)|island of Santa Catarina]], fled to the continent; loyalist Colonel [[Antônio Moreira César]] would later regain control of the city.<ref name=RevoltaDaArmada>[http://www.ivopitz.pro.br/?arquivo=texdesterro Text about the Revolta da Armada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706161549/http://www.ivopitz.pro.br/?arquivo=texdesterro |date=6 July 2011 }} (in Portuguese) Retrieved 26 October 2009.</ref> Refloated in June 1894 by government forces,<ref name=Conways1860/> ''Aquidabã'' was quickly renamed to first ''Dezesseis de Abril'' (English: ''16 April''), then ''Vinte e Quatro de Maio'' (English: ''24 May'') due to anger over the ship rebelling twice in four years.<ref name=BrazilNavy/> Partially repaired, the ship was brought to [[Stettin]], Germany, and [[Elswick, Tyne and Wear|Elswick]], England for a full repair and refitting.<ref name=BrazilNavy/><ref name=Poder/> The work lasted from 1897 to 1898, and included the installation of two heavy fighting masts.<ref name=Conways1860/>

===Later career===

[[File:Aquidaba-3.jpg|thumb|left|''Aquidabã'' seen between 1898 and 1904, as evidenced by the two heavy masts<ref name=Conways1860/>]]

[[File:A catastrophe da noite de 21, na bahia de Jacuecanga.jpg|thumb|On 21 January 1906, the powder [[magazine (artillery)|magazines]] of the ''Aquidabã'' blew up, sinking the ship within three minutes ([[Angelo Agostini]], ''[[O Malho]]'', 1906)]]

In 1900 she was renamed again, this time to restore her original name. In 1904, the ship underwent further modernization at the island of ''[[Ilha das Cobras]]'' (English: ''Snakes Island'')<!--this is not the same island as [[Ilha da Queimada Grande]]-->, near [[Rio de Janeiro]]. This included the removal of the two heavy masts that had been installed in 1898 and two [[torpedo]] tubes.<ref name=Conways1860/><ref name=BrazilNavy/> ''Aquidabã'' made many cruises in these years to test the new technology of [[wireless telegraphy]] and to train [[midshipmen]].<ref name=BrazilNavy/>

On 21 January 1906, ''Aquidabã'' was scheduled to voyage to the port at [[Jacarepaguá]], near Rio de Janeiro, to escort and accommodate the Minister of Marine and his staff, who were attached to the cruiser {{ship|Brazilian cruiser|Barroso|1896|2}}. They were inspecting sites for use as an [[arsenal]]. At about 10:45&nbsp;pm, when she was moored at [[Jacuacanga Bay]], near ''[[Ilha Grande]]'' (English: ''Big Island''), the powder [[magazine (artillery)|magazines]] blew up, sinking the ship within three minutes. A total of 212 people were killed, including three admirals and most of the officers of the ship, and 36 were injured; 98 survived.<ref name=BrazilNavy/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/23/101334908.pdf|title=Warship Blown Up, 212 Lost|date=23 January 1906|work=The New York Times|page=1|access-date=27 October 2009|format=PDF|archive-date=16 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200316100851/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/23/101334908.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=A}}

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Aquidabã (ship, 1885)}}
* {{cite book|author1-last=Lyon|author1-first=Hugh|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger|editor2-last=Kolesnik|editor2-first=Eugene M.|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905|chapter=Brazil |year=1979|location=London|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|isbn=0-85177-133-5|name-list-style=amp}}
* {{cite book| last= Schenia| first= Robert| title= Latin America: A Naval History 1810&ndash;1987| location= Annapolis, Maryland| publisher= Naval Institute Press| year= 1987| isbn= 0-87021-295-8| oclc= 15696006}}
* {{cite book|last=Silverstone|first=Paul H.|title=Directory of the World's Capital Ships|year=1984 |publisher=Hippocrene Books|location=New York|isbn=0-88254-979-0}}

{{coord missing|Brazil}}
{{1906 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aquidaba}}
[[Category:Battleships of the Brazilian Navy|Aquidaban]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1906]]
[[Category:1885 ships]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Ships sunk by non-combat internal explosions]]
[[Category:Ships built in Cubitt Town]]