Brazilian battleship São Paulo

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Career

Name:	São Paulo
Ordered:	1906
Builder:	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom
Laid down:	30 April 1907
Launched:	19 April 1909
Commissioned:	12 July 1910
Decommissioned:	1946
Struck:	2 August 1947
Fate:	Lost, 1951, while under tow to be scrapped in a heavy gale 150 nautical miles (280 km) from the Azores.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Minas Gerais-class battleship
Displacement:	19,281 tons standard 21,200 tons full load
Length:	165.5 m (543 ft 0 in)
Beam:	25.3 m (83 ft 0 in)
Draught:	8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)
Installed power:	23,500 shp (17,524 kW)
Propulsion:	2-shaft reciprocating vertical triple-expansion (VTE) steam engines 18 Babcock type boilers
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h)
Range:	10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Complement:	900
Armament:	• 12 × 21 in (530 mm) main guns (6×2) • 22 × 4.7 in (120 mm) DP guns • 8 × 3-pounder (37 mm) guns
Armour:	Krupp armour Belt: 9 in (230 mm) Deck: 2.25 in (57 mm) Turrets: 12 in (300 mm) max. Barbettes: 9 in (230 mm) Casemates: 9 in (230 mm) Conning tower: 12 in (300 mm)

The Brazilian battleship São Paulo (named after the City of São Paulo, Portuguese for St. Paul) was built between 1907-1909, and commissioned in July 1910. Built by Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom, it was an early dreadnought. It carried a main armament of twelve 12-inch (305 mm) main guns mounted two per turret, and could fire from all sides.

The São Paulo was a member of the two-ship Minas Gerais class, which were powered by reciprocating engines with coal fired boilers. Both of these vessels were built in an attempt to enhance the Brazilian naval power in South America. Their completion sparked a mini South American naval race, however this quickly ended upon the outbreak of World War I.

When Brazil declared war on Germany in 1917, the São Paulo was sent to the US for a major refit prior to joining the Grand Fleet in Great Britain. However, the refit was not completed until 1920, by which time World War I had ended, therefore the ship never fired its guns in anger. It was decommissioned in 1946, and its hull was sold to British breakers in 1951. While being towed across the Atlantic, a heavy gale 150 nautical miles (280 km) from the Azores caused the tow ropes to snap, and the ship has never been sighted again. In 1954 her sister ship was successfully towed to Italy and scrapped.