| History | |
|---|---|
 Empire of Brazil | |
| Name | Pará |
| Namesake | Pará |
| Ordered | 1866 |
| Builder | Arsenal de Marinha da Côrte,Rio de Janeiro |
| Laid down | 8 December 1866 |
| Launched | 21 May 1867 |
| Completed | 15 June 1867 |
| Fate | Discarded 10 December 1884 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Pará-classmonitor |
| Displacement | 500 metric tons (490 long tons) |
| Length | 39 m (127 ft 11 in) |
| Beam | 8.54 m (28 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 1.51–1.54 m (5.0–5.1 ft) (mean) |
| Installed power | 180 ihp (130 kW) |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2steam engines, 2boilers |
| Speed | 8knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) |
| Complement | 8 officers and 35 men |
| Armament | 1 × 70-pounder Whitworth gun |
| Armor |
|
TheBrazilian monitorPará was thelead ship of thePará-class rivermonitors built for theBrazilian Navy during theParaguayan War in the late 1860s.Pará participated in thePassagem de Humaitá in February 1868 and provided fire support for the army for the rest of the war. The ship was assigned to theMato GrossoFlotilla after the war.Pará was disarmed and discarded in 1884.
ThePará-class monitors were designed to meet the need of the Brazilian Navy for small, shallow-draft armored ships capable of withstanding heavy fire. The monitor configuration was chosen as a turreted design did not have the same problems engaging enemy ships and fortifications as did thecasemate ironclads already in Brazilian service. Theoblonggun turret sat on a circular platform that had a central pivot. It was rotated by four men via a system of gears; 2.25 minutes were required for a full 360° rotation. A bronzeram was fitted to these ships as well. The hull was sheathed withMuntz metal to reducebiofouling.[1]
The ships measured 39 meters (127 ft 11 in)long overall, with abeam of 8.54 meters (28 ft 0 in). They had adraft between of 1.51–1.54 meters (4 ft 11 in – 5 ft 1 in) and displaced 500 metric tons (490 long tons).[2] With only 0.3 meters (1 ft 0 in) offreeboard they had to be towed between Rio de Janeiro and their area of operations.[1] Their crew numbered 43 officers and men.[2]
ThePará-class ships had two direct-actingsteam engines, each driving a single 1.3-meter (4 ft 3 in) propeller. Their engines were powered by two tubularboilers at a working pressure of 59 psi (407 kPa; 4 kgf/cm2). The engines produced a total of 180indicated horsepower (130 kW) which gave the monitors a maximum speed of 8knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) in calm waters. The ships carried enough coal for one day's steaming.[3]
Pará carried a single70-pounder Whitworthrifled muzzle loader (RML) in hergun turret. The 70-pounder gun had a maximum elevation of 15°. It had a maximum range of 5,540 meters (6,060 yd).[4] The 70-pounder gun weighed 8,582 pounds (3,892.7 kg) and fired a 5.5-inch (140 mm) shell that weighed 81 pounds (36.7 kg).[5] Most unusually the gun's Brazilian-designed ironcarriage was designed to pivot vertically at themuzzle; this was done to minimize the size of thegunport through which splinters and shells could enter.[6]
The hull of thePará-class ships was made from three layers of wood that alternated in orientation. It was 457 millimeters (18.0 in) thick and was capped with a 102-millimeter (4 in) layer ofperoba hardwood. The ships had a completewrought iron waterlinebelt, 0.91 meters (3.0 ft) high. It had a maximum thickness of 102 millimeters amidships, decreasing to 76 millimeters (3 in) and 51 millimeters (2 in) at the ship's ends. The curveddeck was armored with 12.7 millimeters (0.5 in) of wrought iron.[1]
The gun turret was shaped like arectangle with rounded corners. It was built much like the hull, but the front of the turret was protected by 152 millimeters (6 in) of armor, the sides by 102 millimeters and the rear by 76 millimeters. Its roof and the exposed portions of the platform it rested upon were protected by 12.7 millimeters of armor. The armoredpilothouse was positioned ahead of the turret.[1]
Pará was laid down at the Arsenal de Marinha da Côrte inRio de Janeiro on 8 December 1866, during theParaguayan War, which sawArgentina and Brazil allied againstParaguay. She was launched on 21 May 1867 and commissioned on 15 June 1867. She was towed to theRío de la Plata on 20 June 1867 and steamed up theParaná River, although her passage further north was barred by the Paraguayan fortifications atHumaitá. On 19 February 1868 six Brazilian ironclads, includingPará,sailed past Humaitá at night.Pará and her two sister ships,Alagoas andRio Grande, were lashed to the larger ironclads in case any engines were disabled by the Paraguayan guns.Barroso led withRio Grande, followed byBahia withAlagoas andTamandaré withPará. The monitor had to be beached after passing the fortress to prevent her from sinking.[7]Pará was repaired by 27 February when she joined asquadron dispatched to capture the town ofLaureles. On 15 October she bombarded Angostura Fort in company withBrasil,Silvado,Rio Grande and her sisterCeará. On 17 May 1869 she joined a blockading squadron on the Jejuy and Araguaya Rivers. After the warPará was assigned to the newly formed Mato Grosso Flotilla. She was disarmed and discarded on 10 December 1884 atLadário.[8]