Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-15
BRAZlL's REBEL SQUADRON.
The Most Formidable II the Aquida.
ban Lately at New York.

ban Lately at New York.
The squadron which has turned its guns
on Rio and begun Smelling the city is COM
manded by Admiral Custodio Jose Mello,
and consists of the armored battleship
Aquidaban, the protected cruiser Republica,
the cruiser Trajano, and three torpedo
boats. OF these by far the most formidable
is the Aquidaban. Two of the revolving
squadron. the Aquidaban and the Republica,
with the gunboat Tiradentes, represented
Brazil in the Hampton Roads evolutions and
at the naval review in New York harbor
They were then under the command Of
Rear-Admiral de Noronha.
The Aquidaban Is a steel-armored battle
ship of 1850 tons displacement, with two
turrets. She Is a fighting ship In every
sense Of the word. She is English in design,
build and character. Her engines were de-
signed to give her a speed Of seventeen
knots an hour. They have, however not
equaled the task, her speed being not over
fifteen knots an hour. The quarters, the
gangways. the fighting arrangements the
boat hoists. all were so thoroughly English
as to make her seem British warship.
The battery of the AQuidaban Is one Of
the most powerful and efficient carried by
any warship afioat. 1t is a powerful one
because OF the high penetrative power Of
efficient because readily handled, being made
up OF four nine-iuch twenty-ton breech-
Ioaoins Armstrongs, four seventy-pounder
nve-ton guns. also breech-loading Arm
strongS, and fifteen machine guns mounted
In every conceivable place about decks
The machine guns are all Nordenfelts and
Hotchkiss rapid-ire guns The latter are
three-pounders and one-pounders.
The Aquidnban.
In addition to the above powerful primary
and secondary battery. the Aquidaban Is
provided with five Whitehead torpedo-hring
II hoo t,.H
superstructure. two being on the port side,
Two on the starboard and one in the
stern. The stern torpedo tube is operated
IN a torpedo room. which Is situated abaft
the commanding officers cabin. 1t Is a
large. commodiouS space. much larger than
one usually finds allotted to such purposes.
IT Is. In fact SO large that two flve-ton guns
have been mounted there. serving as stern
chasers. They are two Of the four hve-ton
guns allowed the vessel in her primary bat
terry. The remaining two fve-ton guns are
mounted under the extreme forward SUPER
structure This forward superstructure
would be styled a covered or closed topgal-
liant forecastle on an American ship.
The Aquidaban displaces 1880 tons. She
IS $50 feet long. has beam Of 50 feet and a
draught Of IS feet of water She mounts her
four nine-inch guns in turrets, placed en-
echeion. the after turret to starboard and
the forward turret to port. Two guns are
mounted In each turret The arinor on the
turrets Is CANNED compound arrnor, ten
inches In thickness. This is the same kind
OF armor that was smashed to pieces at
Annapolis by an American six-incb gun dur
ing the competitive armor test. On the
base of the turret the armor measures
eleven and half inches In thickness The
hull armor of the Aquidaban Is placed on
the vessel In the form OF belt that is It
does not extend completely around the ves-
sells hull. The thickness of her hull is eleven
inches.
The Other Warships.
The Republica is a steel protected cruiser
OF 1900 tons displacement, and was only
completed in 1892 She is 226 l-2 feet long.
thirteen feet draught. She has a two-inch
protective deck. and a battery OF six A.
inch and four six-pounder rapid guns.
She has four tubes for Whitehead torpedoes.
With $3.50 horse power she Is credited with
a seventeen knot speed.
The Trajano Is a cruiser Of l, 400 tons dis
placement. carrying seven 47-inch Arm
strong breech-loading rifles. With a horse
power Of 2, 400 her single screw propels her
at thirteen knot speed.