page_title: Passage of Humaitá
section_title: The Brazilian navy establishes a regular steamship line to supply its warships in the River Paraguay
hierarchical_section_title: Passage of Humaitá / The Brazilian ironclads are trapped between the forts of Curupayty and Humaitá / The Brazilian navy establishes a regular steamship line to supply its warships in the River Paraguay
caption_attribution_description: English: Emergency line built by the Brazilian navy through the Chaco to supply their ironclads trapped above Curupayty.
context_page_description: The Passage of Humaitá was an operation of riverine warfare during the Paraguayan War − the most lethal in South American history − in which a force of six Brazilian Navy armoured vessels was ordered to dash past under the guns of the Paraguayan fortress of Humaitá. Some competent neutral observers had considered that the feat was very nearly impossible.
  The purpose of the exercise was to stop the Paraguayans resupplying the fortress by river, and to provide the Empire of Brazil and its Allies with a much-needed propaganda victory. The attempt took place on 19 February 1868 and was successful – the attackers had hit upon the fortress' Achilles heel. It restored the reputation of the Brazilian navy and the Brazilian Empire's financial credit, and caused the Paraguayans to evacuate their capital Asunción. Some authors have considered that it was the turning point or culminating event of the war. The fortress, by then fully surrounded by Allied forces on land or blockaded by water, was captured on 25 July 1868.
context_section_description: On 4 October 1867 the navy minister Affonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo by order established a liner service from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil exclusively to supply the Brazilian navy in Paraguay.  Using four steamships, it had scheduled sailings, each way, on the 15th and 30th of every month.  From Rio steamers stopped to coal at Montevideo, Uruguay and then steamed non-stop to Corrientes, Argentina to drop off correspondence before proceeding to the naval arsenal of Cerrito near the mouth of the River Paraguay.  According to Affonso Celso's memoirs whatever the Brazilian vice-admiral asked for was promptly supplied from Rio.
caption: Emergency line through the Chaco built by the Brazilian navy to supply their ironclads trapped above Curupayty.  It included a steam tramway whose sleepers almost floated on the boggy ground.
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