Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes Minas Geraes , spelled Minas Gerais in some sources , was a ( ) of the Brazilian Navy . Named in honor of the state of Minas Gerais , the ship was laid down in April 1907 as the lead ship of her class , making the country the third to have a dreadnought under construction and igniting a naval arms race between Brazil , Argentina , and Chile . Two months after her completion in January 1910 , " Minas Geraes " was featured in " Scientific American " , which described her as " the last word in heavy battleship design and the . . . most powerfully armed warship afloat " . In November 1910 , " Minas Geraes " was the focal point of the " Revolta da Chibata " ( English : " Revolt of the Whip " ) . The mutiny spread from " Minas Geraes " to other ships in the Navy , including her sister , the elderly coastal defense ship " Deodoro " , and the recently commissioned cruiser . Led by the " Black Admiral " João Cândido Felisberto , the mutineers threatened to bombard the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro if their demands were not met . As it was not possible to end the situation militarily — the only loyal troops nearby being small torpedo boat s and army troops confined to land — the National Congress of Brazil gave in and the rebels disbanded . When Brazil entered the First World War in 1917 , Britain ' s Royal Navy declined Brazil ' s offer of " Minas Geraes " for duty with the Grand Fleet because the ship was outdated ; she had not been refitted since entering service , so range - finders and a fire - control system had not been added . " São Paulo " underwent modernization in the United States in 1920 ; in 1921 , " Minas Geraes " received the same treatment . A year later , " Minas Geraes " sailed to counter the first of the " revoltas tenentistas " ( English : " Tenente revolts " ) . " São Paulo " shelled the rebels ' fort , and they surrendered shortly thereafter ; " Minas Geraes " did not fire her guns . In 1924 , mutineers seized " São Paulo " and attempted to persuade the crews of " Minas Geraes " and several other ships to join them , but were unsuccessful . " Minas Geraes " was modernized at the Rio de Janeiro Naval Yard in the 1930s , and underwent further refitting from 1939 to 1943 . During the Second World War , she was anchored in Salvador as the main defense of the port , as she was too old to play an active part in the war . For the last nine years of her service life , " Minas Geraes " remained largely inactive , and was towed to Italy for scrapping in March 1954 . Background . Beginning in the late 1880s , Brazil ' s navy fell into obsolescence , helped along by an 1889 revolution , which deposed Emperor Dom Pedro II , and naval revolts in 1891 and 1893 – 94 . By the turn of the 20th century it was lagging behind the Chilean and Argentine navies in quality and total tonnage , despite Brazil having nearly three times the population of Argentina and almost five times the population of Chile . At the turn of the twentieth century , soaring demand for coffee and rubber brought prosperity to the Brazilian economy . The government of Brazil used some of the extra money from this economic growth to finance a large naval building program in 1904 , which authorized the construction of a large number of warships , including three battleships . The Minister of the Navy , Admiral Júlio César de Noronha , signed a contract with Armstrong Whitworth for three battleships on 23 July 1906 . While the first designs for these ships were derived from the Norwegian coastal defense ship " Norge " and the British ( originally Chilean ) , the contracted ships were to follow Armstrong Whitworth ' s Design 439 ( Design 188 in Vickers ' files ) . They would displace 11 , 800 long tons ( 12 , 000 tonnes ) , have a speed of 19 knots ( 22 mph ; 35 km / h ) , and be protected by belt armor of 9 inches ( 23 cm ) and deck armor of 1 . 5 in ( 3 . 8 cm ) . Each ship would be armed with twelve 10 - inch ( 25 cm ) guns mounted in six twin turrets . These turrets would be mounted in a hexagonal configuration , similar to the later German s . Two of these ships were laid down by Armstrong in Elswick ( " Minas Geraes " and " Rio de Janeiro " ) , while the other was subcontract ed out to Vickers in Barrow ( " São Paulo " ) . The new dreadnought concept , which premiered in December 1906 upon the completion of the namesake ship in December 1906 , rendered the Brazilian ships obsolete . The money authorized for naval expansion was redirected by new Minister of the Navy , Rear Admiral Alexandrino Fario de Alencar , to building two dreadnoughts , with plans for a third dreadnought after the first was completed , two scout cruisers ( which became the ) , ten destroyers ( the ) , and three submarines . The three battleships on which construction had just begun were demolished beginning on 7 January 1907 , and the design of the new dreadnoughts was approved by the Brazilians on 20 February 1907 . Even though the greater cost of these ships meant that only two ships could begin immediately , plans went ahead . " Minas Geraes " , the lead ship , was laid down by Armstrong on 17 April 1907 , while " São Paulo " followed thirteen days later at Vickers . The news shocked Brazil ' s neighbors , especially Argentina , whose Minister of Foreign Affairs remarked that either " Minas Geraes " or " São Paulo " could destroy the entire Argentine and Chilean fleets . In addition , Brazil ' s order meant that they had laid down a dreadnought before many of the other major maritime powers , such as Germany , France or Russia , and the two ships made Brazil just the third country to have dreadnoughts under construction , behind the United Kingdom and the United States . In particular , the United States now actively attempted to court Brazil as an ally ; caught up in the spirit , U . S . naval journals began using terms like " Pan Americanism " and " Hemispheric Cooperation " . Newspapers and journals around the world , particularly in Britain and Germany , speculated that Brazil was acting as a proxy for a naval power which would take possession of the two dreadnoughts soon after completion , as they did not believe that a previously insignificant geopolitical power would contract for such powerful armament . Early career . " Minas Geraes " was christened by Senhora Regis de Oliveira , the wife of the Brazilian minister to Great Britain , and launched at Newcastle - on - Tyne on 10 September 1908 . During fitting - out , she was moved to Vickers ' Walker Yard , and thousands turned out to see the incomplete ship squeeze barely underneath and through overhead and swing bridge s . After completion , " Minas Geraes " was handed over by Armstrong on 5 January to the Brazilian Commission on behalf of the Brazilian government , while the ship ' s company was mustered on deck . The British Royal Navy carried out her gunnery trials at the request of Armstrong ' s and with the agreement of the Brazilian government . Although the idea of having superfiring turrets was not new — the American s were also designed and built in this fashion around the same time — the trials attracted interest from a few nations , who sent representatives to observe . They wanted to resolve two major questions : the effect that firing the upper superfiring turrets would have on the crewmen in the lower guns , and whether smoke from the discharge of the lower guns would hinder the targeting capabilities of the upper turret . The tests resolved both questions satisfactorily . " Minas Geraes " left the Tyne on 5 February 1910 and traveled to Plymouth before beginning a voyage to the United States on 8 February . When she reached Norfolk , Virginia , she escorted the American armored cruiser , which was carrying the body of the former Brazilian ambassador to the United States Joaquim Nabuco ( who had died in Washington , D . C . on 17 January ) to Rio de Janeiro . The two ships set sail on 17 March 1910 and reached Rio de Janeiro one month later , where " Minas Geraes " was commissioned into the Brazilian Navy on 18 April . Soon after " Minas Geraes " arrival in Brazil , the country ' s prosperity began to wane , and a severe depression hit the Brazilian economy . The economic hardship , the racism prevalent in all branches of the Brazilian armed forces , and the severe discipline enforced on all navy ships spawned a mutiny known as the Revolt of the Lash , or " Revolta da Chibata " , among sailors on the most powerful ships . Revolt of the Lash . The initial spark was provided on 16 November 1910 when Afro - Brazilian sailor Marcelino Rodrigues Menezes was brutally flogged 250 times for insubordination . Many Afro - Brazilian sailors were sons of former slaves , or were former slaves freed under the " Lei Áurea " ( abolition ) but forced to enter the navy . They had been planning a revolt for some time , and Menezes became the catalyst . Further preparations were needed , so the rebellion was delayed until 22 November . The crewmen of " Minas Geraes " , " São Paulo " , the twelve - year - old " Deodoro " , and the new " Bahia " quickly took their vessels with only a minimum of bloodshed : two officers on " Minas Geraes " and one each on " São Paulo " and " Bahia " were killed . The ships were well - supplied with foodstuffs , ammunition , and coal , and the only demand of mutineers — led by João Cândido Felisberto — was the abolition of " slavery as practiced by the Brazilian Navy " . They objected to low pay , long hours , inadequate training , and punishments including " bolo " ( being struck on the hand with a ferrule ) and the use of whips or lashes ( " chibata " ) , which eventually became a symbol of the revolt . By the 23rd , the National Congress had begun discussing the possibility of a general amnesty for the sailors . Senator Ruy Barbosa , long an opponent of slavery , lent a large amount of support , and the measure unanimously passed the Federal Senate on 24 November . The measure was then sent to the Chamber of Deputies . Humiliated by the revolt , naval officers and the president of Brazil were staunchly opposed to amnesty , so they quickly began planning to assault the rebel ships . The officers believed such an action was necessary to restore the service ' s honor . The rebels , believing an attack was imminent , sailed their ships out of Guanabara Bay and spent the night of 23 – 24 November at sea , only returning during daylight . Late on the 24th , the President ordered the naval officers to attack the mutineers . Officers crewed some smaller warships and the cruiser " Rio Grande do Sul " , " Bahia " s sister ship with ten 4 . 7 - inch guns . They planned to attack on the morning of the 25th , when the government expected the mutineers would return to Guanabara Bay . When they did not return and the amnesty measure neared passage in the Chamber of Deputies , the order was rescinded . After the bill passed 125 – 23 and the president signed it into law , the mutineers stood down on the 26th . During the revolt , the ships were noted by many observers to be well handled , despite a previous belief that the Brazilian Navy was incapable of effectively operating the ships even before being split by a rebellion . João Cândido Felisberto ordered all liquor thrown overboard , and discipline on the ships was recognized as exemplary . The 4 . 7 - inch guns were often used for shots over the city , but the 12 - inch guns were not , which led to a suspicion among the naval officers that the rebels were incapable of using the weapons . Later research and interviews indicate that " Minas Geraes " guns were fully operational , and while " São Paulo " s could not be turned after salt water contaminated the hydraulic system , British engineers still on board the ship after the voyage from the United Kingdom were working on the problem . Still , historians have never ascertained how well the mutineers could handle the ships . The crews of the torpedo boats remained loyal to the government , and army troops moved to the presidential palace and the coastline , but neither group could stop the mutineers ; a major problem for the authorities was that many of the men who manned Rio de Janeiro ' s harbor defenses were sympathetic to the mutineers ' cause . The additional possibility of the capital being bombarded forced the National Congress of Brazil to give in to the rebels ' demands . The demands included the abolition of flogging , improved living conditions , and the granting of amnesty to all mutineers . The government also issued official pardons and a statement of regret . Its submission resulted in the rebellion ' s end on 26 November , when control of the four ships was handed back to the navy . In 1913 , " Minas Geraes " took the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs , Lauro Severiano Müller , to the United States , reciprocating the visit U . S . Secretary of State Elihu Root had paid to Brazil seven years earlier . First World War . Even though the First World War did not touch Brazilian soil , it had crushing effects on Brazil ' s economy . Prices for rubber and coffee plummeted ; the war had only a small need for rubber , and Britain allowed no coffee into Europe as space on merchant ships was reserved for " essential items " . In addition , coffee was declared to be contraband , so every Brazilian shipment to the Central Powers was subject to search and seizure ; even shipments to some neutral countries were barred to ensure that no coffee would get through . Despite these restrictions , neutral Brazil was pro - Allied for the first three years of the war because of its sizable merchant fleet ; as merchantmen from Allied countries were sunk , Brazilian ships were able to take over routes that had been vacated . This policy exposed them to attack by German submarines , and after the German declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare in February 1917 , several Brazilian ships were sunk , driving the country closer to declaring war on the Central Powers . Brazil revoked its neutrality in the war between the United States and Germany on 1 June 1917 , but did not declare war . At the same time , all German merchant ships interned in Brazilian harbors , 45 in all , were boarded and seized ; most were unusable due to neglect or sabotage . On 28 June , Brazil revoked its neutrality between all of the Allied and Central Powers but again stopped short of declaring war ; this move allowed Brazilian merchantmen to travel in Allied convoys . The Brazilian Navy was sent out to patrol the South Atlantic with French , British and American naval units , even though none of its ships had anti - submarine capabilities and , not being at war with the Central Powers , its ships were not supposed to engage any threat outside territorial waters . Another Brazilian merchant ship , , was sunk off Spain on 18 October , and eight days later Brazil declared war . Brazil offered to send " Minas Geraes " and " São Paulo " to serve with the British Grand Fleet , but this offer was declined because both ships were in poor condition and lacked modern fire - control system s . Indicative of their poor condition , fourteen of " São Paulo " s eighteen boilers failed when she sailed to New York for a modernization in June 1918 . Inter - war period . " São Paulo ' s " refit was finished on 17 January 1920 and she returned to Brazil ; on 15 July " Minas Geraes " departed for New York for her own refit . Beginning on 22 August , the day she arrived , and finishing on 4 October 1921 , the battleship was dramatically modernized , with Sperry fire - control equipment and Bausch and Lomb range - finders for the two superfiring turrets fore and aft . A vertical armor bulkhead was fitted inside the main turrets , and the secondary battery of guns was reduced from 22 to 12 ; five guns in casemate s were removed from each side . A few modern AA guns were fitted : two 3 " / 50 caliber gun s from Bethlehem Steel were added on the aft superstructure , guns were added near each turret , and 3 - pounder guns were removed from the tops of turrets . In July 1922 , " Minas Geraes " joined " São Paulo " in helping to quash the first of the " Revolução Tenentista " ( English : " Tenente revolts " ) , in which the garrison of Rio de Janeiro ' s Fort Copacabana rebelled and began bombarding the city . " São Paulo " shelled the fort , and the rebels surrendered shortly thereafter ; " Minas Geraes " did not fire her guns . In 1924 , " Minas Geraes " was involved in another mutiny , but remained on the side of the government . First Lieutenant Hercolino Cascardo , seven second lieutenants and others commandeered " São Paulo " in Rio de Janeiro ' s harbor on 4 November 1924 . Their goal was to force the government to release prisoners who had participated in the 1922 Tenente revolts from confinement aboard the prison ship " Cuibaba " ; the mutineers ' demands were not met . " São Paulo " s boilers were then fired , and she " steamed menacingly " around " Minas Geraes " in an attempt to entice her and other ships to join the rebellion . " São Paulo " was only able to sway the crew of one old torpedo boat to her cause . Her crew , angry that " Minas Geraes " would not join them , shot a six - pounder at " Minas Geraes " , wounding a cook . The mutineers then sailed out of the harbor , exchanging shots with forts at the entrance along the way , and set course for Montevideo , Uruguay . The condensers failed along the way , and they reached Montevideo on 10 November making only . The rebellious members of the crew disembarked and were granted asylum , while the remainder re - hoisted the colors of Brazil . Between June 1931 and April 1938 , " Minas Geraes " was totally reconstructed and modernized at the Rio de Janeiro Naval Yard . She was converted from her old coal – oil combination to all - oil firing . All eighteen of the original Babcock and Wilcox boilers were removed in favor of six new John I . Thornycroft & Company boilers . The former No . 1 boiler room and all twelve of the side coal bunkers were converted to fuel oil storage tanks ; the upper coal bunkers were removed . In addition , " Minas Geraes " dynamo s were replaced with new turbogenerators . The most striking aesthetic change was the trunking of the boiler uptakes into a single funnel . The fire - control systems that had been fitted after the First World War were also modernized in favor of Zeiss range - finders . The guns were overhauled ; two extra guns were added ( making 14 total ) , and six Madsen guns were installed , including two on the top of ' X ' turret . The maximum elevation of the 12 - inch guns was upped from 13° to 18° . Second World War and later career . As in the First World War , Brazil was neutral during the early years of the Second World War . German attacks on Brazilian merchant ships pushed the country into war on the Allied side ; Brazil declared war on 21 August 1942 , taking effect on 31 August . Apart from three destroyers launched in 1940 and four submarines from the inter - war years , Brazil ' s warships were old and mostly obsolete pre - First World War vessels . The mainstays of the fleet , " Minas Geraes " , " São Paulo " , , and , were all over thirty years old . Although " Minas Geraes " had been further refitted from 1939 to 1943 , she was still too old and in too poor a condition for any active role in the Second World War ; instead , the dreadnought was anchored as a floating battery in the port of Salvador for the duration of the war . " Minas Geraes " was inactive for much of the rest of her career . Decommissioned on 16 May 1952 , the battleship was used as a stationary headquarters for the Commander - in - Chief of the Brazilian Navy until 17 December of that year . She was removed from the naval register on 31 December , and sold to the Italian ship breaking company SA Cantiere Navale de Santa Maria . " Minas Geraes " was taken under tow on 1 March 1954 and arrived in Genoa on 22 April ; the old dreadnought , which had been in service for more than forty years , was broken up for scrap later that year .