Riachuelo

The Riachueo was the flagship of the Brazilian Navy from her commissioning in 1926 through to 1952.

The Riachelo was a decently large fleet aircraft carrier, built on the converted hull of the incomplete British ‘light’ battlecruiser HMS Fearless of the Courageous-class.

The HMS Fearless was launched as an incomplete hull in late 1915 to make room for the new Admiralty-class battlecruisers.

However in the post war, while HMS Fearless was heavily considered to be converted into an aircraft carrier, she was all out cancelled in favor of converting HMS Anson into HMS Indomitable.

During the Battleship Auction of 1922, Great Britain offered the Incomplete HMS Fearless primarily as a candidate for an aircraft carrier. While seeing bids from nearly every customer country, it was Brazil who would purchase her.
Ordered to be completed as a carrier, the HMS Fearless was commissioned by the Brazian Navy as Riachelo in 1927.

The Riachuelo was the largest aircraft carrier of the South American fleets, being larger then the Chilean carrier Almirante Cochrane by a decent margin. The Riachuelo was capable of carrying 36 aircraft, compared to the Almirante Cochrane's 30.

Like her converted sister Glorious, the Riachuelo would be commissioned as a flat top carrier, with her bridge located underneath the flight deck, the Riachuelo would suffer from a relatively high rate of crashes on her flight deck due to lack of being able to properly direct her aircraft.

Aircraft would launch from a separate flight deck that opened to the hangar underneath the landing flight deck.

## Interwar:

The Riachuelo was primarily used as a diplomatic ship, with the JSAD Treaty being signed on her deck in 1929. Otherwise, Riachuelo was constantly deployed on diplomatic voyages to Europe, North America, and even Asia in 1934. In 1937, in dire need for a refit, she was dry-docked in Britain and extensively refit and modernized.

Her air facilities were greatly updated. She received an island bridge, very reminiscent of the refitted HMS Glorious. Additionally, she was refit with reinforced arresting cable, with additional arresting cable.

However, unlike the Glorious, the Riacheulo would be equipped with a full length flight deck, and extended hangar, further expanding her air complement to 42 aircraft. Not only that, but the Riacheulo would also receive an enclosed hurricane bow, similar to the one found on the converted Lexington-class.

Finally, a reinforced torpedo bulge was installed due to the rapid expansion of Argentina's submarine fleet.

Among other things, she received 3 squadrons of Gloucester Sea Gladiator fighters. These would replace the Riachuelo's complement of Faeiry IIID biplanes. The Riachuelo was not equipped with dive bombers or Torpedo bombers, to further the point that she was strictly a defensive warship. Albeit, her Sea Gladiators had been modified to carry 2x- 250lb bombs under their wings.

## WW2

Brazil declared war on Argentina on March 9, 1941. The Riacheulo was docked at Navy Arsenal of Rio de Janeiro, undergoing refueling and routine maintenance. Riacheulo was not scheduled to leave for another week, but with the onset of the war, the Riacheulo was deployed alongside the antiquated battleship *Minas Geraes.*

In her first call to action, the Riacheulo was deployed to protect a Brazilean fleet compromised of Minas Geraes, and the cruiser *Tamandaré.*

On April 3, 1941 a Sea Gladiator from the Riacheulo spotted an Argentine taskforce of the battleship *San Juan*, supported by the carrier *General Belgrano* north of the Falkland Islands.

Launching her Sea Gladiators armed with 250lb bombers, Riachuelo proved to be rather ineffective in the offensive role, albeit, this was as designed.
While her fighters did manage to score a hit on the San Juan, the relatively tiny 250lb bombs did not manage to damage her.

However, her Sea Gladiators managed to drive off attack from the General Belgrano’s torpedo bombers, downing 3 AR 195 Torpedo bombers.

With no ability to truely damage the enemy ships, the Riachuelo was negated to using her aircraft as artillery spotters, with minor air cover support.

The San Juan would be crippled by fire from the Minas Geraes. During the second wave of attack from the General Belgrano, 2 Ju87 dive bombers would manage to break through the screen of fighters and strike the Tamandaré amidship, just aft of her bridge.

The Tamandaré loss her fire director control, leaving her firing mostly blind besides the input from the Sea Gladiator pilots circling the enemy ships.

As night fell, the Argentine’s pulled off their attack, and retreated south.
While Minas Gerares was in perfect fighting condition, the Tamandaré’s condition had turned for the worse, and was forced to be taken under tow by the Riachuelo.

While being towed north, an Argentine wolfpack which had been been north trying to catch allied convoys traveling from to Brazil’s northern ports, intercepted the task force.

The Argentine U-Boats managed to torpedo the Minas Gerares, and the Tamandaré.
A loud thud was heard onboard the Riachuelo, but she was not torpedoed. It would later be discovered in 1943 when undergoing repairs that she had been struck by a torpedo but it had failed to go off, leaving a sizable dent in her torpedo bulge.

The Tamandaré was taking on massive amounts of water, and listing heavily to port. By dawn, it became clear that the Tamandaré was a loss cause.
Her crew was evacuated, and the Minas Gerares sunk her with torpedos at 8:46AM April 9, 1941.