NRB Rio de Janiero was a dreadnought battleship built in the United Kingdom in the early 1910s. Originally part of Brazil's role in a South American naval arms race, she held the distinction of mounting more heavy guns (fourteen) and more turrets (seven) than any other dreadnought battleship constructed, in keeping with the Brazilians' requirement for an especially impressive design.
Brazil ordered the ship as Rio de Janeiro from the British Armstrong Whitworth shipyard, but the collapse of the rubber boom and a warming in relations with the country's chief rival, Argentina, led to the ship's sale while under construction to the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Navy renamed her Sultan Osman I, after the empire's founder. The ship was nearly complete when World War I broke out, and British Admiralty fears of a German–Ottoman alliance led to her seizure for use by the Royal Navy (together with another Ottoman battleship which was being constructed in Britain). This act was a significant contributor to the decision of the Ottoman government to join the Central Powers, as the payments for both ships were complete, and distrust of Britain increased.
Renamed HMS Agincourt by the Royal Navy, she joined the Grand Fleet in the North Sea. The ship spent the bulk of her time during the war on patrols and exercises, although she did participate in the Battle of Jutland in 1916. Agincourt was put into reserve in 1919.
In February 1919, the Brazilian government asked to purchase the Agincourt and for it to be modernized (along with a modernized version of the Riachuelo). It would be commissioned into the Brazilian Navy on May 14th, 1923.
Specifications[]
Original Configuration[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1914-1920
- Characteristics:
- Length: 671 feet 6 inches (204.67 meters)
- Beam: 89 feet (27.13 meters)
- Draught: 29 feet 10 inches (9.1 meters)
- Displacement: 27,850 tons (Standard); 30,860 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,268
- Propulsion: 22 x Babcock & Wilcox water tube boilers, 4 x Parsons steam turbines, 4 x shafts, 34,000 shp (25,000 kW)
- Range: 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 kilometers) at 10 knots (18.52 km/h)
- Speed: 22 knots (40.74 km/h)
- Armament:
- 14 x BL 12"/45-caliber Mk.XIII naval guns (7x2)
- 20 x BL 6"/50-caliber Mk.XIII (20x1)
- 10 x 3"/45-caliber Mk.V anti-aircraft guns
- 6 x 21-inch torpedo tubes
- Armour:
- Belt: 9 in (229 mm)
- Deck: 1–2.5 in (25–64 mm)
- Barbettes: 2–9 in (51–229 mm)
- Turrets: 8–12 in (203–305 mm)
- Conning tower: 12 in (305 mm)
- Bulkheads: 2.5–6 in (64–152 mm)
1920s Rebuild[]
- Type: Battleship
- Service Period: 1923-1958 (Brazilian Navy)
- Characteristics:
- Length: 671 feet 6 inches (204.67 meters)
- Beam: 89 feet (27.13 meters)
- Draught: 29 feet 10 inches (9.1 meters)
- Displacement: 31,045 tons (Standard); 34,400 tons (Full Load)
- Crew: 1,268
- Propulsion: 8 x Oil fired boilers, 4 x Parsons geared turbines, 4 x shafts, 104,000 shp
- Range: 9,000 nautical miles (16,668 kilometers) at 12 knots (22.22 km/h)
- Speed: 28 knots (51.86 km/h)
- Armament:
- 14 x BL 12"/45-caliber Mk.XIII naval guns (7x2)
- 20 x BL 6"/50-caliber Mk.XIII naval guns (20x1)
- 10 x QF 3"/45-caliber Mk.V naval guns (10x1)
- Armour:
- Belt: 9 inches (229 mm)
- Deck: 1–2.5 inches (25–64 mm)
- Barbettes: 2–9 inches (51–229 mm)
- Turrets: 8–12 inches (203–305 mm)
- Conning tower: 12 inches (305 mm)
- Bulkheads: 2.5–6 inches (64–152 mm)