Brazilian battleship São Paulo

São Paulo on her sea trials, 1910
History
Name:	São Paulo
Namesake:	The state and city of São Paulo
Builder:	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom
Laid down:	30 April 1907
Launched:	19 April 1909
Commissioned:	12 July 1910
Struck:	2 August 1947
Motto:	Non Ducor, Duco
Fate:	Sank 1951 while en route to be scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type:	Minas Geraes-class battleship
Displacement:	19,105 tons standard 21,370 tons full load
Length:	500 ft (150 m) p.p 543 ft (166 m) overall
Beam:	83 ft (25 m)
Draft:	24 ft 8.75 in (7.5375 m) normal 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m) full load
Installed power:	23,500 shp (17,524 kW; design) 23,400 ihp (design) 27,500 ihp (actual)
Propulsion:	2-shaft reciprocating vertical triple-expansion (VTE) steam engines 18 Babcock & Wilcox boilers
Speed:	21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph)
Endurance:	10,000 nautical miles @ 10 knots (11,500 mi @ 11.5 mph or 18,500 km @ 18.5 km/h)
Armament:	12 × 12-inch (304.8 mm) main guns (6 × 2) 22 × 4.7 in (120 mm) guns 8 × 3-pounder guns
Armour:	Belt: 9 to 3 in (229 to 76 mm) (upper belt 9 in) Upper deck: 1.5 in (38 mm) Main deck: 2 in (51 mm) Turrets: 12 in (300 mm) face, 8 in (200 mm) sides, 3 to 2 in (76 to 51 mm) roofs Barbettes: 9 in (230 mm) Conning tower: 12 in (300 mm),2 in (51 mm) sides and roof
Notes:	Characteristics are as built; cf. Specifications of the Minas Geraes-class battleships

São Paulo was a dreadnought battleship designed and built by the British companies Armstrong Whitworth and Vickers, respectively, for the Brazilian Navy. She was the second of two ships in the Minas Geraes class, and was named after the state and city of São Paulo.

São Paulo was launched on 19 April 1909 and commissioned on 12 July 1910. Soon after, she was involved in the Revolt of the Lash (Revolta de Chibata), in which crews on four Brazilian warships mutinied over poor pay and harsh punishments for even minor offenses. After entering the First World War, Brazil offered to send São Paulo and her sister Minas Geraes to Britain for service with the Grand Fleet, but Britain declined since both vessels were in poor condition and lacked the latest fire control technology. In June 1918 Brazil sent São Paulo to the United States for a full refit that was not completed until 7 January 1920, well after the war had ended. On 6 July 1922, São Paulo fired her guns in anger for the first time when she attacked a fort that had been taken during the Tenente revolts. Two years later, mutineers took control of the ship and sailed her to Montevideo where they obtained asylum.

In the 1930s, São Paulo was passed over for modernization due to her poor condition—she could only reach a top speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), less than half her design speed. For the rest of her career, the ship was reduced to a reserve coastal defense role. When Brazil entered the Second World War, São Paulo sailed to the port of Recife and remained there as the port's main defense for the duration of the war. in 1947, the dreadnought remained as a training vessel until 1951, when she was taken under tow to be scrapped in the United Kingdom. The tow lines broke during a strong gale on 6 November, when the ships were 150 nmi (280 km; 170 mi) north of the Azores, and the São Paulo was lost.