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Brazilian monitor Parnaíba (U17)

M Parnaíba (U-17).jpg
History
Brazil
Name: Parnaíba
Builder: Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro
Laid down: 11 June 1936
Launched: 2 September 1937
Commissioned: 9 March 1938
Homeport: Rio de Janeiro
Status: in active service
General characteristics
Type: River monitor
Displacement:
  • 620 tons - Standard
  • 720 tons - full load
Length: 55 m (180.4 ft)
Beam: 10.1 m (33.1 ft)
Draught: 1.6 m (5.2 ft)
Propulsion:
  • Diesel engines
  • Two propellers
Speed: 12 knots (22 km/h)
Range: 1,350 mi (1,170 nmi; 2,170 km) (2500 km) 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance:
  • 16 days
  • 90 tons of fuel
Complement: 74
Armament:
Aviation facilities: Helipad

Parnaíba (U-17) is a river monitor of the Brazilian Navy.

She was built for the navy in Rio de Janeiro and commissioned on 9 March 1938. She participated in the Second World War and is currently the world's oldest commissioned warship still in active service. She is assigned to the Mato Grosso Flotilla.

She underwent a modernization program at the Ladario Riverine Naval Base between January 1998 and 6 May 1999, which saw the replacement of her original reciprocating engine plant with diesel engines to increase her range and endurance. (One of her original engines was placed on display at the Sixth Naval District's Lieutenant Maximiano Memorial Hall.) A helicopter platform has been fitted over the fantail, allowing her to operate the IH-6B Bell Jet Ranger III, replacing the UH-12 Squirrel Helibrás Monoturbina.


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