Minas Geraes-class battleship

Minas Geraes at speed during its sea trials. This photo is commonly misidentified as São Paulo, but it was taken before that ship entered service.

Specifications Class overview Builders: Armstrong Whitworth Operators:  Brazil Preceded by: Deodoro class Succeeded by: Rio de Janeiro (later HMS Agincourt) Riachuelo (planned) Cost: $8,863,842 In commission: 1910–52 Completed: 2 General characteristics Displacement: 18,976 long tons (19,281 tonnes (t)) normal 20,900 long tons (21,200 t) at full load Length: 543 ft (165.5 m) overall 530 ft (161.5 m) at waterline Beam: 83 ft (25.3 m) mean Draft: 25 ft (7.6 m) mean 28 ft (8.5 m) max Propulsion: 2-shaft Vickers vertical triple expansion 18 Babcock & Wilcox boilers 23,500 shp (17,500 kW) Speed: 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h) Range: 10,000 nmi (12,000 mi; 19,000 km) at 10 knots (12 mph; 19 km/h) Armament: 12 × 12 in (305 mm)/45 cal guns (6 × 2) 22 × 4.7 (120 mm)/50 cal guns 8 × 3 pdr (37 mm) guns Armor: Belt: 9 in (229 mm) Belt extremities: 6–3 in (152–102 mm) Turrets: 12–9–2 to 3 in (305–229–51 to 76 mm; front–sides–top) Conning tower: 12 in (300 mm) Notes: Specifications are as built

The Minas Geraes class, spelled Minas Gerais in some sources, consisted of two battleships built for the Brazilian Navy in the early twentieth century. Named Minas Geraes and São Paulo, the ships were intended to be Brazil's first step towards becoming an international power, and they consequently initiated a South American naval arms race.

In 1904, Brazil began a major naval building program that included three small battleships. Designing and ordering the ships took two years, but these plans were scrapped after the revolutionary "dreadnought" concept rendered the Brazilian design obsolete—two dreadnoughts were instead ordered from the United Kingdom, making Brazil the third country to have ships of this type under construction—before traditional powers like Germany, France, or Russia. As such, the ships created much uncertainty among the major countries in the world, many of whom incorrectly speculated the ships were actually destined for a rival nation. Similarly, they also caused much consternation in Argentina and consequently Chile.

Soon after their delivery in 1910, both Minas Geraes and São Paulo were embroiled in the Revolt of the Lash (Revolta da Chibata), in which the crews of four Brazilian ships demanded the abolition of corporal punishment in the navy. The mutineers surrendered after four days, when a bill was passed granting amnesty to all those involved. In 1922, the two battleships were used to help put down a revolt at Fort Copacabana. Two years later, lieutenants on São Paulo mutinied but found little support from other military units, so they sailed to Montevideo, Uruguay, and obtained asylum. Minas Geraes was modernized in the 1930s, but both battleships were too old to participate actively in the Second World War, and instead were employed as harbor defense ships in Salvador and Recife. São Paulo was sold in 1951 to a British shipbreaker, but was lost in a storm north of the Azores while being towed to its final destination. Minas Geraes was sold to an Italian scrapper in 1953 and towed to Genoa the following year.