BNS Manaus (DDL-1934)

Back to Other Ships List



The Alagoas class flotilla cruisers really needed replacing from from about 1925 but they were to see 10 years extra service before the first 2 Manaus type entered service in 1936-37. Two pairs of the class were laid down in Britain 1933, and 1935. This allowed the Alagoas type to be rebuilt, reduced to secondary duties or scrapped.

The design used the Royal Navy 'J' class design, refitted for the twin 4" turret. The design work made the ship only 10 feet longer than the Belem type, just enough  to mount the extra twin 4" turret.



The Manaus class were an excellent design with the twin 4" turret providing anti-aircraft and surface fire of great volume. The turret giving protection to its crew from machine guns and splinters. The other decent features were the two sets of quadruple torpedo tubes, quad 2 pounder pom pom, and 20mm Hispano-Suiza cannons.

The problem with the Alagoas class as leaders were that they were never really fast enough to keep up with the much faster M Class destroyers Brazil had purchased from Britain (Since fixed with my magic wand). The Manaus class were actually faster than both the M's and the Belem class ships. But. One Manaus Class, and four Belem class made up a 'flotilla'. These groups of 5 ships were the main escorts for the 'Fast' fleet with the aircraft carriers and battleships. The Alagoas and Bahia types led the 'M's and they were the escorts for the 'Slow' fleet ships and training fleet ships, and once the 'M's had gone through their rebuilds, as convoy escorts.

Back to Other Ships List