Republic of Amazonas AU

The Republic of Amazonas, officially the Federative Republic of Amazonas (in Portuguese: República Federativa do Amazonas), is a country in Latin America, located on the rich Amazon Basin, whom the nation was named. It is bounded by every Latin American countries except for Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, and Argentina. Manaus, a thriving port about 1,450 kilometers (900 mi) inland in the heart of the Amazon Basin, is the capital city.

The territories occupied by the country was the integral part of Brazilian states of Amapá, Rio Branco, Acre,and Guaporé. Following years of political exclusion, ethnic discrimination, and economic neglect by the Brazilians under Jose Vargas, a surge of national agitation, nationalism and civil disobedience led in 1930 to the Amazonas Liberation War, resulting in the separation of the region from Brazil and the formation of an independent Amazonas. After independence, the nation enjoyed political stability that is uncommon in Latin America.

Profits from lumber and other rich resources of the Amazon fueled the nation's modernization during the turn of the century. Attracted by the rubber and gold boom, many European investors and migrants flocked to the nation, causing a rapid population growth that threatens the Amazon forests. Although modernization and industralization is seen during the recent years, creation of rail networks that facilitated massive deforestations raised the concern of the world community.

_________________
"Give me 10,000 Filipinos and I shall conquer the whole world!"
-Gen. Douglas McArthur
Republic of Ezo AU
Republic of Amazonas AU
Republic of the Philippines AU
Republic of Cabinda AU

HISTORY OF THE NAVAL FORCE

EARLY YEARS AND WORLD WAR 2

After the 1930 War of Independence, Britain and France provided military protection for the newly independent country, until 1936, shifting their attention to the increasing tensions in Europe, left Amazonas without an armed force suitable for the defense of the nation. President Agostinho Silveira quickly established the Armed Forces late in September 1936, and a Navy was organized in November 1936. Since 1936, the Navy utilizes the ship prefix of N.M., which stands for Navio do Marinha, or literally "Naval Warship".

[ img ]

The Navy ordered it's first assets from Great Britain in early 1939, a series of anti-submarine sloops-of-war collectively known as "
Leão" (or Lion) class. A total of 12 vessels were ordered, however only 8 were delivered due to the spark of World War 2 in Europe in 1939. A naval base established at Bragança became the homeport of the new ships.

Lightly armed but highly maneuverable, the ships were focused on littoral patrols and anti-submarine warfare. In 1942, in the heat of World War 2, the British government requested the fleet of 8 ships be placed under Royal Navy control, designated as the "Divisão Guerra Naval", or Naval War Division. Although limited in terms of manpower and equipments, the squadron participated actively in the fight against U-boats in the South, Central Atlantic and also the Caribbean. In the Battle of Bragança (1943), in which a German U-boat detachment attacked the port where the ships were berthed, they sank 7 out of 17 submarines that attacked, while losing one of the sloops after being torpedoed. In order to prevent such incidents, the Royal Navy refitted the vessels with sonar for improved detection of submarines. By 1944, at the conclusion of the Battle of Atlantic, they sank a total of 15 U-boats.

After World War 2, with new ships available for the Navy, the sloops were decommissioned, 4 were sank as targets in UNITAS Exercises 1960, 1962, 1965, and 1967 respectively. One was ran aground (1965) near Manaus and was scrapped, while the remaining ship, N.M. Falcão (Falcon), was transferred to Bragança Naval Museum.

In order to support the Leão class corvettes in anti-submarine operations during World War 2, the Navy commissioned 14 fishing boats. Known as the "Barcos de Pescas Guerra" or War Fishing Boat (known in folks as the "Ratos do Mar", or Sea Rats), they were first armed with 6-pounder guns taken from the coastal defenses of Bragança. In 1942, the Royal Navy provided Oerlikon 20mm cannons and depth charge racks to be fitted on the boats. They were effectively used against U-boats together with the Leão class.

After the war, all ships were decommissioned in place of newer patrol crafts, although the City Government of Manaus utilized 4 of the boats as harbor patrol vessels in the city until 1970. One example is in the Bragança Naval Museum.

the deck height of these ships seems extremely low....

_________________
Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

done ace...thanks for the help...

you have increased freeboard on the first one, but the portholes are still very close to each other.

_________________
Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

In 1943, to support the Amazonas Navy in operations against German U-boats, the Royal Navy transferred an obsolete Town-class destroyer to increase the navy's capability in eliminating the German threat in the Atlantic shipping. The ship was refitted as a seaplane tender later that year for extended anti-submarine patrol capability and search and rescue for torpedoed Allied merchant ships. Renamed "Caçador" or "Hunter", the ship operated 4 seaplanes provided by the Royal Navy. Aside from seaplanes, Great Britain also provided a radar set and new armaments such as Hedgehog projectors and depth charge racks that was installed in the vessel.

Serving as the Navy's flagship until 1949, the ship was phased-out because of obsolescence and failing propulsion units. The vessel was scrapped in 1952, and was replaced with new destroyers from UK.

AFTER WORLD WAR 2 and THE COLD WAR

After World War II, the Amazonas Navy was significantly strengthened by the concession of British and American assets. At the beginning of the 1950s, US and British military aid formed the core of the country's armed forces. The Amazonas Navy received the first C-class destroyers which took on the name Beasts, while withdrawing the older Town-class destroyer acquired in 1943.

The next significant change was during the early 1970s, when Amazonas was the first Latin American naval force to utilize anti-ship missiles (Exocet, ordered 1969) and the Type 209 submarines, whereas British military aid continued in the form of County class destroyers and Type 14 class frigates. In 1990, the Navy ordered 2 MEKO 200 frigates from the German company Blohm + Voss. These were the first acquisitions of new main surface vessels, rather than the use of second-hand ships, in almost four decades. During the Cold War, the navy developed an anti-submarine capability to counter the growing Soviet naval threat. In the 1980s, the Amazonas Navy retired most of its Second World War vessels, and further developed its anti-submarine warfare capabilities by acquiring the Westland Lynx helicopters, pioneering the use of large maritime helicopters on small surface vessels. At that time, Amazonas was also operating an aircraft carrier, N.M. Hercules, operating the A-4 Skyhawk fighter jet until 1992, as well as various other anti-submarine aircraft.

[ img ]

In 1957, the Amazonas Navy, after experiencing the rubber boom, purchased the HMS Ocean (R68) from Great Britain. The Navy made plans in upgrading the vessel before commissioning, and she was towed to Netherlands for extensive refits. The vessel recieved an LW-01 radar and DA-02 targeting radar from the Netherlands, while Great Britain enforced the vessel by adding 2 GWS-20 Seacat SAM launchers and decoy launchers. The newly upgraded vessel arrived in Amazonas on 1963, and after completing sea trials, she was commissioned on 1964, and was named N.M. Hércules.

The Hércules' initial air wing consisted of British Hawker Sea Hawk fighter-bombers and an American S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft. On 1 January 1966 (The Republic Day), the first jet (A-4 Skyhawk) landed on her deck piloted by Lieutenant (later Admiral) Valentim Venâncio. She formally joined the Amazonas Navy fleet in 1968, when she was received at Vitorioso Pier by President Aloísio Pereira.

Hércules was Amazonas' only carrier for over twenty years, but by the early 1990s she was effectively out of service because of her poor condition. Even following major overhauls she was rarely put to sea. She was formally decommissioned on 1 January 1997. Following her decommissioning, Hércules was marked for preservation as a museum ship in Bragança, although a lack of funding has prevented progress on the ship's conversion for this role. Similarly, speculation that the ship would be made into a training ship in 2006 came to nothing. Hércules is open to the public by the Amazonas Navy for short periods, but as of April 2010, the Government of Bragança has been unable to find an industrial partner to operate the museum on a permanent, long-term basis. The ship was scrapped in 2011, and the profits gained from the scrapping was used for building a strategic projection vessel that would eventually replace her role.

In 1969, the Navy came under the brilliant leadership of Admiral Valentim Venâncio, a hero of the Battle of Bragança (1943). Under his leadership, the Navy was transformed as one of the most modern and sophisticated armed navies of Latin America. He presented his plan for the future of the Navy, called the "Programa do Modernização da Frota", or simply "Fleet Modernization Program". The program was stated Admiral Valentim as a response to estimates that the Soviets would have influenced most of the Latin American and African countries that will impose threat to the future stability of the nation. No shipyards was available that time to construct ships for the Navy, so Valentim instead looked for ways to modify the existing WW2-era destroyer fleet, which was rapidly becoming outdated anyway. Also covered in the program were the existing frigates, corvettes, carriers, and other vessels in the Navy.

[ img ]

The Navy recieved 4 Ca-class destroyers from Great Britain in 1960. Under the Fleet Modernization Program, 4 ships recieved heavy upgrades of armaments and sensors from 1969-1973, they were the first foreign navy to equip Exocets in their ships. This modernization was designed to extend the life of the destroyer by at least eight years.

After the refit, the vessels formed the core of the Fleet Carrier Battlegroup together with N.M. Hercules. The refitted destroyers continued to serve the Navy until 1997, when the carrier Hercules was decommissioned and the battlegroup was abolished. Ships in class were scrapped in 2001.

[ img ]

The Type 14 frigates that was bought from Great Britain in the 1950s were also upgraded under the Fleet Modernization Program. The ships recieved upgrades on armaments and radars that replaced the obsolete ones, and after the upgrade, they became effective ships that the Navy prolonged it's service life to more than 40 years.

After serving for 4 decades in the Navy, the ageing warriors were decommissioned (2005), and was replaced with new stealth frigates. All vessels were scrapped thereafter.

Shipbucket

Republic of Amazonas AU

Who is online