The ''Deodoro'' class were two French-designed and built
coastal defense battleship
Coastal defence ships (sometimes called coastal battleships or coast defence ships) were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly during the period from 1860 to 1920. They were small, often cruiser-sized warships that sacrif ...
s built for the
Brazilian Navy in the late 1890s. Upon their completion, ''Scientific American'' called them small vessels of a type "built only for second-rate naval powers," but also noted that it was a "wonder ... so much armor and armament could be carried" on a ship of its size. They served the Brazilian Navy as its only modern armored warships until the arrival of two
dreadnoughts in 1910.
[Lyon, p. 407]
About
The ships had a low freeboard and long superstructures with single-gun main turrets arranged at each end. Their
secondary batteries were also mounted at each end of the superstructure, albeit in
casemate
A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...
s in each corner. All used British
Armstrong guns.
In 1912, both ships were overhauled with new propulsion and armament.
In 1924, Brazil sold ''Marshal Deodoro'' to the
Mexican Navy.
She served for another 14 years, primarily as a training vessel.
''Deodoro''-class coast-defense ships
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''Deodoro'' (sold to Mexico and commissioned as the ''Anáhuac'')
*
''Floriano'' (scrapped)
References
Bibliography
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External links
{{Marshal Deodoro coastal-defense ships
Coastal defense ship classes
Marshal Deodoro-class coastal defense ship