''Surat Castle'' was a ship launched in 1824 at Blackwall, London. In 1825 she sailed to Brazil to serve as the Brazilian Navy's frigate ''Dona Paula'' in the Cisplatine War. She was wrecked in 1827.

Career

''Surat Castle'' was built for Johnson & Meaburn. She may have been sold in 1825 to Bassett & Co., London. The Brazilian government purchased her and after extensive repairs (perhaps including lengthening by 11 feet) she sailed to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. On 25 June 1825, ''Surat Castle'', Dowton, master, entered out at Custom House for Rio Janeiro and Teneriffe. On 14 July she was at Deal, waiting to sail to Rio de Janeiro. She arrived at Rio de Janeiro from London on 3 September. ''Surat Castle'' was renamed ''Dona Paula'' and assigned to the First Division, also called ''División Bloqueo'', of the Brazilian navy operating in the waters of the Río de la Plata. The mission of this squadron was to blockade the primary Argentine port of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. Although the squadron had superior resources compared to the Argentine navy, commanded by William Brown, it was unable to stop the Argentines from routinely escaping. Captain

John Charles Pritz Commodore John Charles Pritz (Portuguese: João Carlos Pedro Pritz) was a Danish mariner who had a career with the Brazilian Imperial Navy during the Cisplatine War. Biography Pritz was part of the First Division, also called ''División Bloqueo' ...

replaced Norton. While in command of ''Dona Paula'', Pritz participated in the naval battles of Los Pozos on 11 June 1826 and Quilmes on 30 June 1826. The Battle of Los Pozos took place between the Argentine and Brazilian forces in view of Buenos Aires. Argentina had only eleven ships as opposed to Brazil's thirty-one warships. Capitão-de-mar-e-guerra Cândido Francisco de Brito Vitória replaced Pritz, who went on to be a commodore. Between 7–8 April 1827, ''Dona Paula'' was Norton's flagship at the naval

Battle of Monte Santiago The naval Battle of Monte Santiago was fought on 7–8 April 1827, between the Argentine Navy and the Imperial Brazilian Navy, during the Cisplatine War. It was a decisive Brazilian victory, with the allied forces losing its best ships. The bat ...

. It was a decisive Brazilian victory in which the Argentines lost two of their best ships.

Fate

''Dona Paula'' was wrecked on 2 October 1827 at the Ilha do Francês, off

Cabo Frio Cabo Frio (, ''Cold Cape'') is a tourist destination located in the state of Rio de Janeiro state. It was founded by the Portuguese on November 13, 1615. The Brazilian coast runs east from Rio de Janeiro to Cabo Frio where it turns sharply north ...

(Arraial do Cabo) while pursuing an Argentine

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

. The subsequent court martial sentenced her captain to two years' suspension from the Brazilian Navy with the loss of all pay, and to one year in prison at the

Ilha das Cobras Ilha das Cobras () is an island located within Guanabara Bay in the city and state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is east of the neighborhood Guanabara. It is home to the Arsenal de Marinha do Rio de Janeiro base of the Brazilian Navy ) , color ...

in Rio de Janeiro. All his subordinate officers received sentences of imprisonment that varied in their duration depending on each officer's rank."From Brazil and Buenos Ayres". From the Baltimore Gazette. ''United States' Telegraph'' (Washington, District Of Columbia), Friday, June 27, 1828; Issue 08

Note

In 1825 the press misidentified ''Surat Castle'' as a vessel that the Mexican government had purchased, renamed ''Libertad'', ''Libertdo'', or ''Libertador'', and in 1825 sailed to Cuba to lead a squadron blockading the Spanish at

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. This later led other sources to conflate her with .

Citations

References

* {{cite book , last=Hackman , first=Rowan , year=2001 , title=Ships of the East India Company , location=Gravesend, Kent , publisher=World Ship Society , isbn=0-905617-96-7 1824 ships Age of Sail merchant ships of England Frigates of the Brazilian Navy Maritime incidents in October 1827