The ''Amazonas'' class comprises three

offshore patrol vessels Offshore may refer to: Science and technology * Offshore (hydrocarbons) * Offshore construction, construction out at sea * Offshore drilling, discovery and development of oil and gas resources which lie underwater through drilling a well * Of ...

(OPVs) built by VT Shipbuilding (now

BAE Systems Surface Ships BAE Systems plc is a British multinational aerospace, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest i ...

). The ships entered service with the

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

during 2012 and 2013.

Design and construction

The vessels are based on the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

's s, are long, and have 80 man crews plus accommodation for 40 troops. They are designed to perform a range of Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ) management, special operations and maritime law enforcement tasks. The first vessel was named ''Port of Spain'' at her launch at

’

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

facility, on 18 November 2009. The second was named ''Scarborough'' on her launch a day later at

Scotstoun Scotstoun () is an area of Glasgow, Scotland, west of Glasgow City Centre. It is bounded by Garscadden and Yoker to the west, Victoria Park, Jordanhill and Whiteinch to the east, Jordanhill to the north and the River Clyde (and Braehead ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, and began

sea trials A sea trial or trial trip is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on o ...

in July 2010, reaching . The third was named ''San Fernando'' when launched on 16 July 2010 at Scotstoun on the

River Clyde The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. Th ...

Operators

The ''Amazonas'' class were originally named as the ''Port of Spain'' class and built for the

Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the ...

. Then, despite two of the vessels having been completed at the time and awaiting delivery, and with crew training ongoing in the United Kingdom, the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (GORTT) cancelled the order in September 2010. In December 2011 it was reported that the

were interested in buying the vessels, and possibly up to five additional vessels of the same design. The sale, for £133 million, was then confirmed on 2 January 2012. ''Amazonas'' was commissioned into the Brazilian Navy on 29 June in Portsmouth. During her one-month voyage to Brazil, she docked in the cities of

Natal, Rio Grande do Norte Natal (), literally ''Christmas'' or ''natal'' ("birth") is the capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, state of Rio Grande do Norte, located in Northeast Region, Brazil, northeastern Brazil. According to Brazilian Institute of Geograp ...

and

Salvador, Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...

in September, and was expected to arrive in Rio de Janeiro on 5 October.

Ships of class

Images

File:"Araguari" (P122), Amazonas-class corvette.jpg, ''Araguari'' berthing Portsea, 24 April 2013. File:BNS_Araguari-17.jpg, ''Araguari'' departing Portsmouth, 12 July 2013. File:T&T Port of Spain-1-tonal.jpg, Trinidadian ''Port of Spain'' at Portsmouth 2010. File:T%26T_Scarborough-2.JPG, Trinidadian ''Scarborough'' at Portsmouth 2010.

References

External links

Press release from BAE SystemsBAE Systems Datasheet
{{Ship classes of the Brazilian Navy Corvettes of the Brazilian Navy Ships built on the River Clyde Corvette classes