Portuguese ironclad Vasco da Gama
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''Vasco da Gama'' was an
ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
of the Portuguese Navy built in the 1870s by the Thames Iron Works in London. Ordered to strengthen the defenses of the Portuguese capital of
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, ''Vasco da Gama'' was launched in 1876 and completed in 1878. She served as the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the Portuguese fleet for the majority of her long and peaceful career. She was rebuilt and heavily modernized between 1901 and 1903. Her crew was involved in revolts in 1913 and 1914; during the latter event, they bombarded Lisbon and killed around one hundred people. Long-since obsolete by the 1930s, ''Vasco da Gama'' was finally sold for scrapping in 1935.


Design

''Vasco de Gama'' was the only capital ship to be built for the Portuguese Navy; ordered from a British shipyard, she was intended to defend the capital at
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
from naval attack. ''Vasco da Gama'' was
long between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
, and she had a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , though at the main battery guns, the ship was wide. She had a maximum draft of . She displaced as originally built. The ship was propelled by a marine steam engine driving a single screw propeller, with steam provided by an unknown number of boilers vented through a single funnel. Her propulsion system was rated at and produced a top speed of . She was fitted with a two- masted barquentine rig to supplement the steam engine. She had a crew of 232 officers and men. As built, ''Vasco da Gama'' was armed with a main battery of two guns, placed in an armored, octagonal box amidships. Each gun had multiple gun ports, and the box extended beyond the sides of the hull, allowing a measure of end-on fire ahead and astern. She was also equipped with a single gun mounted on her stern, and four 9-pounder guns for close-range defense against torpedo boats. She was protected with a complete iron
armored belt Belt armor is a layer of heavy metal vehicle armor, armor plated onto or within the outer hulls of warships, typically on battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers, and aircraft carriers. The belt armor is designed to prevent projectiles from p ...
that was thick on either end and thick amidships, where it protected the ammunition magazines and propulsion machinery spaces. The main battery box was protected by armor plate that ranged in thickness from .


Modifications

The ship was extensively reconstructed in 1901. She was cut in half and lengthened by a long section. She was fitted with new engines and more powerful water-tube boilers rated at ; this increased her speed to . Her sailing rig also was removed. Her main battery guns were replaced with new L/40 guns in sponsons, the short 5.9-inch gun was replaced by a new long-barreled 5.9-inch L/45 gun, and six 3-pounders augmented her close-range defense. Her iron belt armor was removed and stronger steel armor was installed in its place. The ship's crew increased to 260 officers and men. All of the changes caused her displacement to rise to .


Service history

''Vasco da Gama'' was laid down at the Thames Iron Works shipyard in London, Britain in 1875, and was launched on 1 December 1876. The ship was completed in 1878. She served as part of the coastal defense force that protected Lisbon, the Portuguese capital, and the mouth of the river Tagus. On 26 June 1897, ''Vasco da Gama'' participated in the Fleet Review at Spithead celebrating Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. At the time, the ship was commanded by Captain Augusto Barreto de Vascomellos. In 1901, ''Vasco da Gama'' was taken into drydock at Orlando shipyard in
Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...
, Italy, for a major reconstruction. Work on ''Vasco da Gama'' was completed by 1903. On 27 August 1907, a gas explosion aboard the ship injured several crewmen. ''Vasco da Gama'' remained the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the Portuguese Navy at least into the 1910s, as the Portuguese naval budget was insufficient to fund a suitable replacement vessel. During this period, the Portuguese Navy played a major role in domestic politics. Amid political unrest in April 1913, part of the crew of ''Vasco da Gama'' had to be removed from the ship, as they had been involved in a planned ultra-Radical coup d'état against the First Portuguese Republic. On 14 May 1915, the crew again participated in unrest; they mutinied and killed the ship's captain and bombarded Lisbon, killing around one hundred people. The
Portuguese Army The Portuguese Army ( pt, Exército Português) is the land component of the Armed Forces of Portugal and is also its largest branch. It is charged with the defence of Portugal, in co-operation with other branches of the Armed Forces. With its ...
launched a coup against the government in December 1917, and the navy retaliated on 8 January 1918 to restore the republican government. ''Vasco da Gama'', still the fleet flagship, and the destroyers and anchored in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, where army
field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20t ...
took the ships under fire. ''Vasco da Gama'' traded shots with the artillery, but after about twenty-five minutes of shooting, abandoned the effort and flew a white flag, prompting ''Douro'' and ''Guadiana'' to do the same. None of the ships were damaged in the incident. Thoroughly obsolete, she remained in the Portuguese fleet until 1935, when she was sold for scrapping.


Notes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vasco da Gama Naval ships of Portugal Ships built in Leamouth 1876 ships Maritime incidents in 1907 Maritime incidents in 1913 Maritime incidents in 1915