''Humaitá'' (S41) is a Brazilian ''Riachuelo''-class submarine built for 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 ...

by ICN in

Itaguaí Itaguaí () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro and contains several important iron ore loading ports of the world including Ilha Guaiba. Its population was 134,819 in 2020 and its area is 273 km2. The city wa ...

, and DCNS. The Brazilian boats are larger in length, tonnage and cargo capacity compared to the original French project. The Brazilian version are and 1,900 tons, compared to the original Scorpènes that are and 1,565 tons.

Program history

In 2008, Brazil purchased four enlarged Scorpènes for

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

10 billion with a total technology transfer agreement and a second agreement to develop the first Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine, . The hull of ''Riachuelo'' was laid down at

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

, France on 27 May 2010 and it was jumboized at the Brazilian Navy Shipyard in

in late 2012. The first submarine ''Riachuelo'' was launched on 14 December 2018, and began

sea trial 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 op ...

s in September 2019, the ''Humaitá'' was launched on 11 December 2020 by Lady Adelaide Chaves Azevedo e Silva, wife of Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva.

Development and design

The first stage of construction of the ''Humaitá'' took place in September 2013 in Brazil, at the headquarters of ICN in Itaguaí, with the cutting of the first steel plates of the structure. At this point, technology transfer from French technicians to Brazilians had already started. The other boats of the Brazilian class are ''Riachuelo'' (S40), ''Tonelero'' (S42) and ''Almirante Karam'' (S43).

Namesake

''Humaitá'' is the fifth boat and the third submarine of the Brazilian Navy to receive this name, in honor of a

military operation A military operation (op) is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operati ...

, which took place in 1868, in the

Paraguayan War The Paraguayan War (, , ), also known as the War of the Triple Alliance (, , ), was a South American war that lasted from 1864 to 1870. It was fought between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, the Empire of Brazil, and Uruguay. It wa ...

. The other submarines were: *S ''Humaitá'' (S14) - Submarine of the , used in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by the U.S. Navy, before being incorporated into the Brazilian Navy. (1957–1967) *S ''Humaitá'' (S20) - Submarine of the . (1973–1993)

References

Attack submarines Riachuelo-class submarine Ships built in Brazil 2020 ships Submarines of Brazil {{Submarine-stub