Alagoas

The Brazilian monitor Alagoas was the third ship of the river monitors built for the Imperial Brazilian Navy during the Paraguayan War in the late 1860s. Alagoas participated in the Passage of Humaitá on 19 February 1868 and provided fire support for the army for the rest of the war. The ship was assigned to the Upper Uruguay flotilla after the war. Alagoas was transferred to Rio de Janeiro in the 1890s and participated in the Navy Revolt of 1893–94. The ship was scrapped in 1900. Design and description The Pará-class monitors were designed to meet the need of the Brazilian Navy for small, shallow-draft armored ships capable of withstanding heavy fire. The monitor configuration was chosen as a turreted design did not have the same problems engaging enemy ships and fortifications as did the casemate ironclads already in Brazilian service. The oblong gun turret sat on a circular platform that had a central pivot. It was rotated by four men via a system of gears; 2.25 minutes were required for a full 360° rotation. A bronze ram was fitted to these ships as well. The hull was sheathed with Muntz metal to reduce biofouling. The ships measured long overall, with a beam of . They had a draft between of and displaced . With only of freeboard they had to be towed between Rio de Janeiro and their area of operations. Their crew numbered 43 officers and men. Propulsion The Pará-class ships had two direct-acting steam engines, each driving a single propeller. Their engines were powered by two tubular boilers at a working pressure of . The engines produced a total of which gave the monitors a maximum speed of in calm waters. The ships carried enough coal for one day's steaming.