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BRAZILIAN NAVY SOUTHERN NAVAL FORCE - SOUTHERN NAVAL FORCE

1)SOUTHERN NAVAL FORCE


On August 25, 1942, the Southern Patrol Group was created, under pressure from well-founded suspicions of enemy action in our southern waters. Commanded by Frigate Captain Ernesto de Araujo. Later, the Capitaes de Fragata Braz Paulino Veloso and Armando Pinto Lima were briefly in bed. On May 21, 1943, the Group took over the Frigate Captain Edmundo Muniz Barreto, who remained in charge until the creation of the Southern Naval Force on April 23, 1944. Then, two Counter Admirals took over that command, Gustavo Goulart and Octavio Figueiredo Medeiros. This Force operated with several ships, with the flagship on the torpedo boat Maranhao, headed by Corvette Captains Fernando Muniz and Mario Pinto. At the end of 1943, the corvettes Felipe Camarao, Henrique Dias, Fernandes Vieira, Vidal de Negreiros, Matias de Albuquerque and Barreto de Menezes began to be incorporated into the Southern Naval Force.


Also incorporated to the Fleet were the old Torpedo Boats Santa Catarina, Sergipe, Mato Grosso, Piahuy, Parahyba and Rio Grande do Norte plus the Survey vessel Jaceguai, converted into Corvette plus two minesweepers Iguape and Itapemirim. A truly makeshift  force hastily assembled to counter the uboat threat. Their crews were stubbornly determined to fight against all odds to stave off the submarine menace.


In February 1941 British ship-owner The Marine Navigation Company Ltd. ordered to the Brazilian shipbuilder Henrique Lage 6 trawlers, however when Brazil was involved in the war in Aug 1942 the British Admiralty transferred to Brazil these vessels and afforded the cost of completion. They were soon converted into Corvettes and launched late in 1943/1944. All them operated under the Southern Naval Force. They were: Felipe Camarão, Vidal de Negreiros, Mathias de Albuquerque, Barreto de Menezes, Henrique Dias plus Fernandes Vieira. como montar uma loja virtualIt was a tiny force consisting of old ships, but which had a relevant role in protecting the waters between Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina a southern State, the largest producer of coal.


A good example regarding the endeavour of the Southern Naval Force, is the effort made along ten days (26/6 to 5/7/43), looking for submarines known to be between Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul, their ships sailed for thousand miles and thwarted two enemy submarine attacks. After July 5, 1943, Southern Naval Force ships sailed 18,000 miles, escorting 300 merchant ships. 


 

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