Vice Admiral Felinto Perry

Career

He joined the Navy as a cadet in 1886 and became a midshipman in 1888. He served in torpedo boats, cruisers and battleships and, from 1902, was naval attaché in Germany.

In 1911 he was sent to La Spezia, Italy, to head the naval subcommittee that oversaw the construction and delivery of the Navy's first submarines, F1, F3 and F5. In 1913 he led the Brazilian crew that began operating the F1.

Back home in 1914, he became the first commander of the Submarine Flotilla, created that year and based on Mocanguê Grande Island. He also headed the Navy's General Submarine and Aviation Service.

Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1918, he became Inspector General of Machinery and, from 1920, director of the Naval War College. He reached Vice Admiral in 1926 and died in Rio de Janeiro in 1929, aged 59.

Timeline

1. 1870Born in Rio de Janeiro on 12 February.
2. 1886Joins the Navy as a cadet.
3. 1911Heads the oversight of the Navy's first submarines in La Spezia.
4. 1914Becomes the first commander of the Submarine Flotilla.
5. 1918Is promoted to Rear Admiral.
6. 1920Becomes director of the Naval War College.
7. 1926Is promoted to Vice Admiral.
8. 1929Dies in Rio de Janeiro on 2 December.
9. 1988The submarine rescue ship Felinto Perry enters service.
10. 2016Named patron of the Submarine Force.

Legacy

The submarine rescue ship Felinto Perry, in service since 1988, bears his name, and the Submarine Force has had him as its patron since 2016.

Sources

1. DPHDM, "Vice-Almirante Felinto Perry" (biografia)
2. "Evolução da Força de Submarinos". Revista do Clube Naval
3. Marinha do Brasil, página "Patrono" (captura de 14/08/2026 no Internet Archive)