Technology ShowcaseBrazilian Navy

Person / Era 2

Rear Admiral (Naval Engineer) João Cândido Brazil

João Cândido Brazil

Rear Admiral (Naval Engineer) João Cândido Brazil ran shipbuilding at the Rio de Janeiro Navy Yard for 18 years and built 26 ships to his own designs. He is the patron of naval engineers.

Born
March 8, 1848, Angra dos Reis/RJ
Died
January 21, 1906, Enseada de Jacuecanga, Angra dos Reis/RJ
Field
Naval engineering and shipbuilding
Patron
Naval Engineers Corps

Career

He entered the Naval Academy in 1863 and fought in the Paraguayan War. In 1871, after placing first in the entrance exams, he went to Europe to study shipbuilding and trained at yards such as Armstrong in England and Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée in France.

Back in Brazil in 1874, he ran shipbuilding at the Pernambuco and Ladário navy yards. In December 1876 he became acting director of shipbuilding at the Rio de Janeiro Navy Yard, a post he held permanently from 1881.

In his 18 years at the Rio yard, he built 26 ships to original designs, among them the cruisers Almirante Barroso, launched in 1882, and Tamandaré, launched in 1890 at about 4,500 tonnes. He drew the ships himself.

In 1890 he joined the newly created Naval Engineers Corps. He studied submarine construction in Europe and the United States, headed the Naval Commission in Europe from 1896 and, in 1903, became Inspector General of Naval Engineering.

He died on 21 January 1906 in the explosion of the battleship Aquidabã in Jacuecanga Bay, Angra dos Reis. He was there with the Navy minister's commission choosing the site for a new navy yard.

Timeline

  1. 1848Born in Angra dos Reis (Rio de Janeiro) on 8 March.
  2. 1863Enters the Naval Academy.
  3. 1871Leaves for Europe to study shipbuilding.
  4. 1876Takes charge of shipbuilding at the Rio de Janeiro Navy Yard.
  5. 1882Launches the cruiser Almirante Barroso.
  6. 1890Launches the cruiser Tamandaré and joins the Naval Engineers Corps.
  7. 1903Becomes Inspector General of Naval Engineering.
  8. 1906Dies in the explosion of the battleship Aquidabã on 21 January.
  9. 2003Named patron of the Naval Engineers Corps.

Legacy

He has been the patron of the Navy Engineers Corps since 2003, and the Directorate of Naval Engineering keeps his biography and part of the papers his family donated.

Sources

  1. Diretoria de Engenharia Naval, "Resumo Biográfico do CA(EN) João Cândido Brazil" (captura de 13/12/2024 no Internet Archive)
  2. Marinha do Brasil, página "Patrono" (captura de 14/08/2026 no Internet Archive)

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