Javari-class monitor

Javari, the class first ship
Class overview
NameJavari class
BuildersForges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée
Operators Imperial Brazilian Navy
Built1874–1875
In service1875–1893
Planned2
Completed2
General characteristics
Displacement3,700 tons
Length240 ft (73 m)
Beam58.1 ft (17.7 m)
Draft12.3 ft (3.7 m)
Speed11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement135 officers and men
Armament
  • 2 × twin Whitworth 254 mm (10.0 in) cannons
  • 2 x Nordenfelt 37 mm (1.5 in) cannons
  • 2 x machine guns

Javari class is a naval class made up of the battleship monitors Javari and Solimões built by the Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée shipyards in La Seyne and Le Havre in France between 1874 and 1875. The concept of this class originated from the idea of building ships “equipped with all the improvements needed to make them perfect machines for both sea and river warfare".

As soon as they were commissioned, they were incorporated into the Evolutions Squadron. The crew of the Javari issued a declaration of support for the Lei Áurea around this time. Solimões sank on May 19, 1892, under unknown circumstances.

Javari, in turn, sank on November 22, 1893, after an exchange of salvos with the Fortress of São João during the 1893 Navy Revolt. Later reports concluded that the penetration of the shots was caused by the poor condition of the ship at the time of the collision, and the trepidation generated by the firing of the monitor's 254-millimeter cannons.