Brazilian frigate Dom Afonso
Dom Afonso frigate, c. 1850 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Empire of Brazil | |
| Name | Dom Afonso |
| Namesake | Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil |
| Builder | Thomas Royden & Sons |
| Laid down | 25 March 1847 |
| Launched | 23 December 1847 |
| Fate | Sunk |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Paddle frigate |
| Displacement | 900 metric tons (890 long tons) |
| Length | 60 m (196 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 9.45 m (31 ft 0 in) |
| Draft | 3.66 m (12.0 ft) |
| Depth | 6.10 m (20.0 ft) |
| Installed power | 300 ihp (220 kW) |
| Propulsion | Mixed steam-sail |
| Armament |
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Dom Afonso was a steam frigate that served the Imperial Brazilian Navy, being the first steamship to serve in this navy. It was built in England under the supervision of chief of squad John Pascoe Grenfell and was named Dom Afonso in honor of Afonso, Prince Imperial of Brazil, son of emperor Pedro II of Brazil and empress Teresa Cristina.
Its first commander was then frigate captain Joaquim Marques Lisboa. The frigate participated in the rescue of the American vessel Ocean Monarch and the Portuguese vessel Vasco da Gama. It also took part in the repression of republican revolutionaries and clandestine slave traders off the coast of Brazil. The ship was part of the squadron that successfully forced the Tonelero pass in 1851 in Argentina, during the Platine War. On 9 January 1853, during a storm, it sank northwest of Cabo Frio, killing three sailors.