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Assault on the battleships Cabral and Lima Barros

The assault on the battleships Cabral and Lima Barros was a naval action that took place at dawn on 2 March 1868, during the Paraguayan War, when Paraguayan canoes, yoked two by two, disguised with branches and with 50 soldiers each, approached the Brazilian ironclads Lima Barros and Cabral.

Assault on Cabral and Lima Barros
Part of the Paraguayan War

Ironclads coming to aid Cabral and Lima Barros
Date2 March 1868 (1868-03-02)
Location
Tagy, left bank of the Paraguay River
Result Brazilian victory
Belligerents
 Paraguay  Empire of Brazil
Commanders and leaders
Ignacio Genes Joaquim da Costa †
Strength
1,100 6 ironclads
Casualties and losses
100[1]–400[2] killed and wounded 86:[1]
16 killed
55 wounded
15 captured

The attack

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On the night of 2 March 1868, the Brazilian squadron, which had already achieved the Passage of Humaitá, was anchored on the Paraguay River, in front of the Tagy redoubt, near Humaitá. Its vanguard were the ironclads Cabral and Lima Barros; at the stern of these, the ironclads Silvado and the Herval; below, at the mouth of the D'Oro River, as a signal repeater, the Mariz e Barros; at Porto Elisário, Brasil, with the admiral-in-chief on board, and Colombo.[2][3]

Taking advantage of the darkness of the night and the aquatic plants and rafts that descended by the current, a squadron of canoes covered by branches and foliage and tied up two by two, each crewed by 50 Paraguayans armed with machetes, hatchets and boarding swords, went to board Cabral and Lima Barros. The Paraguayans were discovered when a patrol boat boarded one of the false aquatic plants and raised the alarm, forcing the Paraguayans to alter their plan of attack. Confused, they only managed to land 14 canoes on Lima Barros and 8 on Cabral, dumping men on their decks who took over the awnings of the warships.[2][4] A hand-to-hand fight was fought; the ironclads' crews and soldiers locked themselves inside the casemates, resisting with gunfire.[5]

The battle continued until dawn, when the battleships Brasil, Herval, Mariz e Barros and Silvado approached and fired at the Paraguayans, who gave up the attack, losing up to 400 men and 14 canoes.[2] On the Brazilian side, there were 16 dead, including captain of sea and war Joaquim Rodrigues da Costa and first lieutenant João de Gomensoro Wandenkolk. Among the wounded, the commander of Lima Barros, captain of frigate Garcindo de Sá, captain lieutenants Foster Vidal and Alves Nogueira, first lieutenants Otaviano Vital de Oliveira, Souza Pinto and Castro Rocha, second lieutenant Rodrigo de Lamare and the midshipman Barros Gandra.[1][5]

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  •  
    Maritime pilot Bernardino Gustavino killed in action during the assault
  •  
    The assault on 2 March 1868
  •  
    The assault on Lima Barros (right)

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Bittencourt 2008, p. 106.
  2. ^ a b c d Donato 1996, pp. 539–540.
  3. ^ Bittencourt 2008, p. 101.
  4. ^ Bittencourt 2008, p. 104.
  5. ^ a b Barroso 1950, pp. 24–25, 32.

Bibliography

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  • Bittencourt, Luiz Edmundo Brígido (2008). "Os ataques das canoas paraguaias aos encouraçados fluviais brasileiros" (PDF). Revista Marítima Brasileira (in Portuguese). 128 (1/03): 99–112. ISSN 0034-9860.
  • Donato, Hernâni (1996). Dicionário das Batalhas Brasileiras (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). São Paulo: Instituição Brasileira de Difusão Cultural. ISBN 8534800340. OCLC 36768251.
  • Barroso, Gustavo (1950). "O Rei dos Práticos: Os práticos da Esquadra Imperial — Seu heróico papel na campanha do Paraguai — Bernardino Gustavino, patrono da praticagem nacional". O Cruzeiro (in Portuguese). 3 (25).
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