January 4, 1914
The F5, one of the first submarines to be acquired and operated by the Brazilian Navy, was launched at the Fiat-San Giorgio Shipyard in northwest Italy. This vessel was part of the Foca (known more simply as F) class, the Brazilian Navy’s original group of submarines. The F5, which had been built at the Fiat-San Giorgio Shipyard, was delivered to Brazil just a little over five months after her launch.
The F5 was designed by Italian marine engineer Cesare Laurenti (1865-1921). He was likewise responsible for the development of the first two F-class submarines — the F1, which was launched at the Fiat-San Giorgio Shipyard on June 11, 1913, and received by Brazil on December 11 of that year; and the F3, which was launched at the same shipyard on November 8, 1913, and delivered to the Brazilian Navy on March 16 of the following year. The F1, F3, and F 5 were all officially commissioned into the Brazilian Navy on July 17, 1914.
For quite a few years, Laurenti devoted his considerable energies and expertise to all facets of submarines and underwater navigation. His other notable contributions to this area of endeavor included serving as the director of technical experiments for Delfino, the Royal Italian Navy’s first submarine. In addition, Laurenti designed the U.S. Navy submarine USS G-4 (SS-26).
The genesis of what became the Brazilian Navy’s purchase of the F1, F3, and F5 can be traced to 1904, when this military branch initiated a large-scale effort to modernize its fleet. A key part of this effort was a plan for new vessels that was prepared in 1906 under the leadership of Admiral Alexandrino Faria de Alencar (1848-1926). This plan proposed the acquisition two Dreadnought-type battleships, two cruisers, and 10 destroyers. It also called for the construction and use of three submarines.
After those submarines were commissioned, they each remained in service in the Brazilian Navy for nearly two decades. (The F5 is depicted in the accompanying photo.) The F1, F3, and F 5 were all decommissioned on December 30, 1933. As a tribute to the pioneering status and historical significance of these submarines, the hulls of each were eventually installed as the foundation of the pillars for the Escaleres Bridge at the Brazilian Naval School in Rio de Janeiro.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on the Brazilian Navy’s Foca (F)-class submarines, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foca-class_submarine_(Brazil)
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