Artillery

River torpedoes

The mines that sank the Rio de Janeiro.

River torpedoes
A mine explodes under a Brazilian ironclad. Reconstruction.
What they were
Barrels or boxes of gunpowder, anchored or set adrift
Manufacture
Asunción, with foreign technicians
Main victim
Ironclad Rio de Janeiro
Date
2 September 1866, off Curuzú

The Paraguayans called their homemade river mines “torpedoes”. They anchored them in the channel or released them downstream toward the fleet. Off Curuzú, the ironclad Rio de Janeiro struck mines and sank almost at once: 53 men died, among them her commander. She was the only Brazilian ironclad sunk in the whole war. From then on the fleet advanced with nets, picket boats and mine sweeping.

‡ Disputed.One or two mines: most sources say two. ◊ No pieces survive: the appearance in the plate is a reconstruction.

Sources: “Brazilian ironclad Rio de Janeiro”, English Wikipedia; A. B. de Carvalho, Revista Marítima Brasileira (2010).

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