João Belo class frigate
Encyclopedia
The João Belo class, also known as Comandante João Belo class, is a class of four frigates of French
design, identical to the Commandant Rivière class
, with extra equipment for tropical climate
s. Ordered by the Portuguese Navy
in 1964, the four ships of this class were constructed in Nantes
' shipyard.
In the 1960s the Portuguese Navy was interested in the acquisition of British frigates of the Leander class
, but because of British political opposition against Portugal this acquisition was impossible. Portugal was then forced to buy frigates of an already existing project due the urgency in the acquisition of naval ships for the defense of African, Macau
's and Timor's waters.
The two remaining frigates in active service of this class were replaced, in 2008, by the Bartolomeu Dias class (Dutch Karel Doorman class
) in the Portuguese Navy. The NRP João Belo and the NRP Sacadura Cabral were sold to the Uruguayan Navy, becoming, respectively the ROU Uruguay and the ROU Pedro Campbell.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
design, identical to the Commandant Rivière class
Commandant Rivière class frigate
The Commandant Rivière class was a type of frigates built for the French Navy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Labeled "aviso-escorteur" , they were designed to perform the role of overseas patrol in peacetime and Anti-Submarine escort in wartime.Four similar ships were built for the Portuguese...
, with extra equipment for tropical climate
Tropical climate
A tropical climate is a climate of the tropics. In the Köppen climate classification it is a non-arid climate in which all twelve months have mean temperatures above...
s. Ordered by the Portuguese Navy
Portuguese Navy
The Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
in 1964, the four ships of this class were constructed in Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
' shipyard.
In the 1960s the Portuguese Navy was interested in the acquisition of British frigates of the Leander class
Leander class frigate
The Leander class, or Type 12I frigates, comprising twenty-six vessels, was among the most numerous and long-lived classes of frigate in the Royal Navy's modern history. The class was built in three batches between 1959 and 1973...
, but because of British political opposition against Portugal this acquisition was impossible. Portugal was then forced to buy frigates of an already existing project due the urgency in the acquisition of naval ships for the defense of African, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
's and Timor's waters.
The two remaining frigates in active service of this class were replaced, in 2008, by the Bartolomeu Dias class (Dutch Karel Doorman class
Karel Doorman class frigate
The Karel Doorman class is a class of eight multi-purpose frigates of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The class is also known as the "Multi-purpose" or M class....
) in the Portuguese Navy. The NRP João Belo and the NRP Sacadura Cabral were sold to the Uruguayan Navy, becoming, respectively the ROU Uruguay and the ROU Pedro Campbell.
Ships
| Pennant Pennant number In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers... |
Name | Shipyard Shipyard Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial... |
Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F480 | Comandante João Belo | Chantier Nantes, Dubigeon | 1967 | Sold to Uruguay as ROU 1 Uruguay |
| F481 | Comandante Hermenegildo Capelo | Chantier Nantes, Dubigeon | 1968 | Decommissioned in 2004 (in reserve) |
| F482 | Comandante Roberto Ivens | Chantier Nantes, Dubigeon | 1968 | Decommissioned in 1998 after colliding with a Tanker ship on a NATO exercise. The vessel was seriously damaged by the accident and had to be towed to harbour. Due to the age and extent of the damage, it was decided to decommission the ship. It was stripped of its equipment, taken to sea and sunk. |
| F483 | Comandante Sacadura Cabral | Chantier Nantes, Dubigeon | 1969 | Sold to Uruguay as ROU 2 Comandante Pedro Campbell |
See also
- Portuguese NavyPortuguese NavyThe Portuguese Navy is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal....
- Portuguese Colonial WarPortuguese Colonial WarThe Portuguese Colonial War , also known in Portugal as the Overseas War or in the former colonies as the War of liberation , was fought between Portugal's military and the emerging nationalist movements in Portugal's African colonies between 1961 and 1974, when the Portuguese regime was...
- Commandant Rivière class frigateCommandant Rivière class frigateThe Commandant Rivière class was a type of frigates built for the French Navy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Labeled "aviso-escorteur" , they were designed to perform the role of overseas patrol in peacetime and Anti-Submarine escort in wartime.Four similar ships were built for the Portuguese...