Siege of Rio de Janeiro

September 1893 – March 1894, Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro

Government victory; revolt in Rio collapses

Rebel ships under Admiral Custódio de Melo held the bay and traded fire with the forts, which the government held with the army. Admiral Saldanha da Gama joined the revolt in December 1893 and took command in the bay when Melo went south. When the government fleet arrived in March 1894, Saldanha and his men took refuge aboard the Portuguese warships Mindelo and Afonso de Albuquerque, and the ships left in the bay were taken.

Rebel fleet (Brazil)

10 ships, 1 lost

Ship	Type	Outcome
Almirante Tamandaré	Protected cruiser	Captured
República Went south with Aquidabã in December 1893	Protected cruiser	Escaped
Aquidabã Broke out of the bay in December 1893	Ironclad	Escaped

Flotillas and other craft	Number	Lost
Other rebel ships Cruiser Trajano, monitors Alagoas and Javary, gunboat Marajó, and torpedo boats Marcílio Dias, Iguatemi and Araguari, plus armed merchant ships and transports.	7	0

Flotillas and other craft

Number

Lost

Other rebel ships

Cruiser Trajano, monitors Alagoas and Javary, gunboat Marajó, and torpedo boats Marcílio Dias, Iguatemi and Araguari, plus armed merchant ships and transports.

Government forts (army)

No ships engaged

Forts, batteries and aircraft	Strength	Outcome
Forts of Guanabara Bay Santa Cruz and the other forts at the entrance to the bay stayed loyal to Floriano and exchanged fire with the rebel ships for six months.	Not recorded	Held

Forts, batteries and aircraft

Strength

Outcome

Forts of Guanabara Bay

Santa Cruz and the other forts at the entrance to the bay stayed loyal to Floriano and exchanged fire with the rebel ships for six months.

Not recorded

Held

Fleet Ledger

Siege of Rio de Janeiro

Rebel fleet (Brazil)

Government forts (army)

Map