The Portuguese navy during the Republican revolt according to the Dutch newspaper Nieuwe Tilburgsche Courant dated 8 October 1910

The Portuguese navy played a roll in the revolt ending with the fled of the Portuguese king Manoel. The Spanish correspondent of the newspaper Daily Chronicle was present at Lisbon during the events and described what he saw of the fights between the monarchists and the republicans. After a monarchist officer killed dr. Bombardas started the republicans several riots which were suppressed on Monday 3 October but ending in mutinous artillery in the barracks taken their officers prisoner. The king was at Cascaes where a dinner was presented to the Brazilian president Hermes de Fonseca and where the commanding officer of Lisbon and several other officers were present. Naval officers take horses and joined the rebels and during the night of Monday on Tuesday was a continuous shooting going on. When the rebels attacked the next morning the palace were they driven back by an infantry brigade. Sailors in the naval barracks hoisted at sunset the republican flag and send men to attack the palace brigade. At the same tome hoisted three warships the Republican flag while firing a salute. During a desperate fight on board of the Don Fernando (1) was the flag of the rebels temporarily lowered. The cruisers Raphael (2) and Adamastor (3) with the republican flag steamed towards the flagship Dom Pedro (4) showing their broadside. Both cruisers  begun to fire at the royal palace from a distance of 900 metres hitting with the second flag the royal flag. The Dom Petra (5) still showed the royal flag but didn’t join the shooting. The king first refused to fled but finally left the palace. The rebels thought that the king went on board of the Brazilian warship Sao Paolo (6). When artillery on the Dom Pedro square opened the fire were 12 shots enough to drive the Raphael away while stopping with shooting. The Adamastor however which was a heavier unit start shooting at the Sao Jorge citadel when finally the republican flag was hoisted. Further more was a group of officers and sailors on the aft deck of the Dom Pedro two times shot with machineguns hidden on the fore deck and all killed or wounded and was there no resistance against the republicans any more on board.

The Adamastor [RvM]

Another Dutch newspaper the Tilburgsche Courant of the same date supplies sometimes quite different details what happened in Portugal. This newspaper said that the Raphael and the Adamastor passed the Dom Pedro which didn’t fired at them. Both Republican cruisers steamed towards Alcanbara and started firing from a distance of 1,000 metres. As it was believed that the Portuguese king went on board of the Brazilian Sao Paulo wanted the Republicans to visit this ship. Her commanding officer refused this with as a result that both cruisers shot at the Sao Paulo killing several men.

Notes

1. The Dom Carlos I of 4,186 tons launched on 5 May 1898 which choose the Republican side and that year renamed Candido Reis and later Almirante Reis.

2. The Sao Rafael of 1,771 tons, launched on 5 July 1898 and wrecked in October 1911.

3. The Adamastor of 1,729 tons, launched on 12 July 1896 and sold in 1933.

4. Have not been able to identify this ship. There were two other cruisers available namely the Sao Gabriel of 1,771 tons and the Rainha Dona Amelia of 1,630 tons, the latter renamed in 1910 Republica.

5. See note 4.

6. This dreadnought was the same year involved in a mutiny against the Brazilian government just like in 1924!