An item reported that again the disappearance of the 41 years old Brazilian 19.000 tons battleship São Paulo was discussed. (1) She was sold for ƒ 7.500.000 to a British scrap yard and three weeks earlier while towed by two British tugs lost when in a storm the ropes broke. With 8 runners on board was she so longer sighted despite searching by ships and aircraft. The British newspaper Sunday Dispatch reported that the British government was now handling the matter. She left Rio de Janeiro on 20 September with enough victuals on board until a week ago except if the crew rationed food. There were yet three possibilities, she was lying on the sea bottom, she was floating in waters with scarcely shipping or she was wrecked on a distant island.
Note
1. Laid down at Vickers, Barrow, England on 30 April 1907, launched and baptized by Mrs. Régis de Oliveira, on 19 April 1909, commissioned on 12 July 1910, refitted at New York, USA between 7 August 1918-7 January 1920, not modernized during to her worse condition in the 1930s, served as harbour defence ship during the Second World War, stricken on 2 August 1947, Training vessel until August 1951, sold to the Iron and Steel Corporation of Great Britain to be broken up and sunk when she was underway from Rio de Janeiro to the scrap yard at Greenock with her caretaker crew on board north of the Azores in early November 1951 without finding a trace of her back. The original armament consisted of 6x2-30,48cm/12” guns, 22-12cm/4.7” guns and 8-3pd guns. During her modernisation in 1918-1920 were 18-12cm guns removed and replaced by some modern anti aircraft guns2-7,6cm/3” 50 cal guns and 3,7cm guns.
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