The CV Minas Gerais operated by the Brazilian Navy. (Marinha do Brasil)
The CV Minas Gerais operated by the Brazilian Navy. (Marinha do Brasil)
Written by Alain Clouet
CV MINAS GERAIS (ex-VENGEANCE) A 11
The HMS Vengeance (R 64 then R 71) was built at the British Swan Hunter shipyard ; its construction started on November 16th 1942. She was launched on March (or February) 23rd 1944, and was commissionned on January 15th 1945. She served in the Mediterranean Sea then in the Pacific. In the 1948-1949 period, she undertook cold-weather trials in the Arctic circle. She was overhauled in 1950, before being used to transport troops and airplanes in 1951-1952. She was then loaned to the Royal Australian Navy from 1953 to July 1955, but kept her name HMAS Vengeance.
At first she was used as a school aircraft-carrier, but at the end of 1953 became a first-line carrier, before returning to its initial schooling function in 1954. She was layed up and returned to Great-Britain, before being put into a reserve status.
She was sold to Brazil on December 12th 1956. From June 1957 to December 1960, she underwent a complete overhaul in Rotterdam, and received an 8.5° angled deck, a steam catapult and a landing mirror. Her radars and lifts were also replaced. On December 6th 1960, she was recommissionned as Minas Gerais (A 11). Officially, she is an attack and ASW carrier. She carries aircraft from 1° Grupo de Aviaçio Embarcada. The 1° Grupo de Aviaçio Embarcada (1st carrier aviation group) was formed on February 6th 1957 with Grumman P-16 Trackers. This group would be active until the retirement of these planes in 1996. Its land base was Santa Cruz.
From 1976 to 1980, the Minas Gerais was in dry docks for a complete overhaul including a new transmission system, a new wiring system and moderniezd auxilaries. She will be decommissionned a first time in 1987 following catapult trouble. Entirely revised from 1991 to 1993, she returned to active service in October 1996. However the catapult will only be repaired in 1996. In 1997, she was used during combined opertions with Argentina, and served as a attack carrier with ANA pilots and aircraft (Super-Etendard and Sea King). The Minas Gerais is still in an active status and is used in a ASW role, carrying only helicopters, since no more fixed-wing carrier born aircraft are in service in Brazil. Yet, it seems that several A-4M Skyhawks were bought, after years of negociations. Using the Skyhawks would call for the Minais Gerais to be modified. She is expected to remain active until 2003, and her replacement by the Sao Paulo (ex-Foch).
Aircraft and pilots operating from the Minas Gerais belong to the Brazilian Air Force.
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