Learn about the structure and performance of the Brazilian Navy in the region that is the birthplace of great naval heroes
By Agência Marinha de Notícias – Brasília, DF
Vila do Rio Grande de São Pedro, December 13, 1807. It was on this date and in the historic city of Rio Grande, in Rio Grande do Sul, that one of the greatest national heroes was born. Joaquim Marques Lisboa, the Marquis of Tamandaré, the one who would become the Patron of the Brazilian Navy (MB). Almost 130 years after his death, the actions of the illustrious Rio Grande do Sul man are perennial examples for all sailors of the Force. Since 1983, the “Land of Tamandaré” has hosted the 5th Naval District Command (Com5ºDN, per its Portuguese acronym).
“The Command of the 5th Naval District has an area of jurisdiction between states of unequivocal historical, economic, political and strategic importance for our country, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, as well as being headquartered in this pleasant city of Rio Grande, the birthplace of our greatest hero and patron of our Navy,” says the Commander of the 5th Naval District, Vice Admiral Sílvio Luís dos Santos.
Currently, the Command is made up of a workforce of about 2,538 sailors, marines, and civil servants, men and women, distributed in 22 subordinate military organizations, and is responsible for contributing to the fulfillment of the most varied tasks of MB’s responsibility in the southern region.
Com5ºDN’s mission is to prepare and employ the subordinate Naval, Air Force, and Marine Forces to contribute to the defense of the homeland; to guarantee constitutional powers and law and order; to fulfill the subsidiary activities provided for by law, and to support foreign policy, in its area of jurisdiction, comprising the land areas of the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul; river and lake basins of its land area; and maritime areas, under Brazilian jurisdiction, adjacent to the coast of these States.
This Naval District has significant areas of sea and rivers, including 711,569.65 km² of maritime area of rescue and salvage, and covering a land area of 377,000 km², with 2,033.1 km of borders. In addition to an extensive coastline of 1,153 km and thousands of miles of navigable rivers and lagoons, which encompass important ports of the national scenario and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur).
Maritime power of the region
The coast of the states in southern Brazil is recognized for its maritime wealth and strategic relevance in the national port scenario. Santa Catarina has five major ports: Navegantes, Itajaí, Itapoá, São Francisco do Sul and Imbituba. The Itajaí Port Complex alone handled, from January to May this year, the sum of 6.4 million tons and 560,927 TEUs – a unit equivalent to 20 feet, the standard measure used to calculate the volume of a container.
“In addition, the Itajaí region is today the largest fishing center in the south of the country,” said the head of the Maritime Affairs Section of the Com5thDN, Frigate Captain Walter Shinzato.
According to the Port Authority, the Port of Itapoá reached its record of movement in a single month in May, reaching 98,113 TEUs handled. The year 2023 is also being important at the Port of São Francisco do Sul, due to the consecutive records it has been achieving in cargo handling. In the first five months of the year, there was a steady growth in exports and imports, which resulted in a 26% increase compared to 2022.
In Rio Grande do Sul, the Ports of Rio Grande, Pelotas and Porto Alegre achieved the best handling from January to May in history, with more than 16 million tons handled.
Strategic importance
The construction of the four Tamandaré-class frigates in the Itajaí Valley, in Santa Catarina (SC), by the Brasil Sul Shipyard – Thyssenkrupp, has made the Itajaí Naval Pole of fundamental importance for the Navy and an even more strategic area for Com5ºDN.
The Itajaí region also stands out in relation to the movement of sports and recreational boats. Recently, the city hosted one of the stages of The Ocean Race 2022/2023, one of the largest nautical events in the world, with a consolidated scale in the city. “Due to the magnitude of The Ocean Race regatta, there is no doubt the opportunity to carry out concrete actions to foster the maritime mentality. The promotion of our Force’s brand made it possible to develop the chosen themes: the Bicentennial of Brazilian Independence, joining the MB, and National Maritime Power,” said the commander of the 5th Naval District.
Operational capacity
The 5th Naval District Command seeks to continuously improve its operational capacity to strengthen the region’s defense and security. For this purpose, the Southern Naval Patrol Group Command has the following subordinate ships: Ocean Support Vessel “Mearim”, Patrol Vessel “Babitonga”, Patrol Vessel “Benevente” and Deep Sea Tug “Tritão”. In addition, the Southern Nautical Signaling Service has the Beacon Ship “Comandante Varella”.
Still on the operational capacity of Com5ºDN, it is important to mention the performance of the 1st Squadron of Helicopters of General Employment of the South. It was activated in 1998, marking the resumption of naval operations from the island of Terrapleno de Leste, which for a long time was under the subordination of the Ministry of Aeronautics. Currently, the squadron has three UH-12 “Esquilo” aircraft, providing air support to surface and troop units, contributing to the application of Naval Power in its area of jurisdiction.
MB’s operations in the 5thDN area also extend to land, with the Rio Grande Marine Group, tasked with conducting naval and land, riverine, and riverine operations; defense of naval and maritime bases and facilities of interest; and internal security operations.
Logistical capacity
Strategic resources and facilities make it possible to strengthen the logistical capabilities essential to the fulfillment of district tasks. This is the case of the Rio Grande Naval Station, which aims to contribute to the training of MB’s operational assets under the command. In addition, there is the Navy’s Intendance Center in the same city, a branch of the supply system that also contributes to the readiness of naval, aerial, and marine assets based or in transit in the 5thDN area.
As for health support, the Naval Polyclinic of Rio Grande centralizes the entire structure for users of the Force Health System in the region and neighboring cities. Its facilities are undergoing works aimed at expansion and improvement to become, in the future, the Naval Hospital of Rio Grande.
Also part of the structure of the 5thDN, the Navy Radiogoniometric Station in Rio Grande, which has the function of monitoring, intercepting and analyzing radiocommunications traffic. In addition to performing radiolocation and providing naval communications, thus contributing to naval intelligence, command and control activities.
Maritime Authority
Among the subsidiary activities, in compliance with the duties of the Brazilian Maritime Authority, are Naval Inspection, Naval Patrol and Search and Rescue Service (SAR). The three pillars that guide MB’s work in waterway traffic inspection are navigation safety, safeguarding human life at sea, and preventing water pollution. From December to March, these activities are intensified during Operation “Summer”.
Com5ºDN’s Waterway Traffic Safety System encompasses the Port Authority of Rio Grande do Sul and its subordinates, the Port Authority Office in Uruguaiana and the Port Authority Agency in Tramandaí; the River Authority of Porto Alegre; and the Port Authority of Santa Catarina and its subordinates, the Port Authority Office in Itajaí, the Port Authority Office in Laguna, and the Port Authority Office in São Francisco do Sul.
All these military organizations also contribute to the guidance, coordination and control of activities related to the Merchant Marine and related organizations.
Naval Area Command Center (NACC)
In the maritime environment, the region’s strong winds and rough seas often require the Navy to assist vessels in distress off the coast of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. To this end, Com5ºDN has an infrastructure dedicated to the Safety of Life in the waters under its Jurisdiction, which is activated to respond to emergency situations through its Area Naval Command Center (CCNA).
In addition to technology, machines and systems, the CCNA of Com5ºDN brings together trained military personnel committed to the mission of saving lives. Through the compilation and analysis of information received or the estimation of information not available when a SAR (Search and Rescue) incident is opened, the military apply all the knowledge and best practices provided for this type of operation, always pressed for time, since every minute is decisive for successful rescues.
This entire structure, which, in addition to CCNA, includes ships, vessels, aircraft and military ground organizations based in the 5thDN area, makes up the Maritime Search and Rescue Service (Salvamar) South.
“The Armed Forces’ investment in these [SAR] missions is extremely high, in training military personnel, software development, maintenance, and operation of resources (ships, SSTA vessels, helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and systems),” said Commander Jorge Augusto Figueiras, head of the 5th NDN Operations Section.
Naval heroes
In 1994, the Pantheon of Tamandaré was inaugurated in honor of the Patron of the Brazilian Navy, within the Com5ºDN. In addition to the tomb of the distinguished Admiral, the site also houses the remains of two naval heroes, as well as the mother of one of them, who remain buried next to the Pantheon of Tamandaré, in an area surrounded by century-old fig trees, called “Praça dos Heróis Navais”. In this space are also the tomb of the patron of the Brazilian Navy; his wife Maria Eufrásia Lisboa; the memory room of Admiral Tamandaré and the monument in honor of naval heroes.
In the spotlight is Admiral Tamandaré, whose life was entirely dedicated to the Brazilian Navy, with bravery and heroism. In the same place are the remains of Admiral Joaquim Francisco de Abreu, who became a minister of the then Supreme Military Court and had an outstanding performance in the Naval Battle of Riachuelo.
Similarly, the pantheon houses the remains of Commander Felinto Perry, distinguished for his courage and ardor in combat, who was called by Admiral Tamandaré “the brave among the brave”. The pantheon also houses the tomb of Mrs. Pulcena Dias, mother of the Imperial Sailor Marcílio Dias, who stood out in the Naval Battle of Riachuelo, for fighting to the death in defense of the flag of his ship, the Corvette “Parnahyba”.
Cultural Space of the Com5ºDN
In addition to the Pantheon of Tamandaré, the Cultural Space houses several attractions, such as the Monument to the Imperial Sailor Marcílio Dias, a 1940 work by sculptor Humberto Carpinelli, a renowned artist with a legacy of works in several cities in Brazil. Provided by the Municipality of Rio Grande, it became part of the Cultural Space from 2022, and remains available to the public on site. There is also the “Tamandaré” Memory Room, dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of the life, career and achievements of the Patron of the Brazilian Navy.
Also available to the public is the Naval Museum. Inaugurated in 2001, its theme refers to the history of the implementation of the Captaincy of the Ports of Rio Grande do Sul and the various military organizations of the Navy, based in Rio Grande.
Another facility reserved for reminiscences is the “Imperial Sailor” Corvette Memory Room. Built in the Netherlands in 1953 and incorporated into the Navy on June 11, 1955, the corvette was the third ship to bear this name in the Brazilian Navy, in honor of the sailors of the Imperial Navy, such as Marcílio Dias. The Room was created in 2022, with the purpose of disseminating Brazilian naval history and keeping alive the memory of the “Imperial of the Seas”.
Cultural Center of the Navy in Santa Catarina
The Navy Cultural Center in Santa Catarina (CCMSC, per its Portuguese acronym), inaugurated in 2016, is co-administered by MB, through the Santa Catarina Port Authority, and the Soto Cultural Institute (ICS, per its Portuguese acronym). The common goal is to disseminate the maritime mentality in the region and develop cultural activities, especially those that demonstrate the importance of the Naval Power and the sea for the formation of Brazil.
With an area of more than 5 thousand m², where the Naval Museum is located, on the second floor of Fort Santa Bárbara and the Amazônia Azul Auditorium. The Naval Museum has a collection of about 1,800 pieces on display, considered the most complete collection of the Brazilian Empire outside the Rio-São Paulo axis. Throughout its four years of existence, it has already received about 20 thousand visitors, mostly students from public and private schools.
Inaugurated in 2022, the Underwater Archeology Wing is dedicated to the Brazilian Underwater Heritage and seeks to be a reference for the awakening of the formation of new underwater archaeologists, in addition to serving as a tourist attraction and place for studies, seeking to spread the maritime mentality in the state of Santa Catarina.
Women Apprentice Sailors
With the mission of training Sailors for the Navy’s Squadron Corps, the Santa Catarina School of Apprentice Sailors (EAMSC) received, in January this year, the first class of women in Apprentice schools. Of the 145 young people who entered the Sailor Training Course for Active Duty, 48 were women. At the end of this year, they will graduate as sailors and will be able to work in MB’s operational environments.
In addition, for training and incorporating personnel into the Brazilian Navy, Com5ºDN has two training centers for naval reservists, one in Santa Catarina, at EAMSC, and another in Rio Grande do Sul, at the Rio Grande Marine Corps Group.
History
Decree No. 10,359, of August 31, 1942, divided the national territory into six Naval Districts, with jurisdiction over the entire coastline, rivers and waterways, and Decree No. 10,446, of the same year, ordered the approval and execution of the Regulations for Naval Commands.
Subsequently, Decree-Law No. 8,181 of November 19, 1945, specified that the 5th Naval District, with jurisdiction over the states of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, would be installed in due course according to the needs of the country and at the discretion of the Minister of the Navy.
By Ministerial Notice No. 1,578 of August 8, 1946, the Minister of the Navy ordered the installation of the Command of the 5th Naval District with headquarters in the city of São Francisco do Sul (SC), later transferred to the capital of the same state, according to Decree-Law No. 9,586 of 1946. Only on February 8, 1983, the headquarters of the Com5ºDN was transferred to the city of Rio Grande (RS), where it remains today. On August 8, 2023, the 77th anniversary of Com5ºDN will be celebrated.
Navy News Agency