Anhambaí

Anhambaí
History
Brazil
NameAnhambaí
OperatorImperial Brazilian Navy
BuilderMiers & Maslor Brothers
Launched1858
Commissioned25 June 1858
Decommissioned6 January 1865
FateTaken by Paraguayan naval forces on January 6, 1865 on the São Lourenço River
Paraguay
NameAnhambay
OperatorParaguayan Navy
Commissioned6 January 1865
Decommissioned18 August 1869
FateSunk by its crew on August 18, 1869 in the Yhaguy River
General characteristics
TypeGunboat
Length130 ft (40 m)
Beam26.6 ft (8.1 m)
Draft3.94 ft (1.20 m)
Installed power40 hp (29.4 kW)
PropulsionSails 1 Steam boiler for side-propelled wheels
Crew38 to 50
Armament2 × 32-pounder cannons

Anhambaí is a museum ship and former gunboat operated by the navies of the Empire of Brazil and Paraguay. It is on display in the Vapor Cué National Park, located in the municipality of Caraguatay, Cordillera Department, Paraguay. The boat was built in England and incorporated into the Brazilian Imperial Navy on June 25, 1858. In the Paraguayan War, during the initial offensive of the Paraguayans on Brazil in December 1865, it acted in the defense of the New Coimbra Fort, offering artillery fire and support during the withdrawal of Brazilian forces.

The following month, while its crew were trying to flee to Cuiabá, it was captured by the Paraguayans, resulting in the death of a major part of the crew. In 1867, under Paraguayan control, it supported the Paraguayan forces in Corumbá against Brazilian attempts to retake the city. About two years later, after the imperial troops advanced on Caraguatay, where it was stationed, the crew set fire to it and sank it to avoid its capture. It remained submerged in the Yhaguy River until the 1970s, when it was recovered and restored, and has been on display at the Vapor Cué museum ever since.