Gonçalo Velho was a sloop of the Gonçalo Velho class. They were based on the Royal Navy's Bridgewater-class sloops, but with a heavier armament and omitting the minelaying equipment of the British ships.[1]Gonçalo Velho's hull was 81.69 metres (268 ft 0 in) long overall and 76.20 metres (250 ft 0 in) between perpendiculars, with a beam of 10.82 metres (35 ft 6 in) and a draught of 3.43 metres (11 ft 3 in). Two Yarrow boilers fed Parsons geared steam turbines, giving 2,000 shaft horsepower (1,500 kW) and driving two propeller shafts, with a design speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). 470 tons of oil were carried giving a range of 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph).[2] They had a standard displacement of 950 tonnes (930 long tons) and 1,414 t (1,392 long tons) at full load. They had a crew of 142 initially, but this was later reduced to 128.[2][3]
In 1930, Portugal set up a ten-year plan to modernise its navy. As part of this programme, a contract was placed with the British shipbuilder Hawthorn Leslie for two sloops, to be named Gonçalo Velho and Gonçalves Zarco. Gonçalo Velho was laid down on 9 October 1931, and launched on 3 August 1932.[4] Construction was completed in May 1933.[3] They were among the ships that formed the core of the fleet until the late 1940s. They were tasked with coastal defence and defence of Portugal's colonial possessions.[1] Following World War II, the ships were reclassified as frigates. Portugal acquired new ships in the postwar era and Gonçalo Velho was broken up for scrap in June 1961.[5]
