I'm asking around on a Brazilian board about whether the battleships had a full crew or not, and whether they were used in training or not. I don't
know if I'll get answers; there are Navy officers on the board, but I've never seen them comment on historical matters, just present-day ones.
About São Paulo's material state, I got a real good look on the Minas Gerais and São Paulo section at Navios de Guerra Brasileiros. 'According to some sources' São Paulo had her coal-fired Armstrong boilers exchanged for oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox ones in 1918-20, partial replacement being done at Rio de Janeiro, and then the battleship went to the Brooklyn Naval Yard to complete boiler replacement, get 76mm AA-guns and receive 'improvements on firing direction', which I assume to be the same kind of improvements the USN naval squadron at Britain got during WWI. 1934-35 is listed as being a repair period for São Paulo. In comparison, Minas Gerais has a 1920-21 PRM(Repair and Modernization Period) at Brooklyn Naval Yard, about which there are no specifics, and another PRM at Rio de Janeiro in 1930-37, where they get the same improvements as listed for the São Paulo 1920-21 PRM. This 1930-37 PRM looks like your typical starved-of-funds-Navy-job, where equipment is added at a snail's pace.
Given the data above, I conclude São Paulo is in worse condition than Minas Gerais, but not as bad as I thought it was, especially if the facts of the 1920-21 modernization are true.
About São Paulo's material state, I got a real good look on the Minas Gerais and São Paulo section at Navios de Guerra Brasileiros. 'According to some sources' São Paulo had her coal-fired Armstrong boilers exchanged for oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox ones in 1918-20, partial replacement being done at Rio de Janeiro, and then the battleship went to the Brooklyn Naval Yard to complete boiler replacement, get 76mm AA-guns and receive 'improvements on firing direction', which I assume to be the same kind of improvements the USN naval squadron at Britain got during WWI. 1934-35 is listed as being a repair period for São Paulo. In comparison, Minas Gerais has a 1920-21 PRM(Repair and Modernization Period) at Brooklyn Naval Yard, about which there are no specifics, and another PRM at Rio de Janeiro in 1930-37, where they get the same improvements as listed for the São Paulo 1920-21 PRM. This 1930-37 PRM looks like your typical starved-of-funds-Navy-job, where equipment is added at a snail's pace.
Given the data above, I conclude São Paulo is in worse condition than Minas Gerais, but not as bad as I thought it was, especially if the facts of the 1920-21 modernization are true.
