Brazilian Navy is sending the largest ship in its fleet to operate on the coast of São Paulo

The Brazilian Navy announced on Tuesday (21) the scheduled arrival on Thursday (23) of the Multipurpose Airship Atlântico (A140) to São Sebastião to help in the rescue of those affected by the rains that caused landslides and deaths on the northern coast of São Paulo.

The vessel would be ideal for the mission thanks to a series of equipment, such as a ramp, which would facilitate access and displacement of victims.

The largest ship of the Force, the Atlântico departed for the region on Wednesday morning (22), accompanied, among other devices, by the General Cargo Disembarkation Vessel Guarapari.

While the former will operate as a field hospital, the latter has a specific ramp to dock on beaches and isolated areas.

The Guarapari is not the only landing craft the Atlântico ship carries: it has two others, each with a capacity for 35 people.

Considered an amphibious assault ship or “airship,” it also has six helicopters from the Air Force Command, a 20-person transport boat, an operational Pacific-type speedboat, and a health stockpile for first aid.

In its interior, the Atlântico has a medical center, with a team of 28 doctors and military health care professionals, with the following specialties: orthopedist, general surgeon, anesthesiologist, general practitioner, pharmacist, dental surgeon, nursing technicians, oral hygiene assistant, and laboratory assistant.

A group of 180 marines also commands machinery of micro-loaders, loaders – which work on clearing roads – and ambulances for removal to the Altántico, which will operate independently to relieve the regional hospitals, where only the most severe cases will be taken.

]The Navy estimates that over a thousand military personnel will assist the injured. Besides carrying out humanitarian missions, such as the rescue in São Sebastião, the Atlântico controls maritime areas and projects power over land, sea, and air.

Formerly known as HMS Ocean, the ship was built in Barrow-in-Furness, in the English countryside, and entered operation in 1998 – serving 20 years with the British Navy in NATO operations, the Iraq War, and humanitarian actions in Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East – before being incorporated into the Brazilian Navy in 2018.

In total capacity, it can carry up to 1,400 military personnel and 18 aircraft in its hangar and convoy, thanks to its length of just over 200 meters.

According to the Government of São Paulo, the Atlântico will offer more than 200 beds on the northern coast, including ICU (Intensive Care Unit).

On Monday (20), the Navy sent the patrol ship Guajará (P44) to the area, carrying about 40 tons of donations, including non-perishable food, water, and hygiene and cleaning materials.

About 120 military personnel from the Port Authority of São Paulo, the South-Southeast Naval Patrol Group, the patrol ship Guajará, and the Marine Corps Operational Group in Santos were involved in the operation.

With information from UOL