Brazilian Aircraft Carrier Minas Gerais
NAeL Minas Gerais (pennant number A 11) was a Colossus-class aircraft carrier operated by the Marinha do Brasil (MB, Brazilian Navy) from 1960 until 2001. The ship was laid down for the Royal Navy during World War II as HMS Vengeance, but was completed only shortly before the war's end, and did not see service. After stints as a training vessel and Arctic research ship, the carrier was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy from 1952 to 1955.
On her return, the carrier was sold to Brazil, and underwent a four-year conversion in the Netherlands to make her capable of operating heavier naval aircraft. She was commissioned into the MB as Minas Gerais (named after the state of Minas Gerais) in 1960. The carrier remained operational until her 2001 decommissioning; at this point, Minas Gerais was the oldest operational aircraft carrier in the world. Several attempts were made to sell the ship, including a listing on eBay, before she was sold for scrap and taken to Alang for breaking up.
Read more about Brazilian Aircraft Carrier Minas Gerais: Design and Construction, Early Operational History, Purchase and Modernisation, Brazilian Operational History, Replacement and Decommissioning
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