After the end of the Paraguayan War, Brazil was concerned with repairing the damage caused to its vessels, refitting them and transforming the Armada into the fourth most powerful navy in the world.

[2][3] In the 1880s, the navy continued its program of strengthening it, with several Brazilian arsenals building dozens of warships.

[5] However, the apex of the Imperial Navy occurred with the incorporation of the ocean-going battleships Riachuelo and Aquidabã (both equipped with torpedo launchers) in 1884 and 1885, respectively.

[6] The High Command of the Imperial Navy studied the possibility of putting into practice the tactics employed by the Austrians at the Battle of Lissa in 1866.

[7] Such tactics demonstrated the domination of the seas by the armored fleets, grouped in squadrons composed of units with a high degree of efficiency in communications and maneuver.