A ‘JOIA DO ATLÂNTICO’ NA GRANDE GUERRA: uma retrospectiva da primeira missão brasileira de ocupação militar permanente e pesquisa científica da Ilha da Trindade (1916-1919)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Incorporated into the national territory in 1825 through the treaty that recognized Brazil's independence, Trindade Island, situated approximately 1,140 km from the nearest point on the Brazilian coast, namely Vitória-ES, was only permanently occupied by the country in June 1916, during the Great War. The reason for this occupation was to prevent its use as a naval base by any belligerent nation. The mission to occupy the island lasted until 1919, when Trindade became uninhabited again, months after the end of the war in October 1918. The military expedition that initiated this mission included a scientific commission comprising researchers from the National Museum of Brazil and by a physician from the Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Lauro Travassos. Led by Bruno Lobo, then director of the museum, this commission was responsible for the first Brazilian scientific studies about the island’s geology, fauna and flora. In 1917, representatives from other national scientific institutions also conducted expeditions on Trindade, including Paulo Campos Porto, a naturalist from the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden, and Mario Rodrigues, an astronomer from the National Observatory. Despite the significant media coverage it had during the Great War and its military and scientific relevance, the history of the first Brazilian military occupation and scientific research mission of Trindade Island has been scarcely studied and underpublicized in academic circles and publications by the Navy itself. Aiming to enrich the literature on the subject with new knowledge, data, information, analyses, perspectives, insights, characters, intriguing details, pictures, discussions and historical contextualization, this doctoral dissertation employed a methodology that combined a literature review on the subject with a documentary research approach, analyzing over 900 documents from the period—including letters, reports, memorandums, photographs, scientific collections, and approximately 700 newspaper and magazine articles published between 1916 and 1919—related to the mission and to Trindade Island. Based on this extensive bibliographic and documentary content, the dissertation provides an accessible retrospective on the history of this mission and its various aspects—military, strategic, scientific, social, economic, political, environmental, historical, contemporary, and more. It also examines key issues within the context of maritime studies and the scientific dissemination of Brazil's oceanic islands, such as the logistical, economic, and sustainability challenges of Brazil's occupation of Trindade Island; the Navy's support for scientific research in the area; the popularization of ocean sciences and Trindade Island; and how media coverage emphasizing the strategic, military, economic, environmental, and scientific significance of this small piece of Brazil in the Atlantic can contribute to fostering a maritime mindset in the country.