The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effect of shot peening on the fatigue life of a grade R4 structural steel, largely adopted for fabricating offshore mooring chains. Initially, cylindrical samples of the material were cut of from the straight sections of Kenter links. In the sequence, a number of specimens were austenitized ed and tempered making use of different treatment times, in order to promote a microstructural homogeneity as well as mechanical properties similar to those associated with industrial heat treatments. The specimens were subjected to hardness and tensile tests and on the basis of the results, all samples were heat treated. After that, fatigue specimens were machined from the treated samples and shot peened with quenched steel shots under pressures of 20 psi, 30 psi and 40 psi. Finally, rotating bend fatigue tests were performed with unpeened and shot peened specimens aiming to establish the stress-life curves of the grade R4 structural steel. The fatigue life extension of the grade R4 structural steel was related to the shot peening. Regarding the results, the surface treatments affected the fatigue life of the material beneficially. This influence was characterized by a longer fatigue cycles and a fatigue life improvement. The results showed that the fatigue life extension was directly related to the shot peening intensity, i.e., the fatigue life extension has increased when increasing the shot peening intensity.