Peruvian_Navy

Peruvian Navy

The Peruvian Navy (Spanish: Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations and participating in international peacekeeping operations.

As of 2007, the Peruvian Navy comprises 1 cruiser, 8 frigates, 6 corvettes, 6 submarines, 4 tank landing ships and 3 replenishment oilers and other auxiliaries and river ships. Ships are given the prefix BAP, short for Buque Armada Peruana (Peruvian Navy Ship). The Marina de Guerra del Perú celebrates on October 8 the anniversary of its creation (1821) and of the Battle of Angamos (1879).

History

The Marina de Guerra del Perú was established on October 8, 1821 by the government of general José de San Martín. Its first actions were undertaken during the War of Independence (1821-1824) using captured Spanish warships. Shortly afterwards it was engaged in the war against the Gran Colombia (1828-1829) during which it conducted a blockade against the seaport of Guayaquil and then helped with the occupation of this city by Peruvian forces. It saw further action during the wars of the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy (1836-1839) and during the Chincha Islands War with Spain (1866). The breakout of the War of the Pacific (1879-1883) caught the Peruvian Navy unprepared and with inferior forces in comparison with the Chilean Navy. Even so, hit-and-run tactics carried out by Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau, commander of the ironclad Huáscar, delayed the Chilean advance by six months until his death and defeat at the Battle of Angamos.

After the war, the Peruvian Navy had to be rebuilt from the ground up. This lengthy process started in 1907 with the acquisition in the United Kingdom of the protected cruisers Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi, followed by the arrival of two submarines, Ferré and Palacios, from France in 1911. During the Presidency of Augusto B. Leguía (1919-1930) a Navy Ministry was established as well as a Navy Aviation Corps, both in 1920. Border conflicts with Colombia in 1911 and 1932 and a war with Ecuador in 1941 saw Peruvian warships involved in some skirmishes in support of the Army. The attack on Pearl Harbor brought World War II to the Pacific and even though Peru didn't declare war on the Axis until 1945, its Navy was involved in patrol missions against possible threats by the Imperial Japanese Navy from early 1942 up to mid-1945. During the 1970s and the first half of the 1980s the Peruvian Navy carried out a major buildup programme which allowed it take advantage over its traditional rival, the Chilean Navy. This proved to be temporary because the economic crisis of the second half of the 1980s forced the decommissioning of several warships and resulted in a general lack of funds for maintenance. The economic upturn of the 1990s and 2000s has permitted some improvement although at a reduced force level compared to the early 1980s.

Organization

The current Commander-in-Chief of the Peruvian Navy is Admiral Carlos Gamarra Elias. Naval Forces are subordinated to the Ministry of Defense and ultimately to the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Peruvian Armed Forces. They are organized as follows:

Comandancia General de la Marina (Navy General Command)

Estado Mayor General de la Marina (Navy General Staff)
Inspectoría General de la Marina (Navy General Inspectorate)

Operational units are divided between three commands:Comandancia General de Operaciones del Pacífico Pacific Operations General Command, it comprises the following units:

Fuerza de Superficie (Surface Force)
Fuerza de Submarinos (Submarine Force)
Fuerza de Aviación Naval (Naval aviation Force)
Fuerza de Infantería de Marina (Naval Infantry Force)
Fuerza de Operaciones Especiales (Special Operations Force)Comandancia General de Operaciones de la Amazonía

Amazon Operations General Command, tasked with river patrolling in the Peruvian portion of the Amazon Basin.Dirección General de Capitanías y Guardacostas Coast Guard, tasked with law enforcement on Peruvian territorial waters, rivers and lakes.

Bases

Ancón - Naval Infantry headquarters and base
Callao - Main naval base, dockyard and naval aviation base
Chimbote - Minor base and dockyard
Iquitos - On the Amazon river
Paita - Minor base
Pisco - Minor base
Puno - On Lake Titicaca
San Juan de Marcona - Naval aviation base

Although most of the fleet is based at Callao, this is not considered an ideal location because it is also the main outlet for Peruvian trade, causing space and security problems. During the 1980s the building of a new naval base at Chimbote was considered but high costs and a bad economic situation made the project unfeasible.

Personnel

Personnel (as of 2001)
Commissioned Officers	2,107
Non-commissioned officers	16,863
Cadets	620
NCO in training	1,533
Enlisted	4,855
Civilians	5,079
Total	25,988 (excl. civilians)

Ships

Cruiser

De Zeven Provinciën class

BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81) formerly HNLMS De Ruyter (C801), launched in 1953, and purchased by Peru in 1974

Frigates

Carvajal class

BAP Carvajal (FM-51)
BAP Villavisencio (FM-52)
BAP Montero (FM-53)

BAP Mariátegui (FM-54)

Lupo class

BAP Aguirre (FM-55) ex Orsa
BAP Palacios (FM-56) ex Lupo
BAP Bolognesi (FM-57) ex Perseo
BAP Quiñones (FM-58) ex Sagittario

Corvettes

PR-72P class

BAP Velarde (CM-21)
BAP Santillana (CM-22)
BAP De los Heros (CM-23)
BAP Herrera (CM-24)
BAP Larrea (CM-25)
BAP Sánchez Carrión (CM-26)

Submarines

Type 209/1200 class

BAP Angamos (SS-31) ex BAP Casma
BAP Antofagasta (SS-32)
BAP Pisagua (SS-33)
BAP Chipana (SS-34) ex BAP Blume

Type 209/1100 class

BAP Islay (SS-35)
BAP Arica (SS-36)

Tank landing ships

Terrebonne Parish class

BAP Paita (DT-141) ex USS Walworth County
BAP Pisco (DT-142) ex USS Waldo County
BAP Callao (DT-143) ex USS Washoe County
BAP Eten (DT-144) ex USS Traverse County

Newport class

USS Fresno (LST-1182) - To be transferred from the US Navy Reserve.
USS Racine (LST-1191) - To be transferred from the US Navy Reserve

River gunboats

BAP Loreto (CF-11)
BAP Amazonas (CF-12)
BAP Marañón (CF-13)
BAP Ucayali (CF-14)
BAP Clavero (CF-16)

Auxiliaries

BAP Caloyeras (ACA-111)
BAP Noguera (ACP-118)
BAP Gauden (ACP-119)
BAP Carrasco (AH-171) ex HNLMS Abcoude
BAP Marte (ALY-313)
BAP Unanue (AMB-160) ex USS Wateree
BAP Guardián Ríos (ARA-123) ex USS Pinto
BAP Dueñas (ARB-126)
BAP San Lorenzo (ART-322)
BAP Mollendo (ATC-131) ex BAP Ilo
BAP Talara (ATP-152)
BAP Lobitos (ATP-153) ex USNS Sealift Caribbean
BAP Bayovar (ATP-154) ex Petr Schmidt
BAP Zorritos (ATP-155) ex Grigoriy Nesterenko

Recently Decommissioned Ships

Destroyer

Daring class

ex BAP Ferré (DM-74) ex HMS Decoy (2007)

Naval Aviation

Aircraft	Type	Version	In service	Notes
Bell 212	OTHT / ASW helicopter	AB-212 ASW	5	built by Agusta
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King	ASuW / ASW helicopter	ASH-3D	3	built by Agusta
Antonov An-32	transport aircraft	An-32B	2
Beechcraft Super King Air	maritime patrol aircraft	B200T	5
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor	training aircraft	T-34C-1	5
Bell 206 JetRanger	training helicopter	206B	3
Enstrom F-28	training helicopter	F-28F	6 ordered	Contract signed in January, 2008; first two units would be delivered in the next months
Cessna 206 Stationair	liaison aircraft	206	1
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter	seaplane	DHC-6	1
Fokker F27 Friendship	maritime patrol aircraft	F27	3
Mil Mi-8	transport helicopter	Mi-8T	3	One damaged in a crash during the rescue operations near Pisco after the 2007 Peru earthquake

Naval infantry

Naval Infantry Brigade

1st Naval Infantry Battalion - Ancón
2nd Naval Infantry Battalion - Ancón
Amphibious Support Group
Fire support Group
Commando Grouping
Engineers Unit

Other units

3rd Naval Infantry Battalion - Tumbes
4th Naval Infantry Battalion - Puno
1st Jungle Naval Infantry Battalion - Iquitos
2nd Jungle Naval Infantry Battalion - Pucallpa
Naval Infantry Detachment Litoral Sur - Mollendo

Equipment

Guns

Missiles

Torpedos

A-184 533 mm heavyweight torpedo
A-244 324 mm lightweight torpedo
SST-4 Mod 0 533 mm heavyweight torpedo
SUT Mod 3 533 mm heavyweight torpedo

Peacekeeping operations

The Peruvian Navy has been actively involved in several United Nations Peacekeeping Operations. As of June 2006 Naval Infantry and Special Operations troops have been deployed to United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) (embedded in the Argentine forces

) and United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Peruvian naval officers have also been deployed to United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) as United Nations Militar Observers (UNMOs).

Future plans

According to current plans, the fleet flagship Almirante Grau will soon be decommissioned in 2008 or 2010. By 2010 the fleet is expected to be composed of 8 frigates, 6 corvettes, 6 submarines and two replenishment oilers. They will be supported by 3 maritime patrol aircraft and 8 antisubmarine warfare helicopters.

The Almirante Grau is currently the only operating gun cruiser in any navy, and Peru is one of only four nations to operate any cruisers at all, along with the United States, Russia, and France.

Notes

Sources

Baker III, Arthur D., The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 2002-2003.
Naval Institute Press, 2002.
Basadre, Jorge, Historia de la República del Perú. Editorial Universitaria, 1983.
"La base de Chimbote", Caretas, 855: 31 (June 17, 1985).
Marchessini, Alejo, "La Comandancia de Operaciones del Pacifico".
Defensa 315/316: 68-69 (July / August 2004).
Marchessini, Alejo, "El proceso de Reforma Militar".
Defensa 318: 24-29 (October 2004).
Marchessini, Alejo, "Las patrulleras de los Guardacostas".
Defensa 342: 48-50 (October 2006).
Marchessini, Alejo & Javier Taibo, "La Marina de Guerra del Perú".
Defensa 267/268: 36-59 (July / August 2000).
Ortiz Sotelo, Jorge, Apuntes para la historia de los submarinos peruanos. Biblioteca Nacional, 2001.
Rial, Juan, Los militares tras el fin del régimen de Fujimori-Montesinos.
http://www.resdal.org/art-rial.htm