The Peruvian Navy (Spanish: Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the PeruvianArmed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) from the Peruvian littoral. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations and participating in international peacekeeping operations.
The Marina de Guerra del Perú celebrates the anniversary of its creation in 1821 on October 8 and also commemorates the decisive Battle of Angamos, the final part of the naval campaign of the War of the Pacific between Peru and Chile at the end of 1879.
The Marina de Guerra del Perú was established on 8 October 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. The Peruvian Naval Infantry was also formed during the war with Spain, performing successfully in their first battle where they seized Arica from the Spanish.[2]
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 assisted in the subsequent Peruvian occupation. The Navy saw further action during the war of the Peru-Bolivian Confederacy (1836–1839) and during the Chincha Islands War with Spain (1866).
Following the War of the Pacific, the Peruvian Navy had to be completely rebuilt. In 1900 the force consisted of only one cruiser of 1,700 tons displacement, a screw-driven steamer, and ten smaller ships – the latter described by a contemporary British publication as "of no real value".[3] The lengthy process of expansion and rebuilding started in 1907 with the acquisition from the United Kingdom of the scout 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 did not 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[4] which allowed it to take advantage over its traditional rival, the Chilean Navy. The navy purchased one cruiser the BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81) from the Netherlands, eight Carvajal-class frigates from Italy – four newly purchased and four ex-Lupo-class frigates – as well as six PR-72P-classcorvettes from France. The buildup proved to be temporary due to the economic crisis of the second half of the 1980s, forcing the decommissioning of several warships and resulting in a general lack of funds for maintenance.
The economic upturn of the 1990s and into the 2000s would later permit some improvement, although at a reduced force level compared to the early 1980s.[citation needed]
Into the 21st century, the Peruvian Navy began to modernize their ships. In 2008, the Type 209/1100 submarines were modernized[5] while the Carvajal-class frigates began to be modernized in 2011.[6] The Type 209/1200 submarines began to be modernized in late-2017 beginning with the BAP Chipana (SS-34).[5]
The current Commander-in-Chief of the Peruvian Navy is Admiral Alberto Alcalá Luna. Naval Forces are subordinated to the Ministry of Defense and ultimately to the President as Chief Supreme of the Peruvian Armed Forces. They are organized as follows:
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
Directive General of Captains and Coast Guard, oversees Coast Guard operations
Coast Guard
Coast Guard, tasked with law enforcement on Peruvian territorial waters, rivers and lakes. The Peruvian Coast Guard often performs anti-drug trafficking operations within the nation's waters. The Coast Guard has approximately 1,000 personnel.[14]
Naval Aviation
The Naval Aviation Force (in Spanish): (Fuerza de Aviación Naval, AVINAV) is the air branch of the Peruvian Navy, its roles include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, maritime surveillance, reconnaissance and transport of marine personnel. It is also responsible for airborne operations of the Peruvian Marines. Naval Aviation has about 800 personnel.[15]
Although most of the fleet is based at Callao, this has not been considered an ideal location since it is also the main outlet for Peruvian trade, causing space and security problems. In the 1980s the building of a new naval base at Chimbote was considered though high costs and a poor economic situation made the project unfeasible.[16]
Personnel
Ranks
Ranks of the officers of the Navy[18]
Ranks of the sub-officers of the Navy[19]
Ranks of the enlisted of the navy[20]
Ships
Ships of the Peruvian Navy are prefixedBAP, which stands for Buque Armada Peruana (Peruvian Navy Ship).[21]
^"Comandancia de Fuerzas de Infanteria – Marina de Guerra del Perú". marina.mil.pe. Marina de Guerra del Perú. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
^Keltie, J. S., ed. (1900). The Statesman's Year Book: Statistical and Historical Annual of the States of the World for the Year 1900. New York: MacMillan. p. 887. (Retrieved via Google Books 3/4/11.)
^"Armed Forces Strength in selected years, 1829 – 1992". Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^ a b c d"Peruvian Navy begins Type 209/1200 submarine modernization". Naval Today. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
^"Marina de Guerra del Perú | COMOPERPAC". Peruvian Navy. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
^ a b"Peru launched its First LPD – BAP Pisco Landing Platform Dock". Navy Recognition. May 4, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
^"GDLS culmina las entregas de LAV II a la Infantería de Marina peruana-noticia defensa.com". Defensa.com. August 19, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
^"Peruvian Navy begins Type 209/1200 submarine modernization". Naval Today. December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
^"El Gobierno peruano califica de "golpismo" la moción de censura contra Vizcarra". ABC (in Spanish). September 12, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
^"Operaciones "irregulares" del 'Doc' desde la Base Naval | IDL Reporteros". IDL Reporteros. July 1, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
^"Los fantasmas vuelven en Perú: Montesinos tramó el soborno de tres jueces electorales". Ambito. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
^"Conspiraciones telefónicas | IDL Reporteros". IDL Reporteros. June 26, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
^"Dos heridos deja incendio de BAP "Clavero" en el río Putumayo, informan" (in Spanish). Andina. May 25, 2010. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^Marina de Guerra del Perú (August 2, 2012). "Perú: Unidades fluviales de Brasil y Colombia participaron en el ejercicio BRACOLPER 2012" (in Spanish). Base Naval. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
^"Marina de Guerra del Perú entregó PIAS "Río Putumayo II" y Cañonera Fluvial B.A.P "Castilla" (CF-16) en eficaz contribución a los programas de inclusión social del Estado". Peruvian Navy Website. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
^"Servicios Industriales de la Marina construirán Buque Escuela a Vela". Peruvian Navy. December 7, 2012. Archived from the original on April 16, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
^Benvenuto, Carlos Ramírez (December 6, 2012). "Un nuevo buque escuela para la Marina y el Perú" (PDF). El Comercio (in Spanish). Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^"Positivos avances en construcción del Remolcador Auxiliar de Salvamento B.A.P. "Morales" RAS-180". Peruvian Navy Website. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
^ a b"NotiSIMA Año 5, Edición 31" (PDF) (in Spanish). SIMA. July 17, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^"En Holanda, se afirmó el Pabellón Nacional del Buque Logístico B.A.P. Tacna" (in Spanish). Peruvian Navy. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^Ing, David; Toremans, Guy. "Spain's Freire shipyard set to cut steel on Peru's new survey ship". IHS. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
^Toremans, Guy (May 9, 2017). "Peruvian Navy commissions new multirole oceanographic research vessel". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
^Historic Naval Ships Association BAP ABTAO (SS-42) Archived November 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
^ a b"Venta por Subasta Pública Nro. 001-2018 – DIRBINFRATER". Marina de Guerra del Perú. Retrieved July 28, 2018.
^Sanchez, Alejandro (September 26, 2017). "Peruvian Navy designates new flagship". Jane's 360. IHS. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
^"Lapeer (PC 1138) ex-PC-1138". NavSource Online: Submarine Chaser Photo Archive. NavSource Naval History. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
^"Marina de Guerra del Perú realizará ceremonia de Zarpe de Expedición Científica a la Antártida – ANTAR XXII, Colocación de la Quilla del Remolcador Auxiliar de Salvamento y Patrullera Marítima, Transferencia del BAP Carvajal a DICAPI". Peruvian Navy. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
^"Supreme Decree No. 014-2007-DE/MGP" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2009. (1.33 MB). July 13, 2007.
^"Supreme Decree No. 018-2008-DE/MGP" (PDF). (361 KB). August 23, 2009.
^"Supreme Decree No. 014-2008-DE/MGP" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 8, 2011. (84.9 KB). August 23, 2009.
^"Peruvian Navy Carries Out Record Breaking Launch". Jean Dupont. MBDA. December 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved September 7, 2009.
^"PCM transfiere más de S/. 114 millones para adquisición de material militar" (in Spanish). Andina. December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
^"Perú: Adquisición de misiles MANPADS". Alejo Marchessini. Defensa.com. July 27, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
^"UNFICYP Facts and Figures – United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus". United Nations. Archived from the original on September 7, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
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).
Gibbs, Jay (2005). "Question 30/04: The Bolivian Navy in the War of the Pacific". Warship International. XLII (3): 242–247. ISSN 0043-0374.
Ortiz Sotelo, Jorge, Apuntes para la historia de los submarinos peruanos. Biblioteca Nacional, 2001.
Pixley, William & Walker, Hartley P. (2001). "Question 33/00: Peruvian Warships Loa and Victoria". Warship International. XXXVIII (3). International Naval Research Organization: 248. ISSN 0043-0374.
Rial, Juan, Los militares tras el fin del régimen de Fujimori-Montesinos.
"Los Programas de Renovacion y Modernizacion de la Marina de Guerra del Peru", Alejo Marchessini – Revista Fuerzas de Defensa y Seguridad (FDS) N° 430. Paginas 32 a 35.
"Entrevista al Almirante Carlos Tejada Mera, Comandante General de la MArina de Guerra del Peru", Alejo Marchessini – Revista Fuerzas de Defensa y Seguridad (FDS) N° 430. Paginas 36 a 43.
External links
Official Peruvian Navy Website
Maquina de Combate – Photo gallery.
Servicio Industrial de la Marina Archived October 3, 2005, at the Wayback Machine – Peruvian Navy Shipyards. In English and Spanish.
The Peruvian Navy: The XIX Century Maritime Campaigns – a series of articles covering the history of the 19th century Peruvian Navy by Juan del Campo.