Peru Navy History
As is known, in early September 1939, after German forces invaded Poland through a "blitzkrieg", Britain declared war on Germany, resulting in a series of events that widespread conflict in Europe and then worldwide. Peru, initially decided not to be involved in that conflict, but because of the orientation of the foreign policy of President Manuel Prado identified with Americanist interests, as well as the obvious economic and political influence of the United States , after the latter was attacked unexpectedly by Japan, Peru decided to support the allied cause.
While it is true that Peru took an active part in the different scenarios of global conflict, the Navy military of Peru, played a key role in the protection and defense of the coast, especially in the north of the country where He was the Talara refinery, which constituted one of the producing areas of energy resources vital to the operation for machinery and allied defense industry, and of course, for domestic consumption.
La Marina, from early 1942 until mid-1945, despite the lack of adequate means and yet have not received all the support requested from the United States, played fully the missions and tasks that were assigned to him in the defense of the coast thanks to the preparation, effort and professionalism played by provisions of the different units of surface, underwater and ground leading to the north. The adopted coast defense system led to the creation in 1943 of the Naval Force Command, the same as three years later was renamed General Defense Command Costa, based on current Marine Force.
With the end of World War II, the Navy, with surplus inventories Allied naval, fresh could undertake a process of renewal of its units, whose time in service and obsolescence were evident. Thus, in 1947, efforts were made abroad for the acquisition of several vessels were discharged gradually being surplus war; and were acquired primarily in the United States a frigate, renamed Lieutenant Galvez, two minesweepers, the Bondy and San Martin, two tugboats and four landing craft and two frigates in Canada, renamed Lieutenant Lieutenant Ferré and Palacios. Then in 1951 he joined the squadron to escort destroyers Aguirre, Castilla y Rodriguez. In the same year were built in Britain two river gunboats, the Maranon and Ucayali, as well as a floating dock, ships all that until today continue to provide valuable services in the Amazon region.
As regards the submarine weapon, in 1951 the four submarines of the type R, subsequently renamed Casma, Pacocha, Islay and Arica were modernized in the shipyards of origin serving until 1959; and between 1952 and 1957 they were built in the shipyards of Electric Boat & Co. four submarines type S or modified Mackerel, intended to replace their predecessors in service since the late '20s. These new submarines, decommissioned between 1989 and 2001, flaunted Abtao names, Dos de Mayo Angamos and Iquique. In 1958 two old cruisers Grau and Bolognesi, were decomissioned after 51 years of service. For this reason, and in a great national effort, between 1959 and 1960 purchase of two British cruisers Ceylon class materialized to replace them, which were renamed Almirante Grau and Coronel Bolognesi, providing important services to the Navy until early 1980.
Following the acquisition program, between 1960 and 61 under the lend-lease law as well as the mutual assistance pact, the US Congress government authorized its delivery to Peru two type destroyers Fletcher who received the names of Guise and Villar and two corvettes of the Auk class, renamed Diez Canseco and Galvez. In 1963 it was acquired in the same country, a transport of attack that incorporated the name of Independence, was conditioned and used as a training ship, aboard which naval cadets performed numerous trips instruction until 1988. Later, they were built in Britain six torpedo gunboats and several patrol boats for surveillance and coastal defense, assigned to the Directorate of Captaincy and Coastguards, which bolstered its action when it was created in 1969 Body and Coastguards were incorporated.
It is noteworthy that in 1963, Naval Aviation was restored under the name Naval Air Service, providing naval forces supporting an indispensable element in naval warfare. During this stage, another aspect enhanced was that of amphibious warfare, and this was realized with the purchase of the landing ships tank Chimbote and Paita, and landing medium Lomas and Penthouse, which the Marines could develop their capacity projection to the ground. With regard to land naval establishment, the creation of Industrial Service of the Navy from the former premises of Arsenal Naval Callao in 1948, marked the beginning of the development of the shipbuilding industry high board in Peru, whose first major milestone was the construction of the oil Zorritos in 1957, higher tonnage vessel built in South America until then.
During the decade of the 1960s there was concern at the high naval command to the equip the navy with new units, and begin to replace the obsolescent ships that would be deregistered, as in the case of old frigates Ferré and Palacios retired in 1966. After studies by the General Staff and the respective by naval commissioners efforts in Europe, between 1968 and 1969 purchase of two British destroyers Daring class, Diana and Decoy, rebaptized Palacios and Ferre respectively, which were in excellent operability.
The Peruvian naval high command, considered subjecting both ships to a process of modernization, and rightly included in its new weapon system, the installation of surface-to-surface new and effective weapon that had made its debut during the Arab war 1967-Israeli, when an Egyptian origin Soviet Missile boat sank the Israeli destroyer Eliath. Having taken this decision, efforts were reserved with French manufacturers of a new kind of missile, the Exocet, which was still in the testing phase, to install on board the new destroyers. This underwent a complete modernization in British shipyards. After their modernization, both vessels arrived at Callao in 1973, becoming the first ships in the region to possess surface-to-surface missiles.
That same year, the Dutch cruiser De Ruyter was acquired. Christened Admiral Grau, became the new flagship of the fleet and the old Grau was renamed Captain Quiñones. Its construction began in the shipyards Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam in the Netherlands between 1939 and 1944 , being captured by the Germans and launched as KH 1 by the Kriegsmarine . After the war was finished and commissioned to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1953 under the name De Ruyter HRMS. BAP Almirante Grau was incorporated into the Peruvian naval fleet on 07 March 1973 and received major reforms and modernization in the eighties of the twentieth century. Its displacement is 12,165 tons and reaches 32 knots of speed at full load. Their weaponry is formed by the artillery connected to a central fire and is armed with Otomat missilesin.
Continuing with the plan of naval acquisitions in the year 1973, a contract with Italian shipyard Cantieri Navali Riuniti for the construction of four Lupo type missile frigates, two in Italian shipyards and two technical assistance in signed SIMA dockyards in Callao. The first one, the Carvajal was incorporated into service in 1978, and the following year he did the Villavicencio. The frigates were built in Callao Montero, delivered in 1984, and Mariategui in 1986.
Additionally, in 1976 another Dutch cruisers was acquired, the De Zeven Provinciën, which renamed Aguirre and underwent a conversion process to helicopter carrier, with capacity to operate three Sea King helicopters armed with air-to-surface Exocet AM-39 missiles or ASW torpedoes. This new cruise made its arrival at Callao in May 1978 accompanied by the destroyer Garcia and Garcia, also acquired in the Netherlands. Villar, Quinones, Galvez Diez Canseco, Castilla, Bolognesi, and Guise: Between 1979 and 1983 seven anti-submarine destroyers joined the same source.
Another addition to the squad was the Shark project, which involved the construction in French shipyards six missile corvettes PR-72P type, with the names of Velarde, Santillana, De los Heros, Herrera, Larrea and Sánchez Carrión, were built between 1978 and 1981. on the other hand, the cruiser Admiral Grau was modernized in the Netherlands between 1985 and 1988 being equipped with new combat systems and surface-to-surface missile Otomat.
The renewal and increase of the naval forces not only came with surface units, but was extended to other forces. Between 1974 and 1984 they were built in Germany six submarines of class 209, which were incorporated with the names of Islay, Arica, Pisagua, Chipana, Casma and Antofagasta. Also in 1975 in the United States two oceanic submarines of the type Guppy IA were acquired, rebaptized Pacocha and La Pedrera.
The Naval Air Service antisubmarine aircraft joined S-2F Tracker, maritime exploration Fokker F-27MP, AB-212 helicopters and anti-submarine Sea King helicopters in anti-submarine and anti-surface version. Finally, in 1969 the Underwater Demolition School, which would be the basis of the current Special Operations Force was created.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
