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. 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. In 1900 the force amounted to 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". The lengthy process of expansion and rebuilding 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 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 which allowed it to 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 Jorge De La Puente Ribeyro. 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.

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.

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

Future plans

According to current plans,in the near future 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 three nations to operate any cruisers at all, along with the United States and Russia.
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