Ecuadorian Navy

Ecuadorian Navy
Armada del Ecuador

Ecuadorian Navy insignia
Active 1832 - present
Country  Ecuador
Branch Navy
Size 9,127[1]
2 frigates
6 corvettes
2 submarines
3 fast attack crafts
8 auxiliary ships
Part of Military of Ecuador
Anniversaries 25 July, Navy Day and the anniversary of the Battle of Jambeli
Engagements Ecuadorian-Peruvian War 1941
Commanders
Commander-in-chief of the Navy Rear Admiral Luis Santiago Chávez
Insignia
Ecuadorian Naval Jack
Naval Aviation roundel

The Ecuadorian Navy is responsible for the surveillance and protection of national maritime territory and has a personnel of 9,127[1] men to protect a coastline of 2,237 km which reaches far into the Pacific Ocean. The vessels are identified by the ship prefix B.A.E.: Buque de la Armada del Ecuador (Ship of the Ecuadorian Navy).

Mission

Organize, train, equip and maintain naval capabilities, as well as to assist and support all procedures involving national security and development. Contribute to the achievement of safeguarding national objectives in times of peace and war.

Vision

Maintain highly trained naval forces to secure victory within the maritime zone in order to support developing communities. As a consequence operate highly qualified military personnel whom are able to fulfill this role based on elevated moral, values and principles.

History

The roots of the Ecuadorian Navy or (Armada Ecuatoriana) date back to 1823 whilst forming a part of the Gran Colombian fleet. In 1832 the by then, Ecuadorian congress established officially "The Ecuadorian Maritime Department". On 25 July 1941 during the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, the gunboat Calderon commanded by Rafael Morán Valverde encountered the Peruvian destroyer Almirante Villar in the Jambeli channel.[2] The Ecuadorian gunboat opened fire on Villar, keeping its distance while doing shots for elevation, but the Peruvian destroyer returned fire for the duration of the chase, which was ended by the Peruvians when the Calderon took refuge in the channels. The Calderon was unharmed in the skirmish and according to Ecuador, the Peruvian Villar suffered from damages, allegation that has always been refuted by Perú.[3] However, this event had no influence over the general outcome of the war as Puerto Bolivar was lost to Peruvian Troops only two days later. BAE Tungurahua was bought from a private owner but was scrapped shortly after conversion due to engine malfunctions.

Present day

Today, the Ecuadorian Navy is a compact, efficient and well-balanced force. However, limited funds hinder any major acquisitions and the chances of maintaining a strong force within the Pacific Ocean. Since introduction of a restructuring program within the Armed Forces, ("PATRIA I"), the Navy's structure became simplified. It supervises the Pacific Coast and Galápagos Islands all in one naval zone. Most seagoing assets are based at Guayaquil.

Active ships

Currently the Navy consists of the following vessels:

Vessel Origin Type Class In service[4] Notes
Training ship (1 in service)
BAE Guayas (BE-21)  Spain Sail training ship steel-hulled barque Yes as an ambassador of its country, the Guayas is a participant in tall ship regattas. By the end of 2008 the Guayas had visited 60 harbours in 25 countries and covered about 340,000 nautical miles (630,000 km).
Submarines (2 in service)
BAE Shyri (S101)  Germany diesel-electric submarine Type 209/1300 Yes [5]
BAE Huancavilca (S102)  Germany diesel-electric submarine Type 209/1300 No On September 16, 2011, the submarine BAE Huancavilca, arrival to ASMAR shipyard, to undergo a modernization.[6]
Guided missile frigates (2 in service)
BAE Morán Valverde (FM-01)  United Kingdom guided missile frigate Condell-class frigate Yes extensively refitted between April 2004 and December 2005. Acquired from Chile in March, 2008.[7]
BAE Presidente Eloy Alfaro (FM-02)  United Kingdom guided missile frigate Condell-class frigate Yes acquired from Chile in March, 2008.
Guided missile corvettes (6 in service)
BAE Esmeraldas (CM-11)  Italy guided missile corvette Tipo 550 class corvette Yes refitted in 2006 under the Esmeraldas program[8]
BAE Manabí (CM-12)  Italy guided missile corvette Tipo 550 class corvette Yes
BAE Los Rios (CM-13)  Italy guided missile corvette Tipo 550 class corvette No In modernization in ASTINAVE, Guayaquil [9]
BAE El Oro (CM-14)  Italy guided missile corvette Tipo 550 class corvette Yes
BAE Galápagos (CM-15)  Italy guided missile corvette Tipo 550 class corvette Yes
BAE Loja (CM-16)  Italy guided missile corvette Tipo 550 class corvette Yes
Fast attack craft (3 in service)
LAE Quito (LM-25)  Germany fast attack craft TNC 45 Seawolf class Yes
LAE Guayaquil (LM-26)  Germany fast attack craft TNC 45 Seawolf class Yes
LAE Cuenca (LM-27)  Germany fast attack craft TNC 45 Seawolf class Yes
Auxiliaries (6 in service)
BAE Huacolpo (TR-61)  United States LST-542-class tank landing ship Huacolpo class No used as transport and listed as active in 2007 but may be not operational.
BAE Calicuchima (TR-62)  United Kingdom ammunition supply ship Kintebury class Yes ex-RMAS Throsk (A379)[10]
BAE Atahualpa (TR-63)  Italy water harbour tanker Brenta type Yes ex-A 5356 Basento
BAE Quisquis (TR-64)  United Kingdom water harbour tanker Waterfall class Yes ex-Waterside (Y-20)[11]
BAE Taurus (TR-65)  Ecuador coastal oil tanker Taurus class Yes civilian ship bought in 1987. Built by Astinave, Guayaquil. Currently status is unknown.
BAE Chimborazo (RA-70)  United States fleet tug Abnaki-class tug Yes ex-USS Chowanoc (ATF-100)[12]
Scientific research vessels (2 in service)
BAE Orion (BI-91)  Japan Oceanographic research ship Orion class Yes
LAE Sirius  Ecuador oceanographic research ship Sirius class Yes [13]
Name Origin Type Version Used by Notes
Naval artillery
QF 4.5 inch naval gun  United Kingdom dual-purpose naval gun Mark VI Condell class frigate
Oto Melara 76/62 Compact Gun  Italy dual-purpose naval gun 76/62 Compact Tipo 550 class corvette
Oto Melara Twin 40 Compact Gun  Italy Close-in weapon system (CIWS) Twin 40L70 Tipo 550 class corvette
Raytheon Phalanx 20mm Gatling Gun  United States Close-in weapon system (CIWS) Phalanx Block 0 Condell class frigate
Anti-ship missiles
MBDA Exocet  France anti-ship missile (AShM) MM40 Block 2 Condell class frigate
Tipo 550 class corvette
MBDA Exocet  France anti-ship missile (AShM) MM38 TNC 45 Seawolf class FAC
Surface-to-air missile
MBDA Aspide  Italy surface-to-air missile (SAM) Aspide 1A Tipo 550 class corvette
Torpedoes
Black Shark  Italy 533 mm heavyweight torpedo A-184 mod 3 Type 209 submarine [14]
Atlas Elektronik SST  Germany 533 mm heavyweight torpedo SST-4 mod 0 Type 209 submarine

The Ecuadorian Naval Aviation (Aviación Naval Ecuatoriana) was formed in 1967 with fixed wing aircraft and received some helicopters in 1973. It remains the least effective section of the navy; capable of performing limited maritime patrol missions, it consists of fixed wing and a rotary wing element. Aircraft are based at Base Aérea Simón Bolívar in Guayaquil and the Eloy Alfaro Air Base in Manta. The most recent acquisition of the ANE are two Heron 1 and four Searcher Mk. III[15] from Israel. These have increased the Navy's coastal surveillance capacity significantly.

Aircraft Origin Type Version In service Notes
Maritime patrol aircraft
Beechcraft Super King Air  United States maritime surveillance aircraft CATPASS 250MP 1 two units delivered in January and June 1997 respectively. CATPASS conversion includes a bottom-mounted surface-search radar, FLIR and ESM provisions.
CASA CN‑235 Persuader  Spain maritime patrol aircraft CN‑235‑MPA 1 equipped with surface-search radar.
Helicopters
Bell 206 JetRanger
Bell TH-57 SeaRanger		  United States training helicopter 206B
TH-57A		 3
3
Bell 230  United States radar surveillance 230T 1 two units delivered in total. One unit crashed at sea in 2009.
Bell 430  United States utility helicopter 430 2 two units delivered in August 1, 2010. The first 430 received a Garmin GNS400 GPS coupled to the autopilot. Both were equipped with a Honeywell Mark XXII EGPWS, right hand sliding door, hoist provisions and some maintenance items.[16]
Trainer Aircraft
Beechcraft T‑34 Mentor  United States advanced trainer T-34C-1 3
ENAER T-35 Pillán  Chile basic trainer T-35B 4
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
IAI Heron  Israel patrol UAV Heron I 2 [17]
IAI Searcher  Israel patrol UAV Searcher III 4 [18]
Utility Aircraft
Beechcraft Super King Air  United States light transport B200
B300
B350		 2
1
1
CASA CN-235  Spain tactical transport CN-235M-100 1

Coast Guard

The Coast Guard (Cuerpo de Guardacostas de la Armada) became fully operational in 1980. Their mission is to control maritime activities on national territory, including all river zones. The objective is the internal security, protection of human life at sea and environmental protection. It disposes of around 250 men and 30 major as well as 40 smaller, partially very modern patrol vessels.[19] In 2011 Ecuador ordered four 26.5 metres (87 ft) patrol vessels based on the Damen Stan 2600 design for the Coast Guard.[20][21][22][23]

Marines

The Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina) was formed on 12 November 1962. It maintains a strength of around 1700[24] marines, with their HQ in Guayaquil. The units are individually spread across the naval coast of Ecuador and are equipped with infantry support weapons, including 60 mm and 81 mm mortars, 106 mm recoilless rifles (RCLs) and Humvees. However, it lacks amphibious assault and sealift capacity. The Ecuadorian Marines are to maintain a high level of alert in order to execute special operations in difficult territory as well as to provide a fast response to counter amphibious incursions. Structure:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 A Comparative Atlas Of Defence In Latin America / 2014 Edition
  2. ↑ Wikisource. "Parte oficial peruano sobre el Combate Naval de Jambeli". Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Nikolay Mityukov. "Zagadka boya v prolivye Hambeli" (Mystery of a skirmish in Jambeli channel), Tekhnika i Vooruzhenie 10/2005, p. 28-31 (Russian)
  4. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "Comandancia de Escuadra". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  5. ↑ http://www.elciudadano.gob.ec/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36938:termino-proceso-de-modernizacion-del-submarino-shyri-en-los-astilleros-de-chile&catid=40:actualidad&Itemid=63 in Spanish
  6. ↑ http://www.armada.cl/submarino-ecuatoriano-recalo-en-asmar-talcahuano/prontus_armada/2011-11-16/164805.html In Spanish
  7. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "FM - 01 Presidente Alfaro". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  8. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "CM 11 Esmeraldas". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  9. ↑ http://www.astinave.com.ec/ in Spanish
  10. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "TR - 62 Calicuchima". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  11. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "TR - 64 Quisquis". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  12. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "RA - 70 R. Chimborazo". Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  13. ↑ Ecuadorian Navy website. "L.A.E SIRIUS se incorporó a la Fuerza Naval". Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  14. ↑ Microsoft Word - FUERZA OPERATIVA.docx
  15. ↑ El Telègrafo. "Seis aviones no tripulados ingresan a filas navales". Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  16. ↑ "Ecuadorian Navy receives delivery of two Bell 430's from URS" (PDF).
  17. ↑ IAI Website. "HERON 1". Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  18. ↑ IAI Website. "SEARCHER Mk III". Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  19. ↑ Defense & Security Intelligence & Analysis: IHS Jane's | IHS
  20. ↑ "L'Equateur commande une vedette garde-côte" [Ecuador orders a star Coast Guard]. Mer et Maritime. 2011-11-16. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2011-11-30. The Dutch group Damen shipyard and the Ecuadorian Astinave signed with the coastguard service of Ecuador, the order type of a star Stan Patrol 2606.
  21. ↑ "Damen Signs Contract to Build Stan Patrol 2606 Boat at Astinave Yard in Ecuador". World Maritime News. 2011-11-03. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  22. ↑ "Astinave contracts Damen for fourth Patrol Vessel". Damen Group. 2014-05-02. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-15. Astilleros Navales Ecuatorianos EP - has recently awarded Damen Shipyards Group the contract for a fourth Patrol Vessel of the Damen Stan Patrol 2606 type. This contract represents the last of this SPa 2606 series for the Ecuadorian Coastguard to be built locally.
  23. ↑ "Signing of contract SPa 2606 Ecuador". Damen Group. 2011-11-02. Archived from the original on 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
  24. ↑
  25. ↑ Armada de Chile website (Spanish)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Navy of Ecuador.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/18/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.