Callao is a seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Callao Region, which is also coterminous with the Province of Callao. Founded in 1537 by the Spanish, the city has a long naval history as one of the main ports in Latin America and the Pacific, as it was one of vital Spanish towns during the colonial era. Central Callao is about 15 km (9.3 mi) west of the Historic Centre of Lima.
The Peruvian Navy, is an executive body of the Ministry of Defense, a branch of the Armed Forces and, as such, it takes part of the Joint Command of the Peruvian Armed Forces.
Huáscar is an ironclad turret ship built in Britain for Peru in the 1860s. Her price was a bit more than £81,000. She was the flagship of the Peruvian Navy and participated in the Battle of Pacocha and the War of the Pacific of 1879–1883 before being captured and commissioned into the Chilean Navy. Today she is one of the few surviving ships of her type. The ship has been restored and is a memorial ship. She is named after the 16th-century Inca emperor, Huáscar.
Miguel María Grau Seminario is the most renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the Naval Battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific (1879–1884). He was known as el Caballero de los Mares for his kind and chivalrous treatment of defeated enemies and is esteemed by both Peruvians and Chileans. He is an iconic figure for the Peruvian Navy, and one of the most famous merchant marine and naval military leaders of the Americas.
The Battle of Callao occurred on May 2, 1866 between a Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Casto Méndez Núñez and the fortified battery emplacements of the Peruvian port city of Callao during the Chincha Islands War. The Spanish fleet bombarded the port of Callao, and eventually withdrew without any notable damage to the city structures, according to the Peruvian and American sources; or after having silenced almost all the guns of the coastal defenses, according to the Spanish accounts and French observers. This proved to be the final battle of the war between Spanish and Peruvian forces.
BAP Almirante Grau is the third out of four Carvajal-class frigates ordered by the Peruvian Navy in 1973 and originally named Montero. It was built by SIMA at Callao under license from the Italian shipbuilder Cantieri Navali Riuniti. As such, it was the first modern warship built in Peru. In late 2007 her flight deck was extended to allow ASH-3D Sea King helicopters to land and refuel, even though they can not be housed in the ship's hangar.
The Battle of Punta Gruesa was a naval action that took place on May 21, 1879, during the War of the Pacific between Chile and Peru. This may be labelled as the second part of the Naval Battle of Iquique, although it is described in many sources as a separate battle.
The Naval Academy of Peru is the institution in charge of the undergraduate education of officers of the Peruvian Navy. It is located at La Punta, Callao, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Its current director is Rear Admiral Luis José Polar Figari.
Manuel Melitón Carvajal Ambulodegui, was a Peruvian naval commander and government official who was part of the crew of the ironclad Huáscar during the War of the Pacific. He was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Angamos and became a national hero. He later held numerous government posts and supervised the buildup of the Peruvian Navy. Melitón Carvajal National College, located in Lince District, was named in his honor.
BAPIslay(SS-35) is one of two Type 209/1100 submarines ordered by the Peruvian Navy on 24 June 1970. She was built by the German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG at its shipyard in Kiel. She is named after the Battle of Islay which took place between naval forces of Peru and Chile on 12 January 1838. Following sea trials in the North Sea, she arrived to its homeport of Callao in 1974. After almost a decade in service she was overhauled in Kiel in 1983 for further use.
BAPArica(SS-36) is one of two Type 209/1100 submarines ordered by the Peruvian Navy on 24 June 1970. She was built by the German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG at its shipyard in Kiel. She is named after the naval battle of Arica, an engagement between naval forces of Peru and Chile on 7 June 1880. Following sea trials in the North Sea, she arrived to its homeport of Callao in 1975. After almost a decade in service she was overhauled in Kiel between 1983 and 1984 for further use.
BAP Antofagasta is one of two Type 209/1200 submarines ordered by the Peruvian Navy on 12 August 1976. She was built by the German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG at its shipyard in Kiel. She is named after the Naval Battle of Antofagasta during the War of the Pacific. Following sea trials in the North Sea, she arrived at its homeport of Callao in 1981. After several years in service she was overhauled by Servicio Industrial de la Marina (SIMA) at Callao in 1996.
BAPPisagua(SS-33) is one of two Type 209/1200 submarines ordered by the Peruvian Navy on 21 March 1977. It was built by the German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG at its shipyard in Kiel. It is named after the battle of Pisagua which took place between Chilean warships and Peruvian coastal artillery on 2 November 1879. While undergoing sea trials in the North Sea, it collided with a Soviet ship on 8 April 1982 and suffered damage which delayed its commissioning. It eventually arrived to its homeport of Callao in 1983.
BAPChipana(SS-34) is one of two Type 209/1200 submarines ordered by the Peruvian Navy on March 21, 1977. She was built by the German shipbuilder Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft AG at its shipyard in Kiel.
BAPPalacios(DM-73) was a Daring class destroyer in service with the Peruvian Navy. She was completed for the Royal Navy in 1954 as HMS Diana. After being decommissioned she was sold to Peru in 1969 together with her sistership HMS Decoy. She was renamed after Enrique Palacios, a war hero who fought at the Battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific.
Carlos Arnaldo Condell De La Haza was a prominent Chilean naval officer and hero of the Battle of Punta Gruesa during the start of the War of the Pacific.
The Naval campaign of the War of the Pacific or Saltpeter war was a naval campaign that took place from 1879 to 1884 involving Peru, and Chile undertaken in order to support land forces in the Atacama Desert. Due to the rough terrain and few transport methods it was imperitive to have control of the ports in order to have a good supply source in the region. It resulted in a successful campaign by Chile, and the success of their land campaigns leading to the loss of Bolivia's access to the ocean.
The Battle of Iquique was a naval engagement that occurred between a Chilean corvette under the command of Arturo Prat and a Peruvian ironclad under the command of Miguel Grau Seminario on 21 May 1879, during the naval stage of the War of the Pacific, and resulted in a Peruvian victory. The War of the Pacific was a conflict that pitted Chile against Peru and Bolivia. The battle took place off the then-Peruvian port of Iquique. The Peruvian ironclad Huáscar, commanded by Miguel Grau Seminario, sank the Esmeralda, a Chilean wooden corvette captained by Arturo Prat Chacón, after four hours of combat.
The Naval Battle of Arica was a naval battle which took place on 27 February 1880 during the Blockade of Arica as part of the War of the Pacific.
Peru