{"id":53674,"date":"2024-06-14T07:41:02","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T05:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naval-encyclopedia.com\/?page_id=53674"},"modified":"2024-06-14T07:41:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-14T05:41:02","slug":"minor-cold-war-modern-navies-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dbodesign.com\/cold-war\/minor-navies2.php","title":{"rendered":"Minor cold war & Modern Navies 2"},"content":{"rendered":"
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☫ 41 countries around the world: Africa, Asia, Oceania, South America<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

What is the definition of a “minor navy” ?
\nSurely there is a “top tier”, which is most often assimilated to a “blue water navy”. And it is most often assorted with a true aircraft carrier (not an assault ship), which gave us a limited club (USN, and Russian Navy, British, French, Italian and Spanish Navies, and in Asia the PLAN, JSDMF, Indian and Thai Navies). Then came “regional navies” sometimes flagged as “green water” navies, which in high tier have guided missile destroyers and assault ships (like Turkey) while the Bundesmarine have not, and they could still make a projection of power due to large ships with logistic for oceanic operations such as anti-piracy missions in the Red Sea. And this is the lower tier, which could defend its EEZ and do limited projection of powers nearby but not much esle, which is the object of the present chapter. <\/p>\n

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And there is at the bottom what most calls a “brown water” navy. The name suggest essentially a riverine fleet. It’s especially true of the country had still a limited coastal area but restricted budget and\/or is landlocked and only has a complement to just a “police force” for its riverine traffic. This is true also for large lakes, like the Tanganyka in Africa. Still between the low tier regional naval power to the small riverine force, enters most nations on the planet. They are classed by alphabetical order. It must be said that 44 countries in the world (on 195 recoignised ones worldwide) are truly landlocked. Let’s cite Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, in Europe alone, but also Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, Slovakia, South Ossetia, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Transnistria, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vatican, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In population, 475,818,737 so 6% roughly of the world’s population, showing superbly that the bulk of humanity lives close to the sea. Many of these only have a token riverine police force or nothing at all, even with a small river going through, nike Nepal. These are absent of the list but could be added next year.<\/p>\n

PART II: Honduras to Lithuania<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Honduras<\/a>\"Icelandic<\/a>\"Iraqi<\/a>\"Jordanian<\/a>\"Kuwaiti<\/a>\"Latvian<\/a>\"Lebanese<\/a>\"Liberian<\/a>\"Libyan<\/a>\"Lithuanian<\/a>\"Mauritanian<\/a>\"Mexican<\/a>\"Morrocan<\/a>\"Nicaraguan<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\" Honduras Navy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

History of the Fuerza Naval de Honduras<\/h4>\n

\"\" The Armed Forces of Honduras were originally created through article 44 as part of the country’s First Constitution in 1825, December 11, divided into battalions between seven departments and under French military doctrine. In 1831, the Military School was created and local arms production setup. Between 1842 and 1876 a new uniform emerged, soon at war in 1854.<\/p>\n

In 1860, the Guardiola administration, gave order to mobilize 400 army men and 220 more were transferred on the schooner \u201cCorreo Nacional\u201d of the “Honduran navy” guarded by the British gunboat \u201cIcarus\u201d commanded by Admiral Sir Nowell in order to repel the filibuster William Walker who reinforced himself in New Orleans. After a battle that took place near the Tinto y Negro River, Walker was ambushed, captured on September 3, tried and executed by firing squad on September 12 of that year (1860.
\nOn September 28, 1865, during the presidency of Captain General Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Medina, the Military Navy of Honduras was established, with President Medina himself boarding the schooner Colibr\u00ed that day. This first attempt to organize a Naval Force with a proper regulation met soon issues of cost as was deemed unsustainable. <\/p>\n

For memory, Honduras is located on the land bridge between the north and souther continents, at the foot of the “horn” made by Belize and Guatemala. It is largely a Caribbean Nation due to its largest coast by far extending west to east from Puerto Cortes to Puerto Lempira. It’s greatest port was and is now La Ceiba. There is a small Pacific enclave in the south, cornered between El Salvador and Nicaragua, with the Port of San Lorenzo.<\/p>\n

Several attempts to reactivate the idea of a Navy started with Doctor Policarpo Bonilla, who ordered the construction of the steamship Tatumbla in Kiel by November 22, 1895, to receive army guns. In 1896, General Manuel Bonilla built the private yacht “Hornet”. Later Dr. Bonilla and General Don Tiburcio Carias Andino ordered the construction of more steamers, B\u00fafalo and El Tigre. But the political life of the country at large was unstable, riddle with coups and interference of the military in internal affairs. The navy was neglected. And to be clear, there is no record in Conway’s for the WWI book, only a small mentiuon for 1860-1905 and a bigger one in the 1947-95 volume.<\/p>\n

Honduran Navy in WWI, WW2<\/h4>\n

In 1905 Honduras, is one of the larger republics (1905 official census 500,136) in Central America with an area of 43,277 square miles. The country has two coasts \u2014 Pacific and Caribbean Sea (63 miles and 375 miles). In the early years of the twentieth century she was closely associated with and her foreign trade was mainly with the USA. US Marines landed in January 1912 to protect American property. The main port was and is Puerto Cort\u00e9s on the Caribbean and smaller ones Trujillo, Omoa and Amapala on the Gulf of Fonseca (Pacific). Amapala\u2019s surrender on 11 April 1907 had virtually ended the war with Nicaragua since the cruiser USS Chicago gave refuge to the defeated Honduran President Manuel Borilla, landed marines and arranged terms with the victors. There was a small army of 500 soldiers which was supported in emergency by 20,000 militia. The Navy was still really symbolic with just a single 13t steam (22 ihp) launch, “22 Februar”, launched on 24 December 1897. From 1919 the Navy was “expanded” to the following:
\n-200-ton gunboat “Tatumbla” (2 small guns, 44 crew, 12kts)
\n-24\u2014ton “Liberia”, ex-Liberian revenue cutter Mesurado, 85ft x 12ft x 4ft 6in, one Nordenfelt gun, one MG, 120hp engine working with 500 gal. paraffin, 12-14kts.
\nThere is no record at all for the interwar of any addition.<\/p>\n

Honduras had good diplomatic relations with Germany since the end of the 19th century and German citizens founded companies, sugar mills and coffee plantations under the Migration Law. As the Second World War broke out, many young German-Hondurans enlisted back into the German Army and Navy. At the same time, German U-Boat went up to dock on the Honduran coast and refuel food.\u200b
\nPresident Tiburcio Car\u00edas Andino broke relations with Germany however after strong pressures from the US embassy, especially after Pearl Harbor. So by December 8, 1941, Honduras declared war on Japan and four days later with Germany and Italy. It was justified to save face in press by the destruction by U-Boats of merchant ships, notably from Honduran banana companies. Comayagua was the first torpedoed in 1942, followed by Amapala on May 16, 1942. On June 7, ship Castilla was sunk and then Baja California, which caused some 200 Honduran citizens losses.
\nCarias Andino sent pilot officers, soldiers and sailors to serve mostly in the US Navy. Honduran sailors on November 10, 1942 were noted for their bravery. When conducting the freighter \u201cContessa\u201d into the port of Lyautey (French Morocco) full of gasoline and ammunition for allied troops she was taken under enemy fire, and was able to repel it. According to reports and statements of survivors, the armed ship claimed 15 Italian aircraft. Other fought in the Pacific, and frequently served as gunners on US ships, especially AA guns.<\/p>\n

Honduran Navy in the cold war<\/h4>\n

\"\" Honduras post-WW2 was one of the largest Central American republics (43,277 square miles) but also the poorest. Her Caribbean coastline did not changed much, neither additions to its “navy”. <\/p>\n

Under the administration of Dr. General Juan Manuel G\u00e1lvez on November 8, 1950, Regulations on Insignia and Uniforms of the Navy were issued. By April 20, 1964, the first two officers were assigned to the Navy, Erin O’Connor Bain and Humberto Regalado Hern\u00e1ndez plus fourteen troops coming from the third Infantry Battalion. They were all sent to attend studies in Yorktown, at the Officer Training Center reserve of the Coast Guard. Sub Lieutenant Regalado were later posted for practice at the Naval Base of Panama, trained by local technicians with US assistance, thus forming the “First Boat Detachment” which became essential to allow a Naval Force to be created in 1976. Lieutenant Colonel Erin O’Connor Bain became its Commander.<\/p>\n

By 1964, the US government donated two Mark-IV type boats (40 feet CPV) registered as OLA and ARO (General Oswaldo L\u00f3pez Arellano, Andr\u00e9s Ram\u00edrez Ortega). In short, the navy was officially reborn in 1976 by a presidential agreement of August 14, whose purpose was the protection of the national marine territory, in the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Its tasks were defined at the time to be able to Execute Naval Operations in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Fonseca (Pacific Ocean) in order to safeguard national maritime interests.
\nSpecializations includes anti-narcotics via sea, interception of unidentified vessels and protecting sovereignty by sea. Personel amounted to 4,000 approximately recently between personel at sea and inland (specialists, maintenance, administrative).
\nIn 1977; so one year after its creation, this small Naval Force acquired three units. The 105 feet Guaymuras and the 65 ft La Patuca and Ulua.
\nLike neighbouring central american republics in the cold war, political situation was tense, and what happened in the 1980s in El Salvador and Nicaragua led Honduras to rearm massively with US assistance, including its reborn navy. Honduras in 1982 emerged from a long spell of military government during which time repressive action was taken by military leaders against agricultural unions; discontent was due to the slow pace with which agrarian reform was taking place. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nAuthor’s rendition of the Damen Stan Patrol 4027 of the Honduran Guardas Costas.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In 1988 the Punta Caxinas was its first amphibious ship (149 feet, capacity 100 tons) and a few years later, the first Peterson Mk-III model patrol boat was acquired (65 ft, 82 tons, powered by three GM 8V71T1 diesels for 26 knots, range 450 miles full speed). In 2013, two Damen Stan 4207 ships (FNH 1401 and 1402) were also acquired, one in September and the other in November, to make the the Honduran navy one of the most modern in the region.<\/p>\n

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\nThe U.S. government donated the \u201cR\u00edo Agu\u00e1n\u201d FNH-8502 patrol boat to the Honduran Secretariat of National Defense, on July 9, 2021. (Photo: Honduran Secretariat of National Defense)<\/em><\/p>\n

In 1982 a civilian government led by Roberto Suazo Cordora came into power. Honduras, like many Latin American countries, has experienced border disputes with all the countries adjacent to her. In 1969 the so-called \u2018Soccer War\u2019 took place with El Salvador, occasioned by disagreements over a football match. The dispute continued intermittently until 1976 when both countries agreed to talks. Honduras found herself the thoroughfare for arms supplies to El Salvadorian guerrillas coming from Nicaragua and consequently has been exposed to pressure from the US government in an effort to reduce these supplies of arms. The terrorist violence experienced by Honduras\u2019 neighbours now appears to be establishing itself in Honduras; in 1982 measures were taken by the military against terrorist groups.
\nThe republic\u2019s Coast Guard was created abnd expanded with US helpe for its basic maritime security needs, with US help. This force employed in the 1990s 900 men, a percentage of whom are carrying out the 24 months\u2019 national service. The main base is at Puerto Cortes on the Caribbean coast. <\/p>\n

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\nCreative commons Poster of the Honduran Navy today.<\/em><\/p>\n

List (Cold War)<\/h4>\n

-3x \u2018Swift\u2019 type 105ft class patrol boats:<\/strong> Guaymuras (FN 1051), Honduras (FN 1052), Hibures (FN 1053).
\nBuilt by Swiftships, Morgan City, Louisiana, in service April 1977 (FN 1051) and March 1980 the latter units.
\nSpecs:<\/strong>
\n103t, 32kts, 2 shafts, 2 MTU diesels, 17 crew. Armament !\u201420mm Gatling, 2 -12.7mm, or 6-20mm (2×3). Extant 1995.<\/p>\n

1x US 85ft patrol boat<\/strong> (commercial cruiser type): Chamelecon (EN 8502). Built by Swiftships, Louisiana, in service date unknown.
\nSpecs:<\/strong> 50t, 23kts, 2 shafts, 2 GM diesels, 10 crew. Armament 1-20mm, 2\u201412.7mm. Extant 1995.<\/p>\n

5x US 65ft commercial cruiser type patrol boats<\/strong>: Aguan (ex-Gral, FN 6501), Goascoran, ex-\u00a5 T Cabanas (FN 6502), Petula FN 6503), Ulua (FN 6504), Chuluteca (FN 6505).
\nBuilt by Swiftships, Morgan City, Louisiana. In service December 1973 (FN 6501), January 1974 (FN 6502), 1980 remainder.
\nSpecs:<\/strong>
\n33t, 25kts, 3 shafts, 3 GM diesels, armed with 2-12.7mm MG, 5 crew.
\nHaiti ordered FN 6501 and FN 6502 originally, transferred to Honduras 1977, three more fitted with 3 MTU diesels (36kts), armed with 120mm, 2\u201412.7mm. Extant 1995.<\/p>\n

2x inshore patrol craft:<\/strong> FN 2501 and FN 2502. Built by Ampela Marine, Honduras, entered service 1981-82.
\nSpecs:<\/strong>
\n3t, 24kts, 25ft x 8ft 10in x lft 4in (7.6m x 2.7m x 0.4m), 1 Chrysler diesel, waterjet drive, armed with 1-12.7mm MG, 1\u20147.62mm MG, 4 crew. Now stricken.<\/p>\n

2x Guardian coastal patrol craft<\/strong>: Copan (FNH 106), Tegucigalpa (FNH 107). Delivered by Lantana Boatyard 1983, 1986
\nSpecs:<\/strong> 94t, 2070bhp = 30kts, 1\u201420mm Gatling, 3-20mm Hispano Suiza (1×3), 2-12.7mm). Extant 1995.<\/p>\n

12x Piranha class riverine patrol craft<\/strong>: Numbered only, delivered 1986\u201490.<\/p>\n

1x landing craft<\/strong> (LCU): Punta Caxinas (FNH 1491). Delivered 1988 by Lantana Boatyard (625t full load, 14kts), extant 1995.<\/p>\n

6x ex-fishing boats:<\/strong> FN 7501, FN 7502, FN 7503, FN 7504, FN 7505, FN 7506. Extant 1995. <\/p>\n

Bases and Organization:<\/h4>\n

The Honduran navy possess today four naval bases (“Base Naval”):
\n-Puerto Cort\u00e9s: Main repair\/logistics base, Caribbean.
\n-Puerto Castilla: Main operating, patrol boats, Caribbean.
\n-Amapala: Main operating base, for coastal patrol craft, north end, Pacific coast.
\n-Caratasca (new) well placed to intercept drug trafficking boats
\n-1st. Marine Infantry Battalion at La Ceiba
\n-Honduras Naval Academy, for officers, La Ceiba
\n-Naval Training Center: NCO and Sailor training facility.
\n-Possible air support from either Hernan Acosta Mejia AB (Tegucigalpa), Soto Cano AB (Comayagua), Armando Escalon Espinal AB (La Lima, Cort\u00e9s), and Hector Caraccioli Moncada, La Ceiba.<\/p>\n

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\nSa’ar 62 type General Caba\u00f1as (flagship)<\/em><\/p>\n

List (today)<\/h4>\n

The Navy is tasked of coastal and riverine security and stil boasts some 71 patrol boats, interceptors and landing craft units, which makes its a sizeable green water fleet.
\n1x Sa’ar 62-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV): FNH-2021 General Trinidad Caba\u00f1as (62 (204 feet)) OPV-62M from December 2019
\n2x Damen Stan Patrol Boats: FNH-1401 Lempira, FNH-1402 General Francisco Moraz\u00e1n (42.8m (140 feet) Dutch CPV (Coastal patrol vessel)
\n3x LANTANA BOATYARD Guardian CPVs: FNH-1071 Tegucigalpa, FNH-1072 Cop\u00e1n, FNH-1073. US built (32.3m or 107 feet)
\n3x SWIFTSHIPS CPVs: FNH-1051 Guaymuras, FNH-1052 Honduras, FNH-1053 Hibueras (US built 32m\/ 105ft)
\n1x IAI Dabur Type CPV: FNH-8501 Chamelec\u00f3n (26 m\/85 ft)
\n5x SWIFTSHIPS CPV FNH 6501-05 Nacaome, Goascor\u00e1n, Patuca, Ul\u00faa, Choluteca (US built 20m\/65 feet)
\n10x BOSTON WHALER Interceptors BW370, Guardian class 1102+ UHS
\n6x DAMEN Interceptors 1102 UHS: FNH-3601 to FNH-3606
\n2x SAFE BOATS 35MMI Multi Misi\u00f3n Interceptor (Colombia)
\n2x Interceptor boat 35 MMI FNH-3501-2
\n25x EDUARDO\u00d1O Patrullero 320: (Colombia) FNH-3201 to FNH-3225
\n8x NAPCO Pira\u00f1a PBs; Riverine, US built Ops boats.
\n1x LANTANA BOATYARD Landing Craft Coastal transport: FNH-1491 Punta Caxinas
\n1x COTECMAR BAL-C Short Range Logistic Support Ship (Colombia),\tShort Range Logistic: BAL-C FNH-1611 Gracias a Dios
\n3x SWIFTSHIPS LCM-8 Landing Craft Unit (US): FNH-7301 Warunta, Rio Coco, unnamed.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nDamen Stan Patrol 4207 FNH Lempira<\/em><\/p>\n

Sources<\/h4>\n

Conway’s all the world’s fighting ships 1905-1921 p416, 1947-1995.
\ndefensa.com\/ guardacostas<\/a>
\ncimcon.armada.mil.co\/<\/a>
\nen.topwar.ru\/<\/a>
\nelheraldo.hn\/honduras<\/a>
\narticulo66.com\/ nicaragua-denuncia-invasion-maritima-el-salvador\/<\/a>
\nproceso.hn<\/a>
\ninfodefensa.com<\/a>
\ndialogo-americas.com<\/a>
\nlaprensa.hn\/<\/a>
\ndefensa.com\/ asi-son-patrulleras-…<\/a>
\nshipbuildinghistory.com \/lantana.htm<\/a>
\ndefensa.com\/ avanza-israel-construccion-opv-62<\/a>
\nes.wikipedia.org Fuerza_Naval_de_Honduras<\/a>
\nen.wikipedia.org Armed_Forces_of_Honduras<\/a>
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