{"id":54698,"date":"2024-07-15T14:00:56","date_gmt":"2024-07-15T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naval-encyclopedia.com\/?page_id=54698"},"modified":"2024-07-15T14:00:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T12:00:56","slug":"colombian-navy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/dbodesign.com\/cold-war\/colombian-navy.php","title":{"rendered":"Colombian Navy"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Armada Nacional de la Rep\u00fablica de Colombia – c250 vessels 1947-today<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\"\" The Colombian Navy, “Armada Nacional de la Rep\u00fablica de Colombia” simplified as “Armada Nacional” as a naval branch of the military forces of Colombia today is tasked of security and defence on both the Atlantic (Caribbean) and Pacific oceans as well as an extensive network of rivers and a few small land areas under its jurisdiction. Today it had a strength of 35,000 personnel including c22,000 in the Marine Infantry corps, 9 frigates, 2 corvettes, a hundred OPVs, 4 submarines, a coast guard and more than 100 riverine vessels. It used not to be that plentiful.
\nIn 1902 the country had a single cruiser, and in 1903 faced the panama standoff with the USN and… three gunboats.<\/p>\n

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\nThe Frigate Caldas<\/em><\/p>\n

In the interwar, a few more small ships were acquired, but the navy reverted to a coastguard and river service until seeing a rapid expansion before the 1932-33 Peru-Colombia War<\/strong>, acquiring two ex-Portuguese destroyers and four modern riverine gunboats. Colombia remained neutral in WW2. In the cold war, there was a sizeable expansion however which is detailed there. Ship’s names are preceded by the acronym “ARC”, (for Armada de la Rep\u00fablica de Colombia) whereas it a common short name for the Navy itself. Full history:<\/p>\n

Origins: WWI and WW2<\/h2>\n


\nThe gunboat Bogota in 1898<\/em><\/p>\n

Colombia got its independence from Spain as its Declaration of Independence was issued on 20 July 1810. The country is today proud of its first president in 1919, Venezuelan-born Simon Bolivar, a military and political leader which secured independence of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia from the Spanish Empire. The country had its borders on two ocean, making its situation unique in the continent (outside central america), both the Pacific and Atlantic. Modern Colombia comes from one of the countries that emerged after the dissolution of “Gran Colombia”, the other two being Ecuador and Venezuela. It had the first constitutional government in South America, with Liberal and Conservative parties founded in 1848 and 1849 as the oldest political parties in the Americas and Slavery abolished in 1851.<\/p>\n

\"\" As for naval matters, they were not bright, however the country’s growing economic capabilities gradually enabled its gradual rise, from practically nothing, a bunch of requisitioned sailships and steamers, to a reasonably large force today. Prior to WWI, the country had only one “cruiser” and three gunboats, two of which were in the pacific.
\nThe 1902 Almirante Lezo was 1,200 tonnes Vickers second hand masted cruiser that could act as private yacht, the previous El Bashir purchased from Morocco. Later named Cartagena from 1912. With two 4.7 in guns, one 1-pounder, torpedo tubes and 15 knots, years of poor maintenance meant she was scrapped in 1925.
\nAbout the flag: As its formal motto “Plus Ultra” (further beyond) it was assimilated to the blue of the flag and became even an election slogan “Protegemos el azul de la bandera”, a popular catchphrase to the public. Earlier it was “Sailing our pride” (Navega nuestro orgullo).<\/p>\n

During the Panama standoff, concerning the unfinished canal, the USN showed muscles as Colombia was found \u201cuncooperative\u201d, and try to force ownership of the isthmus by arms. USS Nashville faced its Colombian counterpart, Almirante Lezo, but the US superior artillery made her withdrawn. The other two, Bogota and Padilla in Panama City, Pacific, also exhange fire with US vessels. But they fared no chanced later against the the monitor USS Wyoming, cruisers USS Boston and Marblehead, gunboat Concord. The Navy was disgraced by the event and the same year was discarded the old “cruiser” General Jos\u00e9 Maria C\u00f3rdoba (ex-Neptuno) purchased in 1896. The 1888 cruiser “21 de Noviembre” (ex-Almirante Padilla) purchased in 1902 played no part either. In addition were acquired two riverine steam stern wheelers (discarded 1935) the Steel river gunboat H\u00e9rcules (sank 1928), steamer La Popa and the transport Cordova.
\nIn 1913, the Colombian navy four 20 tons steam launches for its coast guard buy the country took no part in WWI, remaining neutral. Eventually the Panama canal issue was fixed between Colombia and the USA in the 1921 treaty.<\/p>\n


\nThe capable Destroyer Antioquia (1933)<\/em><\/p>\n

In the interwar, were acquired in 1932 the Patrol gunboat Bogot\u00e1 from Germany (1919), and Former German minesweeper M140, which ran aground and sunk off Manzanillo in 1936. There was also the Patrol gunboat C\u00f3rdoba, a former 1920 German minesweeper, while M140 was sunk in gunnery exercises on 11 June 1937. The coast guard and state services used also steamers and Government river dredgers. The Navy was no more than a coastguard\/riverine force (so brown-green navy) before a rapid expansion at the eve of the 1932-33 Peru-Colombia War<\/strong>: Two ex-Portuguese destroyers, four new riverine gunboats.<\/p>\n

Apart the 1300t Douro and Tejo, still active in WW2 as the country remained neutral at first. In addition the Navy had the Steel river gunboat Presidente Mosquera (ex-Colombia, 1912), the Carabobo class Patrol gunboats (Fr built, 1925) three used as Coastguard\/river patrol vessel as Jun\u00edn (ex-Boyac\u00e1) and Pichincha and the Cartagena class river gunboats (Yarrow 1931), the Santa Marta and Barranquilla, Patrol gunboat Mariscal Sucre (Yarrow 1909, acquired 193, former yacht Flying Fox) used as TS from 6 December 1948.
\nIn 1939, Colombian started a rapprochement with the US, notably due to its proximity to the Panama canal. Based on an agreement, US naval and military aviation missions arrived in Colombia in January 1939 and both dispolmatic corps started consultations on a joint defense of the Panama Canal if the need arose. US advisors asked notably for a campaign of aerial photography in order to established updated maps and control possible location for enemy submarines (it was late 1940 and the battle of the Atlantic has started). <\/p>\n

However it was made clear that this task was to be made by the Colombian air force, and the defense of Colombia should be carried out by Colombians, meaning no US bases. But that implied a modernization of equipment, increase of personel, and in exchange, the country was able modernize its military via the Lend-Lease program. On March 17, 1942, an agreement was signed which granted $16.5 million in military assistance. Other funds went to development projects, roads, barrages, agricultural projects. The whole country modernized.
\nHowever, German U-boats sank four Colombian ships during the war, small sailing vessels: The schooner SS Resolute on June 23, 1942, by U-172 (by deck gunfire), the 110t SS Roamar off San Andres by U-505 on July 21, 1942 which gave Colombia the political grounds to declare war on Germany, and the sam also sank the 153-ton Urious, and then 39 tons SS Ruby on November 18, 1943 north of Col\u00f3n, again, by deck gun by U-516. Each sinking was done without warning and from deck armament, willfully killing all the crew.
\nThe only engagement was against U-154, in the Caribbean Sea, when the destroyer ARC Caldas spotted U-154’s persicope glinting in the dark on March 29, 1944, at 20:25 on her portside. The fell on the boat surfaced, the latter surprised by her sudden appearance, so unable to man their deck and rushed to to dive, the tlatter reporting two 105-mm hits before, followed by a passe of depth charges and stopping when spootting an oil slick and wreckage, registering a kill. But it was a ruse, and U-154 escaped. Nevertheless, this was a victory in the newspapers.
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