Navy of El Salvador
| Salvadoran Navy | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1842–present |
| Country |
 El Salvador |
| Branch | Navy |
| Type | Naval warfare |
| Size | 876 personnel[1] |
The Navy of El Salvador (Spanish: Fuerza Naval de El Salvador) is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of El Salvador. The current navy was created in 1952, after an absence of almost forty years.
Built around craft and duties absorbed from the Salvadoran Coast Guard, the navy is primarily composed of patrol boats tasked with coastal patrol and fishery protection.[2] The current fleet is made up of three Camcraft-type patrol boats originally built in the United States for use as oilfield crew boats. New patrol boats have been ordered from Chile to replace or supplement the current, aging ships.[3]
Current fleet
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Camcraft-type small patrol boat |
| Preceded by: | N/A (British built patrol boats, retired in 1981) |
| Succeeded by: | New Small Patrol Boat |
| Active: | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Patrol Boat |
| Displacement: | 100 tons |
| Length: | 30.5m |
| Beam: | 6.4m |
| Draught: | 1.5m |
| Propulsion: | 3 diesel engines, 1,200 bhp |
| Speed: | 25 knots |
| Complement: | 10 |
| Armament: |
|
| Notes: | Oilfield crew boats converted to patrol boats. |
| Number/name | Class | Builder | Type | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Manuel José Arce[1] | Cactus/Balsam-class |  United States | Support vessel | 2002 | Ex-USCGC Madrona. Built as a seagoing buoy tender for the U.S. Coast Guard in 1942. Decommissioned and sold to El Salvador in 2002. |
| GC6 | Camcraft-type | United States | Patrol boat | 1975 | |
| GC7 | Camcraft-type | United States | Patrol boat | 1975 | |
| GC8 | Camcraft-type | United States | Patrol boat | 1975 |
Future fleet
Two (possibly three) new patrol boats have been ordered from Chile. They will be slightly larger than the current patrol boats with a displacement of 107 tons, measure 32.7 x 6.7 x 2.1 meters, and have a crew of 14. They will also be slightly slower with a top speed of 18 knots. Armament will be 1 x 20mm gun, and one 12.7mm machine gun.[3]
References
- 1 2 "El Salvador". Military Technology World Defence Almanac (Bonn : Wehr & Wissen): 60. 2005. ISSN 0722-3226.
- ↑ "Country-Data.com".
- 1 2 "Hazegray.org".