BAP ''Almirante Grau'' is the third out of four ''Carvajal''-class

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

s ordered by the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

in 1973 and originally named ''Montero''. It was built by SIMA (Servicio Industrial de la Marina) at

Callao Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and Regions of Peru, 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 o ...

under license from the Italian shipbuilder Cantieri Navali Riuniti. As such, it was the first modern

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

built in

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

. In late 2007 her flight deck was extended to allow ASH-3D Sea King

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

s to land and refuel, even though they can not be housed in the ship's

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

. On 26 September 2017 the ship was renamed BAP ''Almirante Grau'' on designation as the Peruvian fleet's flagship. As ''Montero'', she ship was named after

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Lizardo Montero Flores Juan Lizardo Montero Flores (1832 in Piura, Peru – 1905) was a Peruvian soldier and politician who held the provisional Presidency of Peru from 1881 to 1883, replacing President Francisco García Calderón, during the Chilean occupation of Peru ...

(1832–1905) who fought in the War of the Pacific, and now honours

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Miguel Grau Seminario Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 July 1834 – 8 October 1879) was 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'' (Spa ...

(1834-1879), hero of the

Naval Battle of Angamos The Battle of Angamos ( es, Combate de Angamos) was a naval encounter of the War of the Pacific fought between the navies of Chile and Perú at Punta Angamos, on 8 October 1879. The battle was the culminating point of a naval campaign that las ...

International exercises

* RIMPAC (Hawaii-USA) 2002. * SIFOREX (Peru) 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007. *

UNITAS Unitas may refer to: * 306 Unitas, a main belt asteroid * UNITAS, a multi-lateral naval exercise in South and Central America * Unitas Capital, a private equity firm, formerly known as CCMP Capital Asia * ''Humani generis unitas'', a planned ency ...

**Phase-0 (Puerto Rico) 1993, 1997. **Phase-4 (Peru) 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000. **Atlantic Phase 2003 (Argentina). **Pacific Phase 2004 (Peru), 2006 (Chile), 2007 (Peru).

Gallery

File:MON GUN.jpg, Unitas 45-04 Perú - BAP ''Montero'' (FM-53) in firing run

References

Sources

* Rodríguez, John, "Las fragatas Lupo: una breve mirada retrospectiva y perspectivas". ''Revista de Marina'', Year 95, No. 3: 8-32 (July / December 2002)

External links

Navy Newsstand
RIMPAC - A direct hit by BAP ''Montero'' caused the final blow and eventually sank the "hostile" vessel ( ex-USS ''Rathburne'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Almirante Grau (FM-53) 1982 ships Carvajal-class frigates Ships built in Peru