ARM ''Guanajuato'' (C-07), also known as Cañonero ''Guanajuato'', was a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

that served for the

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...

until 2001. It has been located at the shore of the Jamapa River, in the municipality of Boca del Río,

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, as a museum ship.

History

The ship was commissioned by the Mexican government between 1931 and 1933 from the Spanish shipyard ''Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval del Ferrol'' (also known as ''Astillero El Ferrol''), along with the transport ship ''Durango'', gunboats ''Querétaro'' and ''Potosí'' and ten coastguards. The ''Guanajuato'' was laid down in May 1934 and delivered into service in 1936. Although it was initially planned as a

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the ''Guanajuato'' served as a convoy escort in Central America. During 1966 and 1967, the gunboat was used as

sail training From its modern interpretations to its antecedents when maritime nations would send young naval officer candidates to sea (e.g., see Outward Bound), sail training provides an unconventional and effective way of building many useful skills on a ...

for the

Heroica Escuela Naval Militar The Heroica Escuela Naval Militar is the officer training academy of the Mexican Navy. It began operations on 1 June 1897 with a group of cadets from the Mexican Army's Colegio Militar who had expressed an interest in training as naval offic ...

. Along the two years, the ship travelled to Mexico, Brasil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. The ''Guanajuato'''s last navigation with the Navy was in 1997, being retired from service in 2001.

Present day

In 2007, the ''Guanajuato'' was opened to the public as the ''Museo Naval Interactivo Cañonero Guanajuato C-07'' (Naval Interactive Museum Cañonero Guanajuato C-07), the first floating museum of Veracruz and Latin America. The museum included 16 different exhibits, presenting how the ship looked and worked during the 1920s and 1930s. Lack of maintenance and a possible sinking of the ''Guanajuato'' led to the closing of the museum and the beginning of a maintenance project of the gunboat. Among the proposed repairs were the installation of concrete base that would settle the ''Guanajuato'' in the river, rather than floating in the shore. The maintenance came to a halt due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. According to reports, the ship, in worsening condition, was scrapped beginning in May 2023.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guanajuato (C-07) Museum ships Ships of the Mexican Navy 1936 ships Ships built in Spain