The Paraguayan Navy () is the maritime force of the

Armed Forces of Paraguay The Armed Forces of Paraguay () officially the Armed Forces of the Nation () consist of the Paraguayan Army, Paraguayan army, Paraguayan Navy, Paraguayan navy (including naval aviation and marine corps) and Paraguayan Air Force, air force. The c ...

, in charge of the defense of Paraguay's waters despite not having direct access to the sea. It has gone to war on two occasions: the War of the Triple Alliance (1864–1870) against

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

, and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

, and the

Chaco War The Chaco War (, Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

. Although Paraguay is a landlocked country, it has a strong naval tradition by virtue of the fact that it has access to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

through the

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

– Paraná rivers. The Paraguayan Navy has twelve bases. The main base is the Puerto Sajonia in Asuncion, followed by Bahia Negra, Ciudad del Este, Encarnacion, Salto del Guaira. It also has aviation facilities in Puerto Sajonia. The Navy has 34 surface ships, some of which have reached centenarian age, due in part to limited use and the vessels floating in fresh water. The main vessels and the flagship of the Paraguay Navy is still the ''Humaita'', which was commissioned prior to Paraguay's involvement in the

Chaco War The Chaco War (, patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they ...

s, of which the oldest was commissioned in 1908 and the newest in 1985. The Navy has 17 patrol boats of various drafts, four of which were donated by

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and the United States, while the other 13 were built locally. The rest of the fleet is composed of

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

, transports, and a

presidential yacht Presidential yacht may refer to a vessel of a country's navy that would be specially used by the country's president. It is common for a vessel to be designated as the presidential yacht during a fleet review. Some countries (below) have vessels ...

. The new additions are four Croc-class riverine vessels from Australia, plus 43 locally built riverline patrol vessels constructed from 2006–2009. For air support, one Helibras HB350 helicopter is used to provide SAR,

MEDEVAC Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to patients requiring evacuation or transport using medically equipped air ambulances, helicopters an ...

and utility work

Role

Its main mission is to contribute to the defense of Paraguay, in order to protect and guarantee sovereignty over its water resources. These priorities include: *The custody and defense of the coasts, ports and areas of fluvial interest in its area of influence. *Logistics support base for future operations of the forces. *Exercise prefectural functions in its area of influence. *Cooperate with the tasks of civil defense in cases of natural disasters, environmental protection and the restoration of internal order.

Fleet

Gunboats

* (built 1930) * ''Humaitá'' (C2) (still commissioned, but now designated as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

; also built 1930)

River patrol ships

* ''Capitán Cabral'' (P01) * ''Itaipú'' (P05)

Patrol vessels

* ''Capitán Ortiz'' (P06) * ''Teniente Robles'' (P07) * Yhaguy (P08) * Tebicuary (P09) * 5 x patrol boats LP7-LP11 * 2 x Class 701 patrol boats Class LP101 108 * 2 x Croq-15 class patrol boats P201-202 * 43 x Light patrol boats, all constructed in Paraguay between 2006 and 2009 * Pirá 500 SL 5 × 1.60 m. Yamaha 25 hp. * Pirá 170 SVX 5.20 × 1.60 m. Yamaha 40 hp. * Pirá 240 SVX 6.50 × 2,40 m. Yamaha 90 hp. * Pirá 4.80 × 1.80 m. Yamaha 50 hp.

Tugboats

* Triunfo R4 (1960), constructed in USA * Angostura R5 (1960) constructed in USA * Stella Maris R6 (1970) * Esperanza R7 (1970)

Other

* Amphibious assault craft LCVP 3 (1980), constructed in Brazil * 1 x Floating dock: DF-1 (1944), constructed in USA * 1 x Training ship: Guaraní (1968), constructed in Spain * 1 x Presidential yacht: 3 de Febrero (1972) * 1 x Casualty ship - T1 (1964)

Naval aviation

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks

The rank insignia of

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent ...

Other ranks

The rank insignia of

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

s and

enlisted personnel An enlisted rank (also known as an enlisted grade or enlisted rate) is, in some armed services, any rank below that of a commissioned officer. The term can be inclusive of non-commissioned officers or warrant officers, except in United States ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Military of Paraguay

Military units and formations established in 1811