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Chile’s navy may be small, but the territory it defends- stretehing from the subtropics to the Antarctic—is vast Nevertheless, this navy of diverse assets meets the nation’s offshore requirements.
The Chilean Navy has a versatile mix of aircraft and ships. In the air, a SAR/ASW Bell 206A Jet Ranger hovers near the Piloto Pardo in the Antarctic (above), and a black-nosed, Embraer 110 Bandeirante maritime patrol aircraft flies over the main fleet anchorage at Valparaiso, (facing page, left). On the surface, a Resh- ev-class guided-missile boat (right) and a Leander-class frigate armed with a pair of Exocets and a Sea Cat missile launcher (facing page, right) patrol Chile’s waters. Naval personnel don protective gear on deck and at battle stations.
The Chilean Navy is one of the finest small navies in the world. Its reputation is founded upon numerous victories achieved during the nineteenth century wars and an impressive state of readiness during the twentieth century.
Probably more than any other country in Latin America, Chile is dependent upon the sea. Its coastlines stretch for 3,000 miles from a subtropical climate in the north to territorial claims in the Antarctic. Within Chile, giant stone fingers project down from the Andes Mountains into the Pacific Ocean, dictating that most commerce among coastal population centers must be conducted by sea. Many of Chile’s 12 million people have a maritime orientation. During colonial days, Spain paid little attention to defining the boundaries among its various colonies. Thus, like other Latin American nations, Chile has boundary disputes with many of its neighbors. These circumstances place great demands upon the Chilean Navy.
The Chilean Navy has long preferred a cadre of warships with good endurance and seakeeping qualities, in part because of the vast distance between disputed territories in the nation’s northern and southern extremities. Today, four County-class destroyers, two Al- mirante Williams-class destroyers, and two Leander-class frigates, are the backbone of the fleet. For many decades, the Chilean Navy has not been able to afford newly constructed, cruiser-size warships- Therefore, the navy has had to make do with second-hand units and their aging sensors and weap' ons, such as Sea Slug missiles. J Chilean Navy does update its units as finances permit, by adding ne"' systems.
The Chilean Navy has long hat^ an interest in small, powerfully armed warships. During the late nineteenth century, more than 80 officers and senior enlisted men were studying torpedo developments in Europe at the same time- The Chilean Navy carried out the world’s first successful torpedo at tack in 1891. Today, this tradition is carried on by fast attack miss1 boats stationed near the Beagle
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Coannel. The two current front-line R ^atants are Israeli-designed ev (Sa’ar /V)-class guided- boats.
. he Chilean Navy has long de- lj ^ an aircraft carrier; recently it
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cstudied the feasibility of con- „(-Rlhg the former cruiser O’Hig- in£ (ex-USS Brooklyn [CL-40]) jna helicopter carrier and acquires the former British carrier Her- ](^?’ bought by the Indian Navy in st . ' However, financial con- Q.a[nts precluded both possibilities, hsh Cai^ nava* av*at'on was estab- vj C(^ in 1916, but its resources ateT ^sorbed into the newly cre- the U'r ^orce in the late 1920s. For % reXt ^ew decades, the navy air • e<^ tenaci°usly to recreate its arm. Today, the navy flies 19
helicopters and 24 fixed-wing types. The navy still lacks attack aircraft, however.
The Chilean Marine Corps is only about 2,000 strong. The recent completion of a third French- designed, Chilean-built Batral-class landing ship gives the marine corps amphibious lift capacity for a battalion. Like naval aviation, the marine corps has had to fight for its existence.
Even during financially lean years, the Chilean Navy has traditionally given priority to logistics and training. The Chilean sailor is among the best trained in the world. This distinguishes Chile’s Navy from most other small navies, which place a greater priority on buying hardware. The navy’s facility at Talcahuano has evolved into a modem navy yard capable of supporting the fleet. Its only limitation are the limited funds available to construct major warships. The yard now builds minor warships and auxiliaries. It can overhaul and repair the most sophisticated units, including submarines.
Dr. Scheina is the historian for the U. S. Coast Guard. He has traveled extensively in Latin America and been published in many Latin and European publications on Latin American topics. His most recent book is Latin America: a Naval History, 1810-1987 (Naval Institute Press, 1987).