National Navy of Uruguay The National Navy of Uruguay ( " Armada Nacional del Uruguay " ) is a branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy ( " Comandante en Jefe de la Armada " or COMAR ) Admiral Juan H . Fernández . The service is divided into four main sections : The Fleet Command is in charge of most of the actual ships of the fleet , the marines , and the naval aviation bases and aircraft . The Coast Guard administers the modest Uruguayan merchant marine and naval registry . The Naval Materiel Directorate preserves and repairs naval equipment , in addition to administering the fleet arsenal and directing hydrological and meteorological study . The Personnel Directorate is concerned with human resources and particularly the administration of the Uruguayan Naval Academy . In addition , the Fleet General Staff ( " Estado Mayor General de la Armada " or ESMAY ) assists the admiral in his administration . It oversees naval intelligence , strategic and tactical planning , logistics , liaison , and political lobbying on the Navy ' s behalf . History . Independence . Under the late Spanish Empire , Montevideo became the main naval base ( " Real Apostadero de Marina " ) for the South Atlantic , with authority over the Argentine coast , Fernando Po , and the Falklands . The arrival of 100 ships under Viceroy Pedro de Cevallos in 1777 was the beginning of the city ' s prosperity . The Uruguayan navy , however , dates its origin from General Artigas ' s letter of marque on 15 November 1817 , which authorized his forces to plunder Buenosairean shipping wherever they found it . Under the nominal leadership of the Pedro Campbell , the Irish " Gaucho Admiral " , around 50 privateer schooners and brigs ( including the " República Oriental " , the " Fortuna " , the " Valiente " , the " Temerario " , and the " Intrépido " ) were able to capture more than 200 enemy vessels as far off as Madagascar , Spain , and the Antilles . Early Republic . See also : Uruguayan Civil War Following independence , a navy was established under Colonel Pablo Zufriategui , a veteran of Artigas ' s campaigns and the 33 Esterners . As Captain of Ports ( " Capitán General de Puertos " ) , he fought smuggling and in 1832 directed the first sovereign engagement as the schooner " Aguila " chased off the pirate ship " Exquisit " from Uruguayan waters . Although the force remained too small to play a decisive role in the Great War , it is notable that command of the small fleet was personally assumed by " Jose " Garibaldi , who captured Colonia del Sacramento , Isla Martín García , and Gualeguaychú . The flagship during this period was the corvette " Sarandí " , named after an important battle in the war for independence . The first specially fitted warships were the gunboats " General Rivera " , " General Artigas " , and " General Suárez " . The first was assembled in Uruguay by the Academy of Arts & Crafts ( " Escuela de Artes y Oficios " ) and commissioned in April 1884 ; the second was constructed in Trieste , then part of Austria - Hungary , and commissioned in December 1884 ; the last was the 23 - year - old French gunboat " Tactique " , acquired in 1886 . The " General Rivera " was the first ship of the Navy to pass the Strait of Magellan . Modern Era . Just prior to World War One , President Williman devoted considerable effort and expense to modernizing the navy , viewing it as demanded for Uruguay ' s " sovereignty and honor . " After false starts in 1817 , 1863 , and 1874 , the Naval Academy ( " Escuela Naval " ) was finally permanently established in December 1907 . New ships included the gunboat " Dieciocho de Julio " ( constructed in the UK in 1889 ) , the cruiser " Montevideo " ( also British , 1887 ) , the transport " Maldonado " ( constructed in Germany in 1886 and soon rebaptized as the " Barón de Río Branco " for its tasks for the Commission on the Limits of the Merín Lagoon ) , the steamer " Vanguardia " , and the courier " Oriental " . The cruiser " Uruguay " was constructed to order in Germany and commissioned August 1910 . Also in 1910 , the government acquired the Cibils - Jackson shipyard , renaming it the National Dock . These advances were then sabotaged by funding cutbacks throughout the 1920s that left the navy poorly maintained . In June 1916 , the tug " Instituto de Pesca Nº1 " - manned by servicemen - was the second failed attempt to rescue the men of Shackleton ' s expedition from Elephant Island . In 1925 , the Fleet Aeronautics Service ( " Servicio de Aeronáutica de la Armada " ) was created under Captain Atilio Frigerio , the first Uruguayan pilot to obtain the brevet of Military Pilot ( Aviano , Italy , 1912 ) . The first planes , however , did not arrive until 1930 . In 1934 , the first Naval Act ( " Ley Orgánica de la Armada " ) created the Inspectorate of the Navy ( " Inspección General de Marina " ) , freeing the Navy from direct subordination to the Army . The next year , three patrol boats ordered from Cantieri Navali Riuniti in Genoa arrived . The " Paysandú " , " Salto " , and " Río Negro " served for about thirty years , were decommissioned , and then were brought back into service in the 90s . World War II . See also : Battle of the River Plate In December 1939 , the Río de la Plata saw the first major naval engagement of World War II when the German pocket battleship " Admiral Graf Spee " faced the cruisers HMS " Ajax " , " Achilles " , and " Exeter " and then fled into Montevideo harbor during the Battle of the River Plate . Although Uruguay was officially neutral , her pro - British sentiment allowed the Royal Navy to carry out a highly successful disinformation campaign that ended in the German scuttling of the ship . In 1940 , La Paloma ' s Naval Base ( " Base Naval de la Paloma " ) was established . The same year , Uruguay introduced conscription and the Navy established the battalions " Zapicán " and " Honor y Patria " as part of its Reserve Fleet . The next year , the Navy created the Naval War School ( " Escuela de Guerra Naval " ) to improve its officers ' training . Although Uruguay did not officially join the Allies until 15 February 1945 , it was involved in assisting the convoy effort . This involved the confiscation of two Italian and two Occupied Danish freighters in Montevideo , which were manned by the Navy and rechristened the " Montevideo " , the " Maldonado " , the " Rocha " , and the " Colonia " . The " Montevideo " was sunk by an Italian sub in March 1942 , which prompted Uruguay to seize the German freighter " Tacoma " . In August 1942 , the " Maldonado " was sunk after its commander was taken prisoner by an attacking German U - Boat . Following this , Uruguay leased a number of its boats to the US Navy and received in 1944 the ASW - capable corvette " Maldonado " . The Fleet Aeronautics Service received six Kingfisher hydroplanes from the United States of America in 1942 and Laguna del Sauce Aeronaval Base ( Base Aeronaval No . 2 de Laguna del Sauce ) in 1947 . Cold War . Following World War II , the beginning of the Cold War saw the Inter - American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance signed in Rio de Janeiro , which provided for " Hemispheric defense " and required signatory states to work to improve and coordinate their naval forces . Between 1949 and 1952 , the FAS received sixteen TBM Avenger torpedo bombers , three SNJ Texan trainers , and twelve F6F Hellcat fighters . More , in 1952 , the surface fleet received the destroyer escorts " Uruguay " ( DE - 1 ) and " Artigas " ( DE - 2 ) and , in 1953 , the frigate " Montevideo " . In 1955 , the Coast Guard received the three launches PS - 1 , PS - 2 , and PS - 3 . In May 1959 , the PS - 2 stood out in the rescue of the crew of the " Pietrina " off the English coast . In 1957 , the UNITAS joint exercises began between the United States and the navies of Latin America . The basic training was oriented towards protection of marine lines of trade and communication , focusing on escort and ASW exercises . With the aim of improving the navy ' s range and support capability , the oiler " Presidente Oribe " was purchased in 1962 ; ten years later , the second oiler " Presidente Rivera " ; and in 1978 , the " Juan Antonio Lavalleja " . From 1960 to 1962 , naval officers on the " Alférez Cámpora " circumnavigated the globe . In 1965 , three S2A Tracker ASW planes were received ; in 1966 , the minesweepers " Cte . Pedro Campbell " and " Montevideo " ; in 1969 , the tender " Hurrican " ; in 1970 , the minesweepers " Rio Negro " and " Maldonado " . In 1973 , the destroyer " 18 de Julio " replaced the " Montevideo " . The present Uruguayan Marine Corps ( " Cuerpo de Fusileros Navales " ) was established in 1972 . In 1978 , repairs were completed to the ROU 20 " Capitan Miranda " that converted it into a training ship and sailing school . Following graduation from the Naval Academy , cadets embark on a cruise of the world that functions as a good - will tour for Uruguay . Current . Plotting course on the ROU 04 " General Artigas " In 1981 , three French - designed " Vigilante " class patrol boats arrive for the Coast Guard – the " 15 de Noviembre " , " 25 de Agosto " , and " Comodoro Coe " – but it is discovered that their upkeep is considerably more expensive than promised , and the ships are quite unsuited for conditions in the Rio de la Plata . An attempt to sell them in 1995 found no buyers , however , and so the ships have remained in active service . In 1988 , the Navy acquired a new ship to replace its previous oilers , christened the " Presidente Rivera " . From 1989 to 1991 , three " Commandant Riviere " class frigates are purchased from France . These are christened the ROU 02 " General Artigas " , the ROU 01 " Uruguay " , and the ROU 03 " Montevideo " . These too run into problems , particularly with upkeep , and the " General Artigas " is removed from service . In a decision between the two ships , the " Uruguay " is decommissioned and the " Montevideo " receives repairs and refurbishment . Schooner ROU " Capitán Miranda " , training ship of the Uruguayan navyFollowing the fall of Communism , a number of former East German Volksmarine ships are purchased from the new government . In 1991 , the Navy receives the minesweepers ROU 31 " Temerario " , ROU 32 " Valiente " , ROU 33 " Fortuna " , and ROU 34 " Audaz " . These are named for corsairs of the independence era . On 5 August 2000 , the " Valiente " sank after a collision . Also in 1991 , the " Otto von Guericke " is purchased and converted into the ROU 26 " Vanguardia " . The Coast Guard received new ships from the United States of America , the " Colonia " and " Río Negro " ; and in 1999 , nine boats of the 44 class from the same country . The buoy tender " Sirius " was constructed in Montevideo at the National Dock , which also refitted the Portuguese " Cte . Pedro Campbell " and " Uruguay " . Between 1996 and 1999 , Wessex W60Mk2 and two Jetstreams are purchased for patrol and ASW . At the end of 1998 , the research ship " Oyarvide " was purchased from Germany for the purpose of studying and charting the Continental Shelf . It is hoped that the work will justify a redefinition of its boundaries that would approximately double Uruguay ' s marine exclusive economic zone to around 200 , 000 km² . Organization . The National Navy is composed of about 5 , 700 personnel organized principally into four commands , each with its distinctive color for official functions . In addition , there are two General Services Corps ( " Servicios Generales " or SS . GG . ) and the Naval Academy ( " Escuela Naval " or ESNAL ) . The National Navy also includes the Uruguayan Marine Corps and the National Naval Aviation Command . Fleet . The former " Cdt . Rivière " class ROU 01 " Uruguay " and ROU 26 " Vanguardia " in port at Montevideo Stern of the ROU 04 " General Artigas " The ship prefix for Uruguay is ROU ( for " República Oriental del Uruguay , " the " Oriental Republic of Uruguay " ) . In addition to their ship name , government ships are numerically listed . This is a position and not an identification number : as ships are decommissioned and replaced , their previous numbers are reused by newer vessels . The current fleet consists of : Since 1997 , the Uruguayan Naval Academy has also maintained the racing sloop " Bonanza " , a gift from the US Naval Academy at Annapolis . Uruguayan Naval Aviation . Uruguayan Naval Aviation ( " Aviación Naval Uruguaya " or ANU ) is the sub - branch of the National Navy for naval aircraft and aviation training . Naval aircraft use a new wing emblem instead of the traditional Artigas roundel like the Uruguayan Air Force for easier identification and use the Uruguayan National flag as fin flash . Formed as Air Force Service of the Fleet ( " Servicio de Aeronáutica de la Armada " ) on 7 February 1925 but didn ' t receive first aircraft ( two CANT 18 and one CANT 21 ) until 24 September 1930 . 12 June 1934 Isla Libertad Naval Air Base ( 1 ) in Montevideo Bay operational . In 1942 , Sikorsky OS2U - 3 Kingfisher & Fairchild PT - 23A trainer from US for base access . 10 Sept . 1947 , Corvette Captain Carlos A . Curbelo Naval Air Base ( 2 ) at Laguna del Sauce operational . 1949 - 1957 , large supply of Grumman Avenger , Grumman Hellcat , Martin Mariner delivered 1951 , renamed Naval Aviation ( Aviación Naval ) 1955 , renamed Uruguayan Naval Aviation ( Aviación Naval Uruguaya ) mid - 60s , most reached end of life 1965 , Grumman S - 2A Tracker and Sikorsky CH - 34J Small command w / Squadron Group ( Grupo de Escuadrones ) of 2 squadrons and 1 training school 2006 , received 6 MBB Bo - 105M from Germany . Current Order of Battle . Naval Aviation Academy ( Escuela de Aviación Naval ) Originally at Angel S Adami 1944 - 1947 Since then at Captain Carlos Curbelo Naval Air Base ( 2 ) at Laguna del Sauce 8 Beech T - 34C1 Turbo Mentors