Ecuadorian Navy The Ecuadorian Navy is responsible for the surveillance and protection of national maritime territory and has a personnel of 7 , 258 men to protect a coastline of 2 , 237 km which reaches far into the Pacific Ocean . The vessels are identified by the ship prefix " B . A . E . " : " Buque de la Armada del Ecuador " ( Ship of the Ecuadorian Navy ) . Mission . Organize , train , equip and maintain naval capabilities , as well as to assist and support all procedures involving national security and development . Contribute to the achievement of safeguarding national objectives in times of peace and war . Vision . Maintain highly trained naval forces to secure victory within the maritime zone in order to support developing communities . As a consequence operate highly qualified military personnel whom are able to fulfill this role based on elevated moral , values and principles . History . The roots of the Ecuadorian Navy or ( " Armada Ecuatoriana " ) date back to 1823 whilst forming a part of the Gran Colombia n fleet . In 1832 the by then , Ecuadorian congress established officially " The Ecuadorian Maritime Department " . On the 25th July 1941 during the Ecuadorian – Peruvian War , the gunboat " Calderon " commanded by Rafael Morán Valverde encountered the Peruvian destroyer " Almirante Villar " in the Jambeli channel . The Ecuadorian gunboat opened fire on " Villar " , keeping its distance while doing shots for elevation , but the Peruvian destroyer returned fire for the duration of the chase , which was ended by the Peruvians when the " Calderon " took refuge in the channels . The " Calderon " was unharmed in the skirmish and according to Ecuador , the Peruvian " Villar " suffered from damages , allegation that has always been refuted by Perú . However , this event had no influence over the general outcome of the war as Puerto Bolivar was lost to Peruvian Troops only two days later . Present day . Today , the Ecuadorian Navy is a compact , efficient and well - balanced force . However , limited funds hinder any major acquisitions and the chances of maintaining a strong force within the Pacific Ocean . Since introduction of a restructuring program within the Armed Forces , ( " PATRIA I " ) , the Navy ' s structure became simplified . It supervises the Pacific Coast and Galápagos Islands all in one naval zone . Most seagoing assets are based at Guayaquil . The Navy consists of the following vessels : Naval Weapon Systems . Naval aviation . The Ecuadorian Naval Aviation ( " Aviación Naval Ecuatoriana " ) was formed in 1967 with fixed wing aircraft and received some helicopters in 1973 . It remains the least effective section of the navy ; capable of performing limited maritime patrol missions , it consists of fixed wing and a rotary wing element . Aircraft are based at " Base Aérea Simón Bolívar " in Guayaquil and the " Eloy Alfaro Air Base " in Manta . The most recent acquisition of the ANE are two Heron 1 and four Searcher Mk . III from Israel . These have increased the Navy ' s coastal surveillance capacity significantly . Coast Guard . The Coast Guard ( " Cuerpo de Guardacostas de la Armada " ) became fully operational in 1980 . Their mission is to control maritime activities on national territory , including all river zones . The objective is the internal security , protection of human life at sea and environmental protection . It disposes of around 250 men and 30 major as well as 40 smaller , partially very modern patrol vessels . Marines . The Naval Infantry Corps ( " Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina " ) was formed on 12 November 1962 . It maintains a strength of around 1700 marines , with their HQ in Guayaquil . The units are individually spread across the naval coast of Ecuador and are equipped with infantry support weapons , including 60 mm and 81 mm mortars , 106 mm recoilless rifles ( RCLs ) and Humvee s . However , it lacks amphibious assault and sealift capacity . The Ecuadorian Marines are to maintain a high level of alert in order to execute special operations in difficult territory as well as to provide a fast response to counter amphibious incursions . Structure :