| Chilean Navy of theChilean Armed Forces |
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 Naval ensign of Chile |
| Chilean naval forces |
| Other relevant components |
| History |
| Ships |
| Insignia |
TheChilean Navy (Spanish:Armada de Chile) is thenaval warfare service branch of theChilean Armed Forces. It is under theMinistry of National Defense. Its headquarters are atEdificio Armada de Chile,Valparaiso.
The origins of the Chilean Navy date back to 1817, when GeneralBernardo O'Higgins prophetically declared after the Chilean victory at theBattle of Chacabuco that a hundred such victories would count for nothing if Chile did not gain control of the sea.[2]
This led to the development of the Chilean Navy, and the first legal resolutions outlining the organization of the institution were created. Chile's First National Fleet and the Academy for Young Midshipmen, which was the predecessor of the current Naval Academy, were founded, as well as theMarine Corps and the Supply Commissary.
The first commander of the Chilean Navy wasManuel Blanco Encalada. Famous British naval commanderLord Cochrane, who formerly had been a captain in the British royal navy, was hired by Chileans to organize and command their Navy. Cochrane recruited an almost all-anglophone complement of officers and midshipmen and crews of British, Irish, and American seamen. He became a key figure in the war against loyalist forces in Peru, and was instrumental in taking control of thefortresses of Valdivia, though he failed in his attempt to conquerChiloé Island.
In March 1824, the Chilean Navy and Army undertook an expedition to expel the Spanish fromChiloé Archipelago. An expedition was dispatched toChiloé Island, but it ended in failure when the Chilean Army led byJorge Beauchef was defeated at theBattle of Mocopulli. Only afterRamón Freire's Chiloé expedition in 1826 did the royalist forces at Chiloé, under the command ofAntonio de Quintanilla, surrender and Chiloé joined the new Chilean nation.
After the wars of independence, a series of conflicts demonstrated the importance of the navy to the nation. First of these conflicts were theWar of the Confederation (1836–1839), theChincha Islands War (1864–1866), and theWar of the Pacific (1879–1883). The founding ofFuerte Bulnes in theStrait of Magellan marked the starting point of a series of Chilean Navy explorations, led by navy hydrographers, such asFrancisco Vidal Gormaz andFrancisco Hudson, in the unknown zone between the Strait of Magellan and Chiloé. To deal with this new area of activity, the navy founded in 1874 theHydrographic Office, whose first director wasFrancisco Vidal Gormaz.
Chileanwar hero andmartyrArturo Prat is regarded as the ultimate example of the commitment of the navy to its country, after his death while leading aboarding party onto the enemy ironcladHuáscar at thenaval battle of Iquique on 21 May 1879, during theWar against Peru and Bolivia. The anniversary of this battle is celebrated every year as apublic holiday calledDía de las Glorias Navales. Prat is also considered to be one of the co-founders of the Naval Seaman Training School in 1868, which began operating a year later, and was one of the Naval Academy's finest graduate officers that in 1943 it became the National Naval School "Arturo Prat" in his honor.
The navy further distinguished itself during theBattle of Pisagua in 1879, led by both the Navy and the Marine Artillery Groups and Marine Infantry, the world's first modern military landing operation, that resulted in Chilean victories in other parts of Peru's Tarapacá region, and resulted to its annexation by Chile.
After navy visits toEaster Island in 1875 and 1887, Chilean navy officerPolicarpo Toro managed to negotiate an incorporation of the island into Chile with nativeRapanui in 1888. By occupying Easter Island, Chile joined the imperial nations.[3]: 53
With thePeruvian Navy destroyed,Bolivia becoming alandlocked country, and Argentina having only abrown-water navy, the Chilean Navy had a regional hegemony in the years following the War of the Pacific. To secure this advantage and not let new Argentine acquisitions challenge Chilean naval power, the Chilean government decided to modernize its navy. The modernization plan included the ordering of twocruisers and twotorpedo boat destroyers, and the modernization of two armoured ships in English docks.
| Year | Ships | Builder |
| 1887 | 1pre-dreadnought battleship 2protected cruisers 2torpedo boats | La Seyne La Seyne ? |
| 1891 Chilean Civil War | ||
| 1892 | 1protected cruiser | Elswick, Tyne and Wear |
| 1895 | 1 protected cruiser 1 armored cruiser | Armstrong |
| 1896 | 1armoured cruiser 6 torpedo boats | Armstrong ? |
| 1901 | 2 predreadnought battleships 1 protected cruiser | Armstrong Armstrong |
| 1902arms control treaty with Argentina | ||
A new predreadnought battleship,Capitán Prat, was ordered under the new construction program in 1889. The advent of the1891 Chilean Civil War had a breach between the two branches of the Chilean armed forces, while the bulk of navy sided with the congress side, the majority of theChilean Army remained loyal toJosé Manuel Balmaceda. When the majority of the national congress broke relations with the government,Jorge Montt took control of the fleet atValparaíso and with notable politicians, such asRamón Barros Luco, on board, the fleet sailed north to the nitrate-richTarapacá area, which Chile had seized from Peru 10 years earlier. Tarapacá was, by that time, Chile's richest region in terms of natural resources and was without the fleet practically out of reach for the Chilean Army. From here, the navy organized an army made of nitrate miners, whom they armed and trained to face the 40,000-men-strong Army of Chile. In August 1891, the new army was disembarked inQuintero and defeated the Chilean Army at theBattle of Concón and theBattle of Placilla before the presidential faction disbanded and the Congressional side took power. On the elections of October 1891,Jorge Montt was elected president.
Not all navy officers sided with the congress. Some likeJuan Williams Rebolledo,Juan José Latorre andPolicarpo Toro remained on the presidential side andFrancisco Vidal Gormaz declared his neutrality. After the war these officers were removed from their offices. In contrast to these officers whose career or influence in the navy was truncated by the war, the 1891 Chilean Civil War served as a starting point of a successful career in the navy for a generation of young officers likeFrancisco Nef and others who sided with the Congressionals who won the war.
After incidents with Chile in 1872, 1877, and 1878, Argentina had decided that a brown-water navy, even if modern, was not enough to back up its ambitions in Patagonia and the South Atlantic. Both countries were distracted in the next few years by Argentina's internalmilitary operations against natives and Chile's War of the Pacific against Bolivia and Peru, but by 1890, a full-fledged naval arms race was underway between the two.[4] TheBoundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina had been a major success in laying the groundwork for nearly all of Chile and Argentina's 5,600 kilometres (3,500 mi) of shared borders, but the drawing of boundaries in the largely unexplored inland Patagonia soon became a major source of territorial disputes. Over the 1880s and 1890s, Chile and Argentina engaged in anarms race fueled by nationalistic rhetoric and tax income from their blooming economies. Both countries signed a treaty in 1902 to end the arms race.
During the 1890s, the Chilean Navy carried out many hydrographic surveys in thePatagonian channels aimed to improve navigation, and explored the river basins of Patagonia. A German geographer,Hans Steffen, led navy explorations to western Patagonia, laying the groundwork for colonization of what would beAisén Region years later. The navy occasionally collaborated with Europeannaturalists such asCarl Skottsberg in their surveys of Chilean territory.
In 1904, Brazil ordered twoMinas Gerais-classdreadnoughts to be built by the United Kingdom.[5] In response, Argentina ordered twoRivadavia-class dreadnoughts with an option for a third from the United States. They also ordered 12 destroyers from three nations in Europe. With its major rival acquiring so many modern vessels,[A] Chile was forced to respond, although this was delayed by a financialdepression brought on by a major earthquake and a drastic fall in thenitrate market in 1906 and 1907, respectively.[7][B] Eventually, Chile ordered twoAlmirante Latorre-classsuper-dreadnoughts and sixAlmirante Lynch-class destroyers from British shipyards, but received only two destroyers before the rest were purchased by theRoyal Navy duringWorld War I; of these, Chile would finally receive three destroyers and one battleship, theAlmirante Latorre, after the War.
Chile also received sixBritish H-class submarines from the Royal Navy in 1917, and purchased threeCapitan O'Brien-class submarines and sixSerrano-class destroyers in the late 1920s. Its fleet of cruisers, though, all built in the 1890s, were totally outdated by the time theGreat Depression forced their retirements without replacements.
In 1931, the navy once more made headlines in Chilean politics when large portions of it (26 ships)began a mutiny that demanded the president to rescind a salary reduction. The demands were later expanded to include an agrarian reform, industrial "solidarity", and the payment of theexternal debt by the "millionaires". The mutineers had their ships located atCoquimbo andTalcahuano's naval base, which they controlled. Chilean government responded by sending theChilean Air Force to bombard the ships in Coquimbo andcharging Talcahuano's naval base. After the quelling of the rebellion, the navy was purged, although the mutiny had its origin among the lower ranks.
These economic and political factors, along with Chile's neutrality for much ofWorld War II, meant that the navy did not acquire any warships until after the war.
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Chile formulated itsAntarctic claim in 1940. In 1947, the navy established the first Chilean base, theCaptain Arturo Prat Base, on the continent before the Chilean Army or Air Force established their own bases. Since then, the navy has played a major role in supplying Chilean bases and performing numerous rescue missions, among them, theMV Explorer in 1972 and 2007.
The Navy's most recognizable sailing-school ship, theEsmeralda, began operations in 1952. It since has made various trips around the world with selected cadet officers and NCOs on board trained in ship handling and operations, as a requirement for graduation. Prior to theEsmeralda, another sailing ship, theGeneral Baquedano, fulfilled the same functions.
In the 1950s, the Chilean Navy became involved in a series of incidents with the Argentine Navy and Argentine civilians in the disputed areas of theBeagle Channel andCape Horn. These incidents took the form of incursions into Chilean waters by Argentine fishing ships, and provocations, such as the shelling of a Chilean lighthouse by the Argentine Navy during theSnipe incident of 1958.
During the late 1970s, the Chilean Navy played an important role in defending Chilean sovereignty over thePicton, Lennox and Nueva islands that the Argentine Navy planned to seize.
The birth of the modern Chilean Marine Corps of today began in 1964. Naval educational institutions were reformed in 1968, when presidentEduardo Frei Montalva created the "Naval Specialities Schools System" with headquarters at the Las Salinas Naval Base inViña del Mar. One of its schools, the Naval Seaman Training School, became the Seamen's School of the Navy "Captain Alejandro Navarrete Cisterna" in the same year as its centenary, in honor of the first naval seaman to rise through the ranks to become a naval officer. The NSSS soon became the Naval Polytechnic Academy in 1995, through a merger of all its component schools, with some of these schools staying as independent constituent academies.
After the1973 Chilean coup d'etat, together with the Army, the Air Force, and the Carabiniers, the navy, led by AdmiralJose Toribio Merino, became part of thegovernmentjunta led by army commander in chiefAugusto Pinochet. Upon the latter's resignation from thejunta leadership in 1981, Adm. Merino became its chairman until March 1990, presiding over its sessions and those of the Legislative Commission. He was also, concurrently, the national defense minister. The training shipEsmeralda functioned as a floating prison and torture chamber for political prisoners during the 1973–1980 period of the military dictatorship.[9] It is claimed that probably over a hundred persons were kept there at times and subjected to hideous treatment.[10][11] It was also an unprecedented period of growth and expansion of the naval service, as more vessels became part of it, the marines strengthened and the navy's special forces unit raised.
The 25,000-person navy, including 5,200 marines, is directed by Admiral Julio Leiva Molina Martin as of 2017. Of the fleet of 66 surface vessels (soon to be increased to 74),[citation needed] 21 are major combatant ships based in Valparaíso. The navy operates its own aircraft for transport, patrol, and surface and antisubmarine attack. The navy also operates four submarines and atender ship to support them, all based in Talcahuano.
The navy also provides access to services for residents of Chile's Pacific and Southern island regions, thus integrating its disjointed geography. The transport of passengers, especially during the school year or in cases of emergency, together with the supply of provisions and fuel, are of key importance to the inhabitants of these insular zones.
The institution regularly carries out civil operations whereby navy professionals provide social assistance and health care to the civilian population, and provide support in cases of natural catastrophe.
It also undertakes preventive education campaigns for Chile's population on issues that include security on beaches and seaside resorts, and measures to be taken in the case of atsunami.
The most important naval bases and supply depots are (from north to south) in the Pacific Ocean:Iquique, Easter Island, Valparaíso, Talcahuano,Puerto Montt; in the Atlantic zone:Strait of Magellan andTierra del Fuego:Punta Arenas, in the Beagle Channel,Cape Horn andDrake Passage:Puerto Williams, and inAntarctica:Captain Arturo Prat Base. These are now spread into five naval zones.
TheChilean Marines or(Infanteria de Marina de Chile) are the land/amphibious attack force of the Chilean Navy. The 5,000 man force combines special training and tactics with state-of-the-art equipment.
The Servicio Hidrográfico y Oceanográfico de la Armada de Chile (SHOA, Spanish for Hydrological and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy) is an agency of the Chilean Navy managing situations dealing withhydrology andoceanography includingtides andtsunamis. SHOA is also the official Chilean government timekeeper.[17]
Ranks and rates are shown on the sleeves of all Chilean Navy summer uniforms (and on the shoulder boards on winter or summer service uniforms as well for officers and WOs only). Shoulder and sleeve ranks are inspired by those in the BritishRoyal Navy, theFrench Navy and theGerman Navy. Officers, WOs and NCOs of the Marines add theInfante de Marina (Marine Soldier) title to their ranks from Seaman onward, as the Marines are part of the Navy.
All officers, active or reserve, study at the Arturo Prat Naval Academy and later in the Naval Polytechnic Academy and the Naval War Academy receive improved training and education to be promoted as well as training in his/her specialty field while all active and reserve NCOs (known in the Navy through the general termMen of the Sea) study at the Seamen's School of the Navy "Alejandro Navarette Cisnerna" and later in the Naval Polytechnic Academy and its attached and independent colleges for later specialty training.
| Rank group | General/flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Chilean Navy[18] | -O11.svg) | -O10.svg) | -O9.svg) | -O8.svg) | -O7.svg) | -O5.svg) | -O4.svg) |  |  | -O0.svg) | .svg) | |||||||||||||
| Almirante | Vicealmirante | Contraalmirante | Comodoro | Capitán de navío | Capitán de fragata | Capitán de corbeta | Teniente 1° | Teniente 2° | Subteniente | Guardiamarina | ||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chilean Navy[18] |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Suboficial mayor | Suboficial | Sargento primero | Sargento segundo | Cabo primero | Cabo segundo | Marinero primero | Marinero segundo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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