Paraguay's ancient navy

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>>31715935
My God how fucking adorable.

>>31716000

>posting with a trip in someone else's info dump thread

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>>31715935
Paraguay is a landlocked nation, but it is bisected by the Paraguay River, which flows into the Paraná River and into the Río de la Plata, reaching the ocean at Buenos Aires. The Paraguay River flows past Bolivia and deep into Brazil, and is a major corridor for traffickers.

Paraguay has around 2,500km of navigable rivers, along with several lakes, It also has a long history of war with its neighbors, which led the country to try and put together some type of naval force back in the 1800's.

A country of limited means, Paraguay has tried to keep many of its ships in service for as long as possible. By keeping the ships river-bound and out of saltwater, they have enjoyed lengthy lifespans.

Along with the gunboat awaiting an engine retrofit, the current active-duty navy includes three river patrol boats (including the Cabral), about 50 fast-attack boats of various builds and configurations (the backbone of the force), four tugs, and a number of other service/support and training ships, as well as a Brazilian Helibras HB350 light-attack helicopter and four Cessnas.

The Helibras has landing capabilities on one of the patrol boats (the Itaipú P05, from 1985).

Now, the Cabral:

>>31716025
There is literally no excuse for not having Phil hidden by now.

>>31716054

I guess I'm too new to have realized, but I'll take your advice now.

>>31715935
wait a minute - is there any actual meaningful advance in river-based naval warfare? It's all gonna be shallow draft stuff with 20mm mounts and .50 cal mounts right? That's about what a modern coast guard cutter has for equipment.

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>>31716040
The Cabral P01 is an old ship. It may be the oldest active warship in service with a national navy as of 2016. Russia has a few very old ships from the 1910's, but the Cabral was commissioned in 1908, following delivery from the Werf Conrad shipyard in Haarlem, Netherlands, where it had been built during 1903 as a tugboat before being repurposed in 1907 for the Paraguayan navy.

The Dutch-built ship was then known as the "Triunfo" (Triumph). Originally outfitted with a prewar Vickers naval gun, it was eventually armed with a Bofors 40 mm gun, two Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, and two 12.7mm machine gun emplacements.

Its original engines were replaced in 1984 with a Caterpillar 3408 diesel.

Quick statistics:

Displacement: 206 tons
Length: 33.90m/111ft.
Width: Conflicting information, but seems to be around 9m/30 feet at its widest
Draught: Approx 2.2m/7ft.

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>>31716246
Despite its age, it is actually one of the more active ships in the fleet, being used on a variety of exercises and on missions such as flood relief.

Part of this is practical, since there are only 3 patrol ships - but it is also a matter of national pride, to demonstrate the resourcefulness of the navy in keeping such an old craft in operational condition.

Here is the ship during a joint exercise with more modern craft a few years ago:

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>>31716271
The Cabral typically carries a complement of 25 to 33 sailors, though it can be used as a transport ship for up to 80.

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>>31716299
This photo shows the ship following its 1984 overhaul, which included the installation of a radar mast. Before that time, the ship relied on older and more limited navigational techniques.

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>>31716334
The Bofors is visible at the bow.

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>>31716350
A model of the Cabral is displayed at the Naval Museum in Paraguay's capital of Asunción.

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>>31716366
As part of the ship's public outreach mission, it is sometimes able to be visited during port-stops around Paraguay.

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>>31716378
The Cabral's sister ships are the Teniente (Lieutenant) Fariña (P04), built in Argentina in 1939, and the Itaipú (P05), built in Brazil and commissioned in 1985.

The Fariña is more heavily-armed compared to the Cabral, with four double-barrel Bofors 40mm guns along with two 12.7mm machine guns.

The Itaipú is armed with one 1 Bofors 40mm, two 81mm mortar emplacements, and four 12.7mm machine guns.

As the most modern of Paraguay's patrol boats, the Itaipú (pic related) is sometimes sent to international naval events in Buenos Aires or Montevideo to represent Paraguay, making it the only one of the country's ships to have sailed on saltwater in recent times.

It is possible to land the navy's HB350B helicopter on the Itaipú's deck if fencing and other obstacles are removed, though this is not commonly done.

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>>31716574
As mentioned above, the Humaitá was turned into a museum ship in the 1990's. Visitors can walk around and explore the deactivated weapons systems up-close.

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>>31716604
The gunboat Paraguay (C1) is officially intended to be restored to service once its steam engines are modernized. Its characteristics:

>Commissioned: 1931
>Built: Genoa, Italy
>Displacement: 856 tons
>Length: 70m/230ft
>Width/beam: 10.7m/35ft
>Draft: 1.7m/5.6ft
>Propulsion: 2 Parsons Marine steam turbines, at 18 knots/33kmph
Complement: 86
>Armament: Two Ansaldo 120 mm guns; three Ansaldo 76 mm antiaircraft cannon; two Vickers 40 mm autocannon; 6 naval mines

Its most recent combat operation was in 1989, when its officers and crew participated in a successful coup against Paraguay's dictator Alfredo Stroessner. The ship helped shell government positions and transport rebel soldiers during the event.

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>>31715935
>steam
>engines

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>>31716757
It's hard to imagine now, but there WAS an era before liquid fuels became common.

But, even for Paraguay, steam engines are a bit too old-school.

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A bit of trivia - Paraguay is one of the 22 countries that still recognize Taiwan diplomatically rather than China. As a result, Paraguay has Taiwanese ships in its navy, but not Chinese ones.

Among Paraguay's Taiwanese ships are the Cap. Ortiz (P06, pictured) and its twin, the Tte. Robles (P07). These were Taiwanese Hai Ou-class missile boats which were given to Paraguay in 1994 after service in the Taiwanese navy.

The Hai Ou class was based on the Dvora-class of Israeli patrol boats.

P06 and P07 characteristics:

>Origin: China Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
>Initial commission: 1978
>Displacement: 45 tons
>Length: 21.9m/72ft.
>Beam: 5.5m/18ft.
>Draft: 1.1m/3.6ft
>Speed: 37 knots/67kmph/42mph
>Complement: 10
>Armament: 1 Swiss Oerlikon 120mm gun and 1 12.7mm machine gun

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>>31716757
Its steam turbine.
Similar to this ship, with a different heat source.

>>31716000
Ours are like younger than what OP mentioned, but still old.

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>>31716927
>>31717370

I know what a steam engine is.

That's why I made a reply about it.

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The Tte. Fariña (P04) mentioned above is an interesting ship - commissioned for the Argentine Navy in 1939, it was built in 1937-38 at the Rio Santiago Shipyard in Ensenada, a city near Buenos Aires, and was transferred to Paraguay in 1968.

It was overhauled and fitted with diesel engines decades ago, but elements of its prewar design remain.

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The Fariña's engine room:

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The Bofors emplacement at the bow of the Fariña:

>>31715935

I must say that in spite of their age, Paraguay has done a good job taking care of its vessels.

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>>31717410
Top view:

very interesting
thanks for posting

Indeed. Thanks OP, a very interesting thread.