A cost efficient Navy
 

On a cold wet Sunday afternoon I was leafing through a relatively recent copy of Jane's AW Warships when I came across the Armada Nacional of Paraguay

They lack a sea coast but still have a navy which must be the joy to the taxpayers.......

4 main ships

"Paraguay" Commisioned May 1931
"Itaipu" commisioned April 1985
"Teniente Farina" commisioned July 1939
"Captain Cabral" commisioned 1908 - noted as "in excellent condition and took part in an exercise in 2010 - she must be the oldest warship in the world (not counting USS "Constitution")

Interestingly the "Paraguay" totes 4 x 120mm guns - thus outgunning a T45 Destroyer (1 x 114mm gun) in the surface-surface mode :cool:

I presume they have a Strategic Review every thirty years or so........ ;);)

HMS Victory - floated out of Chatham's Dockyard 7 May 1765. Commissioned 1778.

Get some time in Paraguay.....

HMS Victory...

Certainly NOT afloat any more. A supported and rebuilt museum exhibit.

.... she must be the oldest warship in the world (not counting USS "Constitution") - HH

And not counting the MARY ROSE (1510) or the Swedish VASA (1626) for starters, neither of which is afloat I should add for the benefit of anyone who did not spot either that BD made no claim regarding VICTORY being afloat, or that the CAPITAN CABRAL was completely rebuilt and re-engined in 1987.....:=


Jack

I believe that the navy operates on Paraguay's extensive river systems. They have many smaller ships.

Paraguay got truly shafted by Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay around 1870. Figures indicate that up to 90% of the male population were wiped out!

I seem to remember that Paraguay attacked all the surrounding countries at once - no doubt they had a valid grievance but the strategy was ...very very wrong.......

And the "Capt Cabral" apparently got diesel engines (what was she before ? coal fired??) and "NEW vickers machine guns in 1987

that's what I call a mid-life update

no dout PAe charged the Armada $500 mm for the work............

I do wonder how much of Victory is original...and not 'Triggers broom'...


Does anybody know the percentage?

Ref Victory - I've heard about 20-30% of the ship is still original, but no idea if thats true or not.

Victory does nothing that a wired up portakabin couldn't.

On a related topic, I have been undertaking some research on Admiral Cochrane. He is one of the 'British' Chilean heroes, with streets and warships ships named after him.

Cochrane was a larger than life RN officer, with some extraordinary successful, almost foolhardy, skirmishes against the French. Hornblower and Jack Aubrey stories are based on aspects of his amazing career. Sharpe's Devil also features Cochrane,

After political battles with the British Admiralty, he became the Admiral of the Fleet in Chile, then Brazil and finally Greece, helping them all gain independence against the Spanish, Portuguese and Ottomans respectively.

The Chilean Navy has a Type 23 frigate, Almirante Cochrane, the former HMS Norfolk, commissioned into the Chilean Navy in 2006.

Cochrane is buried in Westminster Abbey but sadly remains an almost unknown hero in Britain.

These "cost efficiencies" are not limited to Paraguay's Navy: their Army also recently put 1940s vintage M3 Stuart and M4 Sherman tanks back into service:

IHS Jane's Defence Weekly: Paraguay keeping M3 Stuart, M4 Sherman tanks in service

http://www.janes.com/images/assets/9...823_-_main.jpg

I/C

Don't you mean the Lord Dundonald, Le Loup des Mers,

born 14 December 1775

Annsfield, near Hamilton, Lanarkshire, Scotland...

https://www.crossed-flag-pins.com/an...-flag-gifs.gif


?

Were-wolf of the seas? Oh, how insulting!

....Nope!

:D

He is one of the 'British' Chilean heroes, with streets and warships ships named after him. - BFB

.....as well as two ships and a major shore establishment at Rosyth named after him in the Royal Navy, the latter only having closed in 1996.

He also has a direct descendant who served fairly recently as a Commodore in the Royal Navy.

Jack

Glad rag,

If you want to be pedantic, yes. It is the same bloke.

Not too many warships or places named after Dundonald as far as I am aware!

Union Jack - I was unaware of the Rosyth connection!

BFB

Cochrane actually hailed from the quaint village of Culross (pronounced Koo-russ) just along the coast from Rosyth. You can find a rather large bust of the man there.

I think those old tanks were brought back for training purposes.............. nice new paint job but that can under the back suggests an oil leak??

and why not? Obviously still some life left in them & using them saves on the wearing out the newer stuff (tho God knows what THAT is in Paraguay)

I was also looking at the Phillipines Navy - lots of WW2 American stuff - not good if you have to go head-to-head with the PLA (N)

What's the oldest weapon we use? Would some of the .50 cal Browning heavy machine guns have been fired in anger in WWII?

Oldest stuff.
 

Some of our small arms ammunition? Shells>? I've seen clothing, bedding dating back to the 1950's.
Also, some of our many Admirals, Captains? They seemed pretty old, grey and smelly as I recall.