The Honduran Navy is one of the Armed Forces of Honduras's three branches.

The Honduran Navy was created through a presidential decree in the 14th of August 1976, with the stated goal of defending Honduran territorial waters, both in the Caribbean and the Pacific coasts.

History Background During Brigadier José Santos Guardiola's presidency, there was an attempt to organize a navy, but due to the lack of funds it didn't come to be. The government acquired some ships, but no warships. In 1860, the government had 200 men from the army mustered into a schooner in order to aid the British screw sloop HMS Icarus, which had been stationed in British Honduras, in combating an invasion by the filibuster William Walker. Walker was ambushed near the Sico Tinto Negro River, captured, and, nine days later, found guilty and executed.

In September 1865, during Captain General José María Medina's presidency the Honduran Military Marine was instituted, with the president boarding the schooner Colibrí.

Afterwards, in the 1890s, a contract was signed with a German firm for the construction of two steamers, named Tatumbla and 22 de Febrero, with gross tonnages of 108 and 22 tons, capable of steaming at 10 and 7 knots, respectively, both built in Kiel. The Tatumbla had two guns. In the early 1900s, another steamer was commissioned, the Hornet; only in 1934 would the next acquisitions come, with the Bufalo and the Zambrano. During the 1940s, the Tiger, the General Carias and the General Cabañas were acquired.

World War II

Honduras maintained good diplomatic relations with Germany between the end of the 19th Century and the 1930s. During this period, many businesses were opened by German immigrants in Honduras, and when World War II started in Europe, some citizens of German descent left the country to fight for Germany. The country's ports were on occasion used by German submarines for resupply.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, due to diplomatic pressure from the United States, relations with the Axis powers were broken. On December 8, 1941, Honduras declared war on Japan, and, four days later, on Italy and Germany, with Honduras thus joining the Allies. Some ships carrying Honduran goods had already been sunk by this point, and the situation worsened over the following months, with many Honduran ships sunk; around 200 Honduran citizens were killed. In the following years, Honduran pilots and sailors were involved in World War II.

Professional Naval Force

In November 1950, a regulation for the Navy's insignia and uniforms was issued by the government, and in April 1964, the first two officers and 14 enlisted men (who belonged to the Army's Third Infantry Battalion) were assigned to it. One of the officers, Ensign O'Connor Bain, was sent to the US Coast Guard Reserve Officer Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia, and the other, Ensign Regalado Hernández, together with the enlisted men, to the Naval Base Panama Canal Zone, where they were trained by Panamaian and North American officers. Afterwards, they formed the "First Boats Detachment", equipped with US donated patrol boats, which would be used as the core for the Navy when it was formally created in 1976, with Lieutenant Colonel Bain as its first commander.

In 1977, the Navy acquired three ships, the Guaymuras, 105 feet long, and the Patuca and the Ulua, both 65 feet long. In 1982, it was also given the 40+ year old tender USCGC Walnut, renamed to Yojoa; it served until 1998, when it was lost during Hurricane Mitch. These were the Navy's only proper ships until 1988, when it received the Landing Craft Utility Punta Caxinas, capable of transporting 100 tons of cargo and still in service as of 2021. A few years later, a new Peterson Mk3 patrol boat was acquired, and in 2013 a further two Damen Stan Patrol 4207 also were.

Active Naval Bases The Honduran Navy operates from four main naval bases, but it also has another two installations.

+Honduran Navy InstallationsNameLocationNotes/Mission Puerto Cortés Naval Base Puerto Cortés, Cortés DepartmentHeadquarters station on the Caribbean coast, host to the Naval Studies Center and the Naval Repairs CenterFirst Marine Infantry Battalion HQLa Ceiba, AtlántidaLa Ceiba, AtlántidaFounded in February 2000, it is tasked with training officers for the Navy; these may later on continue their studies in the Honduras Defence University.Puerto Castilla Naval BasePuerto Castilla, ColónWWII-era naval base in the Caribbean coastAmapala Naval BaseAmapala, ValleBase on the Tiger Island in the Pacific coastCaratasca Naval BaseCaratasca Lagoon, Gracias a Dios

Fleet

+ClassOriginTypeIn serviceDamen Stan 4207 patrol vesselNetherlandsPatrol Vessel2Sa'ar 62-class offshore patrol vesselIsraelPatrol vessel1Guardian patrol boatUnited StatesPatrol vessel2Swiftship patrol boatUnited States/IsraelPatrol vessel9Various classesVariousInterceptor/patrol launches79LCM-8 LCUUnited StatesLanding craft4Golfo de Tribuga-class LCUColombiaLanding craft1

Commanders

+Honduran Navy Commanders Order Commander Beginning of term Term end 1 Infantry Lieutenant Colonel Erin O'Connor Bain 1976 1978 2 Infantry Colonel José Matías Hernández García 1978 1980 3 Brigadier General Rubén Humberto Montoya 1980 1984 4 Infantry Colonel Humberto Regalado Hernández 1984 1986 5 Infantry Colonel Ronnie H. Martínez Méndez 1986 1987 6 Infantry Colonel Carlos Reyes Barahona 1987 1988 7 Ship Captain Leonel Martínez Minera 1988 1989 8 Brigadier General Arnulfo Cantarero López 1989 1990 9 Brigadier General Luis Alonso Discua Elvir 1990 1991 10 Brigadier General Reinaldo Andino Flores19911993 11 Rear Admiral Giordano Bruno Fontana Hedman 1993 199712 Ship Captain Ricardo Reyes Rivera19971999 13 Ship Captain Hermán Iván Ramírez Lanza19992000 14 Rear Admiral Rolando Gonzáles Flores 20002002 15 Artillery Colonel Nelson Willy Mejía Mejía 20022004 16 Rear Admiral José Eduardo Espinal Paz20042007 17 Rear Admiral Juan Pablo Rodríguez Rodríguez20082011 18 Rear Admiral Ramón Cristóbal Romero Burgos 2011 2011 19 Vice Admiral Rigoberto Espinoza Posadas20112013 20 Rear Admiral Héctor Orlando Caballero Espinoza20132015 21 Rear Admiral Jesús Humberto Benítez Alvarado2015201722 Ship Captain Efraín Mann Hernández2017201923 Ship Captain José Jorge Fortín Aguilar2019202124 Ship Captain Pablo Antonio Rodríguez Sauceda 2021202325 Ship Captain Austacil Hagarin Tomé Flores2023

Ranks

Commissioned officer ranks The rank insignia of commissioned officers.

Other ranks The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.

References Citations

Sources