ARC ''Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera'' is the sixth in a number of progressively improved heavy

riverine A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

patrol and support vessels of the

Colombian Navy The Colombian Navy, officially the Colombian National Navy (), also known as the ''"Armada Nacional"'' or just the ''"Armada"'' in Spanish, is the naval branch of the Military Forces of Colombia, military forces of Colombia. The Navy is responsi ...

(''Armada de la República de Colombia - ARC''). Specifically, it is classified as a PAF-IV (Spanish: ''Patrullera de Apoyo Fluvial - Pesada'' - 4th generation). The ship is named in honor of the Marine Infantry Frigate Lieutenant Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera,Spanish: ''Teniente de Fragata, Infantería de Marina (TEF IM)'' who died in 2004 after wounds sustained in combat during operations in the Colombian eastern plains.Colombian Navy website article announces vessel launch (Spanish)
.

Background

In addition to the more common tasks of a

blue-water navy A blue-water navy is a Navy, maritime force capable of operating globally, essentially across the deep waters of open oceans. While definitions of what actually constitutes such a force vary, there is a requirement for the ability to exercise Co ...

and coast guard, the

(ARC) also has shared responsibility for patrolling the extensive Colombian network of rivers. During the years 2000–2005, the ARC had been slowly but steadily expanding and modernizing its fleet of PAF riverine patrol vessels, and had worked with

COTECMAR COTECMAR ''(Corporación de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo de la Industria Naval Marítima y Fluvial)'' is a Colombian state-owned defense, shipbuilder, and engineering company that provides services to the Ministry of National Defense ( ...

in the indigenous design and construction of the previous types of PAF vessels (generations I- III). By 2005, the ARC commissioned COTECMAR for a new design that would include and build upon the experiences gathered with the previous generations of vessels.COTECMAR-Heavy riverine patrol vessel overview (Spanish)
/ref> Some of the desired capabilities included extended range/endurance, helipad capability for provisioning and SAR/medevac, newer or upgraded offensive and defensive systems and improved support for embarked Marine Infantry units and smaller dependent patrol boats, such as the 'Piraña' and 'Anguila' boats. The futuristic look of ARC Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera and its angled surfaces is due to the incorporation of modern design techniques in ballistic protection and marine shipbuilding, and has given rise to the occasional comment about it being a "stealth" vessel. It was designed and built by COTECMAR, a Colombian state-owned shipping design and construction company.

Service

The vessel was launched into service on July 26, 2006.
It is deployed to the rivers of the Pacific coast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Juan Ricardo Oyola Vera, ARC Patrol vessels of the Colombian Navy Ships built in Colombia 2006 ships Patrol vessels of Colombia Riverine warfare

Background

Service

See also

References