{{Short description|Main naval base of the Peruvian Navy}} {{Infobox military installation | name = Callao Naval Base | ensign = | ensign_size = | native_name = | partof = <!-- for elements within a larger site --> | location = | nearest_town = <!-- used in military test site infobox --> | country = | image = PATRULLERAS “RÍO PATIVILCA” Y “RÍO CAÑETE” AFIRMARON PABELLÓN NACIONAL (26104801445).jpg | alt = | caption = President [[Ollanta Humala]] and Defence Minister Jakke Valakivi during a ceremony at the base in 2016 | type = [[Naval base]], [[prison]] | ownership = Peruvian State | operator = [[National Penitentiary Institute (Peru)|National Penitentiary Institute]],<br>[[Peruvian Navy]] | open_to_public = <!-- for out of use sites/sites with museums etc --> | code = <!--facility/installation code --> | built = {{Start date|1930}}s | used = <!--{{End date|1946}} --> | builder = | materials = | condition = | current_commander = [[Vice admiral|V.A.]] Jorge Millones Gonzales | past_commanders = <!-- past notable commander(s) --> | garrison = <!-- such as the 25th Bombardment Group --> | occupants = <!-- squadrons only --> | designations = | website = }} '''Callao Naval Base''' ({{langx|es|Base Naval del Callao}}) is the main [[naval base]] of the [[Peruvian Navy]]. Located north of the [[Port of Callao|main port]] of [[Callao]], it is also a [[Supermax prison|high-security prison]], where members of terrorist groups such as the [[Shining Path]] and the [[Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement]] (MRTA) are located. The base hosts a dockyard and naval aviation base, as well as the Naval Medical Center, which contains the [[U.S. Navy]]'s [[Naval Medical Research Unit Six]].<ref name=MilPe2023>{{Cite news |title=Comandante General de la Marina coloca la primera piedra de la nueva Base Naval del Callao |url=https://www.marina.mil.pe/es/noticia/comandante-general-de-la-marina-coloca-la-primera-piedra-de-la-nueva-base-naval-del-callao/ |date=2023-06-21 |work=[[Peruvian Navy|Marina de Guerra del Perú]]}}</ref>
==History== The naval base was first built in the 1930s as a [[levee]] and a naval [[arsenal]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.marina.mil.pe/es/cultura/historia/la-marina-de-guerra-del-peru-s-xx/ |title=LA MARINA DE GUERRA DEL PERÚ S. XX |website=[[Peruvian Navy|Marina de Guerra del Perú]] |access-date=2023-08-24 |archive-date=2022-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223043350/https://www.marina.mil.pe/es/cultura/historia/la-marina-de-guerra-del-peru-s-xx/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1992, then presidential advisor [[Vladimiro Montesinos]] proposed the construction of a [[Supermax prison|penitentiary centre]] in the base, where he himself was confined after he was extradited from [[Venezuela]] in June 2001.<ref name=ElComercioAug2021>{{Cite news |title=Base Naval del Callao: todo lo que debes saber sobre esta instalación militar que custodia a peligrosos terroristas |url=https://elcomercio.pe/lima/callao/base-naval-del-callao-todo-lo-que-debes-saber-sobre-esta-instalacion-militar-que-custodia-a-peligrosos-terroristas-vladimiro-montesinos-abimael-guzman-victor-polay-campos-mrta-sendero-luminoso-maxima-seguridad-noticia/ |date=2021-08-26 |work=[[El Comercio (Peru)|El Comercio]]}}</ref>
A project to modernize the base started in the northern part of the facility on June 21, 2023.<ref name="MilPe2023" /> In January 2026, the U.S. approved US$1.5 billion in equipment and services for the base.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 15, 2026 |title=US approves possible sale of equipment, services to shift Peruvian naval base |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-approves-possible-sale-equipment-services-shift-peruvian-naval-base-2026-01-16/ |access-date=January 20, 2026 |work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref>
==Notable inmates== *[[Abimael Guzmán]], chairman of the [[Shining Path]] *[[Víctor Polay Campos]], co-founder of the [[Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement|MRTA]] *[[Óscar Ramírez Durand]], chairman of the Shining Path *[[Vladimiro Montesinos]] (June 2001 – August 2021),<ref name=ElComercioAug2021/> former director of the [[National Intelligence Service (Peru)|National Intelligence Service]] *[[Miguel Rincón Rincón]], leader of the MRTA *Wilmer Arrieta, member of a criminal organisation *Florindo Eleuterio Flores Hala, member of the Shining Path
==See also== *[[Port of Callao]] *[[Peruvian Naval School]]
==References== {{reflist}} {{Landmarks in Lima}}
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[[Category:Peruvian Navy]] [[Category:Military installations of Peru]] [[Category:Naval installations]] [[Category:Prisons in Peru]] [[Category:Military installations established in the 1930s]]