Argentine Naval Prefecture

The Prefecture's predecessor is the ports service founded by the first autonomous Argentine government in June 1810, six years before Argentina declared independence. In Argentina this is considered the official founding date of the PNA. The first commander of the force was Colonel Martín Jacobo Thompson, a Porteño of partially English descent who had served against the British in the invasions of 1806–7. Thompson was given the title of "Captain of Ports" (Spanish: "Capitán de Puertos").

Although the PNA traces itself back to its predecessor of 1806, the modern Prefecture was in fact founded in the late nineteenth century as the "National Maritime Prefecture" on the initiative of Manuel Florencio Mantilla, a well-known Argentine senator who was also a respected academic and intellectual. The law pertaining to it was enacted in October 1896.

The Prefecture had a minor role in the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas). As with other Argentine military services, participation in this conflict is given considerable weight in the institutional memory of the service.

Two PNA patrol vessels, Islas Malvinas (GC-82) and Rio Iguazu (GC-83), were sent to provide an Argentine coastguard service to the islands. According to Argentine sources, Rio Iguazu came into contact with a British Sea Harrier aircraft on 21 May and one member of the vessel's crew was killed while firing a 12.7 mm machine gun at the British jet. The ship ran aground, but most of its cargo -among them two 105 mm howitzers- was recovered later.

The crew of the patrol boat claimed the shooting down of the aircraft, but this was later proved to be unfounded. The sortie was actually carried out by two Sea Harriers of 800 Naval Air Squadron, Nº XZ460 and XZ499, which strafed the vessel with 30 mm cannon fire.[1] The patrol vessel Islas Malvinas was captured and operated by the Royal Navy, as HMS Tiger Bay.

The sinking of Chian-der 3 was an incident which occurred on 28 May 1986 when the Taiwanese flag naval trawler Chian-der 3 was detected, tracked, shot, set on fire and finally sunk by the PNA. The sinking was carried out by PNA vessel Prefecto Derbes. Two Taiwanese fishermen were killed; four others were injured. The Taiwanese fishermen's union called the incident a "barbaric act" and the British government condemned it as "unjustifiable and excessive".

Guardacostas Building

The PNA is subordinate to the Ministry of Interior. The organization is headed by the National Naval Prefect (Prefecto Nacional Naval), currently Prefect-General Carlos Edgardo Fernandez, assisted by the Deputy National Naval Prefect (Subprefecto Nacional Naval), currently Prefect-General Ricardo Rodriguez.

The Prefecture's main facility is located in the Edificio Guardacostas (which translates as "the Coastguard Building") at 235 E. Madero Avenue, Buenos Aires.

The PNA headquarters is divided into three main departments, each headed by a Director-General with the rank of Prefecto General. These are each divided into a number of directorates, each headed by a Director with the rank of Prefect-General (Prefecto General).

A Zodiac 920 class at Tigre

the Intelligence Service (Servicio de Inteligencia) is directly responsible to the National Naval Prefect and is also headed by a Prefect-General.

GC67 in Ushuaia

• Dirección General de Seguridad (Directorate-General of Security)
  • Dirección de Operaciones (Directorate of Operations)
  • Dirección de Policía de Seguridad de la Navegación (Directorate of Navigation Security Police)
  • Dirección de Policía Judicial, Protección Marítima y Puertos (Directorate of Judicial Police, Maritime Protection and Ports)
  • Dirección de Protección Ambiental (Directorate of Environmental Protection)
• Dirección General de Logística (Directorate-General of Logistics)
  • Dirección de Personal (Directorate of Personnel)
  • Dirección de Material (Directorate of Materiel)
  • Dirección de Educación (Directorate of Education)
  • Dirección de Administración Financiera (Directorate of Financial Administration)
  • Dirección de Bienestar (Directorate of Welfare)
• Dirección General de Planeamiento y Desarrollo (Directorate-General of Planning and Development)
  • Dirección de Planeamiento (Directorate of Planning)
  • Secretaría General (Secretariat-General; headed by the Secretary-General, a Prefecto Mayor)

The PNA is divided into ten zones:

• Alto Paraná (prefectures of Posadas, Iguazú, San Javier, Itá Ibaté, Ituzaingó, Libertador General San Martín, and Eldorado)
• Alto Uruguay
• Paraná Superior and Paraguay (prefectures of Corrientes, Formosa, Barranqueras, Pilcomayo, Reconquista, Goya, and Paso de la Patria e Itatí)
• Lower Uruguay (prefectures of Concepción del Uruguay, Gualeguaychú, Colón, Concordia, Salto Grande, and Federación)
• Lower Paraná
• Delta
• Río de la Plata
• North Argentine Sea
• South Argentine Sea
• Lacustre and Comahu

The Argentine Naval Prefecture use the following ships for patrol purposes.[3]

• Mantilla class (Halcón II class): 1,000 tons with helicopter deck built by Bazan (Ferrol), Spain
  • GC-24 PNA Doctor Manuel Mantilla
  • GC-25 PNA Azopardo
  • GC-26 PNA Thompson
  • GC-27 PNA Prefecto Fique
  • GC-28 PNA Prefecto Derbes
• GC-13 PNA Delfín, 700-ton patrol vessel[4]
• Z-28 class: 81 tons built by Blohm + Voss, Germany
  • GC-64 to GC-83: Last two lost in Falklands War
  • GC-64 Mar del Plata
  • GC-65 Martin Garcia
  • GC-66 Rio Lujan
  • GC-68 Rio Paraguay
  • GC-73 Cabo Corrientes
  • GC-78 Madryn
  • GC-83 Islas Malvinas
  • GC-84 Rio Iguazu
• Stan Tender 2200 class: 61 tons built by Damen, Netherlands
  • GC-122, 123, 124, 125, 129, 130, 150, 151
• Stan Tender 1750 class: 55 tons built by Damen, Netherlands
  • GC-118, 119, 133
• Damen Alucat 1050 class: 15 tons built by Damen, Netherlands
  • GC-137, 138, 139, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149
• Shaldag-class patrol boat MK II
  • GC-195 Guaraní
  • GC-196 Mataco
  • GC-197 Timbu
  • GC-198 Toba

At least other 50 vessels on the 8–15-ton range.

• SB-15 Tango: salvage cutter. Former 635 GRT research/survey ship Seismic Surveyor (IMO 7048128), built 1969 in United States and purchased in 2005.[5]
• DF-19 Recalada: former 17,707 GRT Shell Argentina oil tanker Estrella Atlantica ex-Humberto Beghin, built 1982 in Argentina and purchased in 2011. Converting in Buenos Aires to a pilot boarding station.[6] Tanker Estrella Austral will be similarly converted to pilot boarding station DF-20.[7]

Previous aircraft operated by the Coast Guard were the Aérospatiale Puma, Hughes 369, Bell 47J, and the Sikorsky H-5.[9]