Callao Naval Base
Main naval base of the Peruvian Navy
Callao Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval del Callao) is the main naval base of the Peruvian Navy. Located north of the main port of Callao, it is also a 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.
01History
The naval base was first built in the 1930s as a levee and a naval arsenal. In 1992, then presidential advisor Vladimiro Montesinos proposed the construction of a penitentiary centre in the base, where he himself was confined after he was extradited from Venezuela in June 2001.
A project to modernize the base started in the northern part of the facility on June 21, 2023. In January 2026, the U.S. approved US$1.5 billion in equipment and services for the base.
02Notable inmates
- Abimael Guzmán, chairman of the Shining Path
- Víctor Polay Campos, co-founder of the MRTA
- Óscar Ramírez Durand, chairman of the Shining Path
- Vladimiro Montesinos (June 2001, August 2021), former director of the 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
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Callao Naval Base”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- PATRULLERAS “RÍO PATIVILCA” Y “RÍO CAÑETE” AFIRMARON PABELLÓN NACIONAL (26104801445).jpg by Galeria del Ministerio de Defensa del Perú, CC BY 2.0
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