BAP Capitán Quiñones (CL-83) was a Crown Colony class

Crown Colony class cruiser

The Crown Colony-class light cruisers of the Royal Navy were named after Crown Colonies of the British Empire. The first eight are known as the Fiji class, while the last three to be built are commonly referred to as the Ceylon class and were built to a slightly modified design.-Design:They were...

 cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

 in service with the Peruvian Navy

Peruvian Navy

The Peruvian Navy is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles from the Peruvian littoral...

. It was completed for the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 in 1942 as HMS Newfoundland

HMS Newfoundland (C59)

HMS Newfoundland was a Crown Colony-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. Named after Newfoundland, she fought in the Second World War and was later sold to the Peruvian Navy.-Early career:...

 and, after being withdrawn from service, commissioned

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

 by the Marina de Guerra del Perú

Peruvian Navy

The Peruvian Navy is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles from the Peruvian littoral...

 on December 30, 1959. Renamed BAP Almirante Grau (CL-81), in honor of the Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

vian Admiral

Admiral

Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...

 Miguel Grau

Miguel Grau Seminario

Miguel María Grau Seminario was a renowned Peruvian naval officer and hero of the Naval Battle of Angamos during the War of the Pacific . He was known as the el Caballero de los Mares for his chivalry and is esteemed by both Peruvians and Chileans...

, it arrived to its new homeport of Callao

Callao

Callao is the largest and most important port in Peru. The city is coterminous with the Constitutional Province of Callao, the only province of the Callao Region. Callao is located west of Lima, the country's capital, and is part of the Lima Metropolitan Area, a large metropolis that holds almost...

 on January 31, 1960.

As fleet flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

, the ship participated in several exercises, including the multinational UNITAS manoeuvres. In 1963, after the creation of the Servicio de Aviación Naval (Naval Aviation Service), the Almirante Grau started operating Bell 47

Bell 47

The Bell 47 is a two-bladed, single engine, light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. Based on the third Model 30 prototype, Bell's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young, the Bell 47 became the first helicopter certified for civilian use on 8 March 1946...

G helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

s from its fantail. The ship was renamed Capitán Quiñones (CL-83) in 1973 after its former name was assigned to the recently acquired HNLMS De Ruyter of the De Zeven Provinciën class

De Zeven Provinciën class cruiser

The De Zeven Provinciën-class is a class of light cruisers. They were built by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij and Wilton-Fijenoord for the Royal Netherlands Navy...

. As such it was passed to a reserve status on March 6, 1980 and decommissioned

Ship decommissioning

To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....

 on May 2 of the same year.

Sources

• Rodríguez Asti, John, Cruceros. Buques de la Marina de Guerra del Perú desde 1884. Dirección de Intereses Marítimos, 2000.

See also

• BAP Almirante Grau
  BAP Almirante Grau
  Four ships of the Peruvian Navy have borne the name BAP Almirante Grau, after the Peruvian Admiral Miguel Grau Seminario.*The first BAP Almirante Grau was a protected cruiser built in the United Kingdom; it was commissioned in 1907 and decommissioned in 1958*The second BAP Almirante Grau was the...
  
   for other Peruvian Navy
  Peruvian Navy
  The Peruvian Navy is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to 200 nautical miles from the Peruvian littoral...
  
  ships of the same name.