BAP Puno (ABH-306)
Encyclopedia
BAP Puno is a Peruvian Navy
hospital ship
on Lake Titicaca. Until 1976 she was called Yapura.
The Peruvian government ordered Yapura and her sister ship
Yavari
in 1861. In 1862 Thames Ironworks
on the River Thames
built the iron-hulled Yavari and Yapura under contract to the James Watt
Foundry of Birmingham
. The ships were designed as combined cargo, passenger and gunboat
s for the Peruvian Navy
. Puno has her original 60 hp two-cylinder steam engine, which is fuelled with dried llama
dung.
The ships were built in "knock down" form; that is, they were assembled with bolts and nuts at the shipyard, dismantled into thousands of parts small enough to transport, and shipped to their final destination to be assembled with rivets and launched on the lake. The kits for the two ships consisted of a total 2,766 pieces between them. Each piece was no more than what a mule could carry, because the railway from the Pacific Ocean
port of Arica
went only 40 miles (64.4 km), as as far as Tacna
. From there pack mules had to carry them the remaining 220 miles (354.1 km) to Puno on the lake.
The original British contractor got the parts to Tacna but failed to complete the section of the journey with mules. This was not resumed until 1868 and Yapura was not launched until 1873.
The War of the Pacific
of 1879-83 impoverished the Peruvian government, so in 1890 UK investors established the Peruvian Corporation which took over operation of Peru's railways and lake ships. In 1975 Peru nationalised the corporation and Yavari and Yapura passed to the state railway company ENAFER
. In 1976 they were transferred back the Peruvian Navy, who converted Yapura into a hospital ship and renamed her BAP Puno.
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...
hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
on Lake Titicaca. Until 1976 she was called Yapura.
The Peruvian government ordered Yapura and her sister ship
Sister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class as, or of virtually identical design to, another ship. Such vessels share a near-identical hull and superstructure layout, similar displacement, and roughly comparable features and equipment...
Yavari
Yavari (ship)
Yavari is a ship commissioned by the Peruvian government in 1861 for use on Lake Titicaca. She is named after the Javary River in the Loreto Region of Peru, bordering the Amazonas State ....
in 1861. In 1862 Thames Ironworks
Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company
The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company, Limited was a shipyard and iron works straddling the mouth of Bow Creek at its confluence with the River Thames, at Leamouth Wharf on the west side and at Canning Town on the east side...
on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
built the iron-hulled Yavari and Yapura under contract to the James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
Foundry of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. The ships were designed as combined cargo, passenger and gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
s for 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...
. Puno has her original 60 hp two-cylinder steam engine, which is fuelled with dried llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
dung.
The ships were built in "knock down" form; that is, they were assembled with bolts and nuts at the shipyard, dismantled into thousands of parts small enough to transport, and shipped to their final destination to be assembled with rivets and launched on the lake. The kits for the two ships consisted of a total 2,766 pieces between them. Each piece was no more than what a mule could carry, because the railway from the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
port of Arica
Arica
Arica is a city in northern Chile. "Arica" may also refer to:Places* Arica and Parinacota Region, Chile* Arica Airport , Chile* Arica, Amazonas, town in Colombia* Rio Aricá-açu, tributary of the Cuiabá River south of Cuiabá, BrazilOther...
went only 40 miles (64.4 km), as as far as Tacna
Tacna
- Rail :Tacna is served by a cross-border standard gauge railway to Arica, Chile.It is also the location of the National Railway Museum of Peru.-Air:Tacna is served by the Crnl. FAP...
. From there pack mules had to carry them the remaining 220 miles (354.1 km) to Puno on the lake.
The original British contractor got the parts to Tacna but failed to complete the section of the journey with mules. This was not resumed until 1868 and Yapura was not launched until 1873.
The War of the Pacific
War of the Pacific
The War of the Pacific took place in western South America from 1879 through 1883. Chile fought against Bolivia and Peru. Despite cooperation among the three nations in the war against Spain, disputes soon arose over the mineral-rich Peruvian provinces of Tarapaca, Tacna, and Arica, and the...
of 1879-83 impoverished the Peruvian government, so in 1890 UK investors established the Peruvian Corporation which took over operation of Peru's railways and lake ships. In 1975 Peru nationalised the corporation and Yavari and Yapura passed to the state railway company ENAFER
Empresa nacional de ferrocarriles del Peru
The Empresa Nacional de Ferrocarriles del Perú is a public company which ensures the management and the commercial use of the railway network of Peru....
. In 1976 they were transferred back the Peruvian Navy, who converted Yapura into a hospital ship and renamed her BAP Puno.