BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81)

Light Cruiser Warship

Peru | 1973

"The cruiser BAP Almirante Grau CLM-81 of the Peruvian Navy began life in 1953 as the Dutch-owned De Ruyter warship."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 02/27/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The modern Peruvian Navy fields one cruiser-type warship and this vessel - BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81) - also serves as its flagship. Originating as a warship for the Dutch Navy in 1953 (HNLMS De Ruyter (C801) (detailed elsewhere on this site), Almirante Grau was acquired by the Peruvians on March 7th, 1973 and formally commissioned for service in the Peruvian Navy on May 23rd, 1973. She makes her homeport at Callao and fights under the motto of "Poder y Gloria" (translating to "Power and Glory"). She holds an active service status as of this writing (2016).

BAP Almirante displaces 9,680 tons under standard loads and 12,165 tons under full loads. Her design stretches some 615 feet with a beam of 57 feet and draught of 22 feet. Her crew complement is divided into 47 officers and 606 enlisted personnel. Installed drive power is from 4 x Werkspoor-Yarrow 3-drum boilers feeding 2 x De Schelde Parsons geared steam turbines developing 85,000 horsepower while driving 2 x shafts under stern. She can make headway at 32 knots and reach out to distances of 7,900 miles. Armor protection includes up to 76mm at the belt, 125mm at the turrets and 125mm at the conning tower. BAP Almirante Grau is outfitted with various systems that cover early warning, surface search, fire control and navigational portions of her operations.

Armament includes 8 x OTOmat Mk.2 series Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSMs) of Italian origin. Conventional weapon is comprised of 8 x 152mm /53 caliber Bofors guns seated in four twin-gunned turrets - this makes up her main battery. Her secondary battery is 4 x 40mm /70 caliber OTO Melara guns. 2 x Matra Defense "Dagaie" launchers and 1 x "Sagaie" launcher provide onboard decoy service.

BAP Almirante Grau began her Peruvian tenure in July of 1973. From the period spanning 1985 to 1988, she was given a major refit by the Dutch which broadened her tactical and strategic capabilities considerably. She was given all modern sensors and processing systems, lost some of her more conventional guns and saw her hull-mounted sonar fit removed. The OTOmat missile suite was added in 1993 as were the 40mm guns. The radar system was eventually replaced with a more modern AN/SPS-6 series fit.

Despite it being listed as a "guided missile cruiser" in some publications, the Almirante Grau is mainly a gun-minded cruiser warship first and foremost - becoming the last of its kind anywhere in the world. Compared to guided missile destroyers now seen in the United States Navy and across the various navies of European powers, the Almirante Grau is an outdated naval warship design of limited value in a modern naval war. Many modern navies have pulled away from reliance on cruisers - instead broadening the inherent capabilities of frigates, destroyers and corvettes.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one sea-going vessel design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81).

4 x Werkspoor-Yarrow 3-drum boilers with 2 x De Schelde Parsons geared steam turbines developing 85,000 horsepower to 2 x Shafts.
Propulsion

32.0 kts
36.8 mph
Surface Speed

6,952 nm
8,000 miles | 12,875 km
Range

Structure
The bow-to-stern, port-to-starboard physical qualities of BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81).

653
Personnel
Complement

615.0 ft
187.45 meters
O/A Length

56.6 ft
17.25 meters
Beam

22.0 ft
6.71 meters
Draught

10,000
tons
Displacement

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81).

8 x 6" (152mm) /53 cal Bofors deck guns in four twin-gunned turrets.
8 x OTOmat Mk.2 Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSMs)
4 x 40mm /70 cal OTO Melara DARDO guns

Ships-in-Class (2)
Notable series variants as part of the BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81) family line as relating to the De Zeven Provincien-class group.

BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81); BAP Aguirre (CH-84)

Operators
Global operator(s) of the BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national naval warfare listing.

[ Netherlands (as HNLMS De Ruyter C-801); Peru ]

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to seaborne requirements.

BLUE WATER SERVICE

OFFSHORE BOMBARDMENT

LAND-ATTACK

MARITIME PATROL

AIRSPACE DENIAL

FLEET SUPPORT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War period

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Going Further...
BAP Almirante Grau (CLM-81) Light Cruiser Warship appears in the following collections:

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