The transfer of this unit takes place in the framework of the anniversary No.70 of the Korean War, in which the Colombian Navy participated with the frigates Almirante Padilla, Capitan Tono and Almirante Brion.
At Jinhae Naval Base, Republic of Korea, the ceremony of transferring of the Corvette Almirante Tono to the Colombian Navy was held as part of the important relationship of partnership and cooperation between the two nations for more than six decades.
The Colombian Navy initiated the transfer project of the patrol Combat Corvette – PCC 768, of the Republic of Korea, being the second ship that Korea transfers to the country, after having incorporated in 2013 the ARC Nariño.
The Corvette will be incorporated into the Naval institution under the name ARC Almirante Tono, national hero of the Republic of Colombia, being the second in command of the squadron that triumphed in the Battle of Lake Maracaibo under the command of Almirante José Prudencio Padilla Lopez, on July 24, 1823, victory that was crucial for the independence of our country. This is the third ship baptized with this name in the Colombian Navy. The first to have this important name was the frigate ARC Capitan Tono, who carried out an important participation in the Korean War in 1952, always serving firmly at sea; the second unit was the Destroyer ARC Almirante Tono (DT-04), transferred by the United States Navy in 1968 and dismissed in Colombia at the end of the year 1978.
This surface unit will be commanded by Frigate Captain Nelson Eduardo Hernandez Romero, his crew will be committed to the defence and sovereignty in the maritime territory of Colombia, the preservation of life in the sea, running procedures of humanitarian assistance and support, search and rescue, and all the effort that is required to ensure the appropriate use and exploitation of maritime resources as well as the lines of maritime communication of interest to the Nation.
The crew of the ship conducted the formalities of the reception of the unit in Korea where began maintenance work to transfer the technology and adaptation of the unit and put in optimal conditions the ship for its safe navigation for 48 days and 10.581 nautical miles, from Jinhae, Republic of Korea to Cartagena, Colombia, where it will be part of the units of the Naval Force of the Caribbean, for the fulfillment of the institutional mission, carrying out control operations, maritime patrol and surveillance and protection and conservation of Natural Resources.
Source: press-Navy of Colombia
