Narco Submarine Stopped By Ecuadorian Navy Sailing Ship



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Narco Submarine Stopped By Ecuadorian Navy Sailing Ship

A modern-day smuggler's boat was interdicted by a Navy operated sailing ship in the Pacific. The BAE Guayas (BE-21) is a tall ship used for training by the Ecuadorian Navy (Armada del Ecuador). Ships like this are quite normal in navies, and provide valuable teamwork and seamanship training for cadets. But on this exceptional occasion, possibly unique, the cadets will have been provided with a live quarry.

The interdiction occurred on Friday October 22 in international waters in the Pacific. The press release did not mention the cargo but these vessels are typically used to carry cocaine. There is no innocent explanation for the LPV.
Guayas tall ship
Guayas seen at Fleet Week, New York, 2012. US Navy photo.


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The steel-hulled Guayas is a three-masted barque, commissioned in 1976. It is a beautiful ship and has conducted a number of overseas tours and participated in tall ship events.

The unlucky 'narco submarine' was a type known as a low profile vessel with outboard motors (LPV-OM). It had a typical hull layout, similar to a power boat but running extremely low in the water. The four crew (3 Ecuadorians, 1 Colombian) were in a small box-like cabin at the extreme rear of the craft. Three outboard motors would have given it decent speed even in full-displacement mode.


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