On the Navy and Valparaíso

The editorial of this medium on Sunday, April 26, 2026, addressing the “Santiaguinization” of the Chilean Navy, obviously did not sit well with a significant part of the naval institution that feels deeply connected to the port city. However, this does not negate the validity of the concerns raised regarding the sentiments of many about the reality and neglect of Valparaíso, and the loss of importance it is experiencing.

For all intents and purposes, the only major institutions that have not abandoned Valparaíso and are committed to the city are the Navy, the universities, the port companies, and Eduardo Dib. The municipality does what it can, and the presence of Congress does not help at all. Tourists, including high-ranking U.S. naval officials, suffer assaults in the hills when they stroll through the few supposed safe places that remain.

The Navy is strong in Valparaíso, Iquique, Talcahuano, Puerto Montt, and Punta Arenas. It will continue to be so, and nothing suggests that this will change. If it were a logically strategic design, everything in Valparaíso, except perhaps the Naval School, should be in Talcahuano, the main naval and logistical base of the Navy in Chile.

This will not happen because the Navy will never abandon Valparaíso and the monument to the National Navy. Moreover, against all rational practice, the Navy’s command was established in the building that formerly housed the Intendancy of Valparaíso. I say irrational because it is normal for naval headquarters to be located in the capitals where the respective Defense ministries are situated. What exists in Santiago is minimal.

The Navy’s main ceremony, on May 21, held in honor of naval heroes and glories, takes place at the foot of the monument where the remains of Prat and the sailors who made Chile and its navy great rest. Of course, it also takes place in many parts of Chile, including Santiago and Zapallar, but no one is confused that the most important and principal one occurs in Plaza Sotomayor, presided over by the President of the Republic and not the presidential delegate, one that is no longer overshadowed by the presidential public account that used to take place on the same day we paid tribute to those who faced the Huascar and fought for Independence. It is held where Arturo Prat and his family lived.

I am sure that any concerns regarding the importance that Valparaíso may hold for the Navy will take a back seat when the May 21 ceremony takes place this year, and the Navy turns out in large numbers to celebrate its heroes and naval glories, despite the resource constraints it is facing.

It is clear that decisions will continue to be made in Santiago, and that there will be a need to influence those made there, but the heart will always be in the main port. Port sailors forever!