Under the late Spanish Empire, Montevideo became the main naval base (Real Apostadero de Marina) for the South Atlantic, with authority over the Argentine coast, Fernando Po, and the Falklands.

[citation needed] The Uruguayan navy, however, dates its origin from General Artigas's letter of marque on 15 November 1817, which authorized his forces to plunder Portuguese shipping wherever they found it.

[4] Under the nominal leadership of the Pedro Campbell, the Irish "Gaucho Admiral", around 50 privateer schooners and brigs (including República Oriental, Fortuna, Valiente, Temerario, and Intrépido) were able to capture more than 200 enemy vessels as far off as Madagascar, Spain, and the Antilles.

[citation needed] Following independence, a navy was established under Colonel Pablo Zufriategui, a veteran of Artigas's campaigns and the 33 Easterners.

As Captain of Ports (Capitán General de Puertos), he fought smuggling and in 1832 Zufriategui led the first sovereign engagement when the schooner Aguila chased off the pirate ship Exquisit from Uruguayan waters.

Just prior to World War I, President Claudio Williman devoted considerable effort and expense to modernizing the navy, viewing it as demanded for Uruguay's "sovereignty and honor.

New ships included the gunboat Dieciocho de Julio (constructed in the UK in 1889), the cruiser Montevideo (the ex-Italian cruiser Dogali), the transport Maldonado (constructed in Germany in 1886 and soon renamed Barón de Río Branco for its tasks for the Commission on the Limits of the Merín Lagoon), the steamer Vanguardia, and the courier Oriental.

In June 1916, the tug Instituto de Pesca Nº1 - manned by Navy servicemen - led the second failed attempt to rescue the men of Shackleton's expedition from Elephant Island.

In December 1939, the Río de la Plata saw the first major naval engagement of World War II when the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee faced the cruisers HMS Ajax, Achilles, and Exeter and then fled into Montevideo harbor during the Battle of the River Plate.

Although Uruguay was officially neutral, her pro-British sentiment allowed the Royal Navy to carry out a highly successful disinformation campaign that ended in the German scuttling of the ship.

The same year, Uruguay introduced conscription and the Navy established the battalions Zapicán and Honor y Patria as part of its Reserve Fleet.

Montevideo was incidentally sunk by the Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli in March 1942,[7] which prompted Uruguay to seize the German freighter Tacoma.

[8] Following this incidents, Uruguay leased a number of its boats to the US Navy and received in 1944 the anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-capable corvette Maldonado.

Between 1949 and 1952, the FAS received sixteen TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, three SNJ Texan trainers, and twelve F6F Hellcat fighters.

The basic training was oriented towards protection of marine lines of trade and communication, focusing on escort and ASW exercises.

In the early hours of 5 August 2000, Valiente sank after a collision with the Panamanian freighter Skyros, while on patrol off Cabo Polonio.

[10][11] The Coast Guard received new ships from the United States, Colonia and Río Negro; and in 1999, nine boats of the 44 class from the same country.

It is hoped that the work will justify a redefinition of its boundaries that would approximately double Uruguay's marine exclusive economic zone to around 200,000 km2.

It oversees naval intelligence, strategic and tactical planning, logistics, liaison, and political lobbying on the Navy's behalf.

[19][20] The Naval Air Base Capitán de Corbeta (Corvette Captain) Carlos A. Curbelo at Laguna del Sauce was declared operational on 10 September 1947.

After failed negotiations about Catpass 250, Falcon 20 from US Coast Guard and IAI Westwind of Israel Defense Forces, two Handley Page Jetstream TMk 2 were incorporated from the Royal Navy for training and maritime patrol duties.

Since 2010 Uruguayan Navy has been interested in the acquisition of six Lockheed S-3 Viking used from USN stocks, but a shortage of funds are delaying any purchase.

In 2021, Admiral Jorge Wilson, Commander of the Uruguayan Navy, signed a Letter of Acceptance which will allow the transfer of three Marine Protector-class patrol vessels from the United States Coast Guard.

The current administration will pay $50 million while the rest of the money will be paid in the next ten years, with the first vessel expected to be delivered by June 2024.