ARM Angel Ortiz Monasterio
Offshore Patrol Vessel · Mexico · Lost Sunk in August 2026 as part of a controlled scuttling near San Carlos, Guaymas. · The Sea of Cortez
Named for a 19th-century Mexican admiral, this Spanish-built oceanic patrol vessel spent decades guarding Mexican waters before joining Sonora's growing artificial reef system.
The Vessel and Her Loss
Built between 1981 and 1982 by Empresa Nacional Bazan in Cadiz, Spain, this Uribe/Halcon-class oceanic patrol vessel entered Mexican Navy service in 1983, named for Vice Admiral Angel Ortiz Monasterio. After roughly four decades of coastal patrol service, she was deliberately sunk near San Carlos, Guaymas, Sonora, in August 2026 to expand the Sistema Arrecifal Artificial Sonorense, joining a growing collection of retired naval vessels forming a large artificial reef in the Sea of Cortez.
Vessel
- 1982
- PO-26 (also recorded as P-126/GH-06)
- Empresa Nacional Bazan
- San Fernando, Cadiz, Spain
- Steel
- 220 ft
- 34 ft
- 988
- Diesel-electric drive, twin shaft
- Secretaria de Marina - Armada de Mexico
Loss
- Sunk in August 2026 as part of a controlled scuttling near San Carlos, Guaymas.
- Intentional sinking
- Near San Carlos Bay, Guaymas
- Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez)
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- 0
- Not established
The Wreck Today
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Not established
- Part of the Sistema Arrecifal Artificial Sonorense (SAAS), developed with the Secretaria de Marina and the Sonora state government.
Position
- Not established
- Position not established
- San Carlos, Guaymas, Sonora
Evidence
Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)
Precise final decommissioning date and full patrol service history are not established in the sources reviewed.
Secretaria de Marina - Armada de Mexico (SEMAR)
Confirmation of the controlled sinking, purpose, and vessel identity.
Build details, commissioning date, and class information.
Overview of the Sistema Arrecifal Artificial Sonorense program.
