San Hieronymo Peninsula

"Hmm, I don't remember that one. It mustn't be that important." This article is about a subject from outside Hideo Kojima's core "Metal Gear Saga." Its canonicity within the continuity is disputed, therefore reader discretion is advised.[?]

The location of the San Hieronymo Peninsula (red) on the Colombian coast.

The San Hieronymo Peninsula (Russian: Cан Иеронимо, transliterated from Spanish San Jerónimo), known locally as La Península de los Muertos (Spanish for "The Peninsula of the Dead"), was a peninsula located on the coast of central Colombia, almost directly south of Cuba, and in close proximity to the Barranquilla Coast. During the Cold War, it was the site of a top-secret Soviet missile base.

History

Early history

Some time prior to 1964, a fortress was established in the western half of the peninsula. The fortress lay in ruin by the time the Soviets acquired the peninsula.

Soviet occupation

A missile base was constructed on the peninsula in 1964, two years after the Soviets were forced to withdraw from Cuba for intermediate-range ballistic missiles during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Soviet Union acquired the land from the FARC, Colombia's largest guerrilla organization, in exchange for weapons to fight the Colombian regime. The United States Department of Defense came to suspect the existence of a Soviet base in the region, while the CIA were believed to have known even earlier.

Soviet personnel stationed in the region endured much suffering during the base's construction, due to the oppressive climate, poor food supplies, and lack of contact with friends and family, due to the secrecy of their mission. Many died from either disease or battle with the Colombian government alongside FARC. Despite this, they pressed on with their mission, believing that their efforts would greatly benefit Russia. However, the Soviet Union withdrew their plans at the end of the 1960s, when international tensions began to ease, and abandoned many soldiers and personnel on the peninsula, with only one missile silo ever being completed. To save face in the event of possible discovery, Russia severed communication lines and supply routes via sea to the region. The only time that the Red Army even visited the peninsula after withdrawing their plans was when they were to deliver discharged personnel.

San Hieronymo Incident

Main article: San Hieronymo Incident

Naked Snake fights FOX soldier Null on the San Hieronymo Peninsula.

In late 1970, the CIA's FOX Unit seized the compound and took control of most of its personnel in an attempt to gain a hold of military secrets stored there. They also modified the silo to accommodate a booster rocket for a CIA weapon that they had stolen, the Intercontinental Ballistic Metal Gear. The Soviet personnel, including Jonathan, ultimately didn't care if FOX took over, as they bore a grudge against the Soviet government for their earlier betrayal, and were also sold with Gene's concept of Army's Heaven. When intelligence indicated that the base on the peninsula was resuming construction, several Green Berets were dispatched to investigate, but they were massacred in an ambush by FOX, and its sole surviving member, Roy Campbell, was imprisoned. Eventually, Campbell allied with Naked Snake to form a resistance group, by recruiting disillusioned soldiers to their own side, and managed to halt FOX's plan to launch the ICBMG into the United States. FOX's rebellion on the peninsula was later covered up, with the official story indicating that Snake had been sent to take down the Soviet missile base.

Aftermath

Big Boss and his fledgling private army for hire, the Militaires Sans Frontières, would eventually set up camp at Barranquilla, in close proximity to San Hieronymo.

Geography

Map of the San Hieronymo Peninsula.

The San Hieronymo Peninsula is a mountainous region, divided into eastern and western portions by a river, for which passage was granted regarding trucks by a rail bridge. It also contains a very deep ravine towards the eastern half of the peninsula, which acted as a natural boundary for both the missile base's power substation and the silo complex itself. Due to its strategic value, the exact topography was classified top-secret by CIA files.

Base layout

The peninsula had a prison located near the northernmost coast of the western half of the peninsula. In addition, a communications base was located 5 kilometers southeast of the prison. Southwest from that was a supply depot. A significant distance away from the coast, nearing the border of the peninsula was a Soviet patrol base. To the east and slightly north of the patrol base was a hospital. North of the hospital was the research laboratory. A town was located to the northeast, and a rail bridge was a short distance north. At the center of the Western peninsula was the Western Wilderness. On the Eastern half of the peninsula, on the western shore, there was a harbor. A security base was located a short distance southeast from the rail bridge. Near the southern border, on the Eastern Half, was a warhead storage facility. Near the fork of the river that divides the peninsula in two was the airport. A guest house was close to the eastern shores of the main cliffside of the eastern half. A production plant was located to the southeast of the guest house. A ravine was to the south of the plant, with a power substation being near the northern part of the crevasse. To the east of the ravine was the main missile silo of the peninsula.

Locations

• Prison

Missile silo.

• Comm Base
• Supply Depot
• Soviet Patrol Base
• Hospital
• Research Lab
• Town
• Western Wilderness
• Rail Bridge
• Harbor
• Security Base
• Warhead Storage
• Airport
• Guest House
• Plant
• Ravine
• Power Substation
• Silo

Fauna

The animals present on the Peninsula were various colorful birds and reptiles, many of which could be presumed poisonous due to their colorful nature.

Missile base personnel (as of late 1970)

Soviet military

See also: Soviet soldiers and Soviet officers

The Soviet soldiers and officers were former members of the Red Army who participated in the top secret mission of developing a Soviet missile base on the San Hieronymo Peninsula. They helped FARC try to overthrow the current Colombian regime, losing several of their men in the process. When the Soviet government experienced a policy shift, they were abandoned by the Soviets when they cancelled the construction of the San Hieronymo missile base, specifically to make it seem as though various soldiers went renegade and built the missile base without the Soviets knowledge or consent should it ever be discovered. Because of this, they ended up serving Gene. The female officers used to work at desk jobs, but after FOX took over, they were put to the task of securing the base.

The soldiers wore balaclavas and a brown camo uniform. Some of them wore ammunition magazine vests.

• Colonel Skowronski (former commander)
• Private 1st Class Jonathan

Scientists and engineers

See also: Soviet scientists and Soviet engineers

Russian scientists who were brought to the San Hieronymo Peninsula to develop the various nuclear armaments and weapons on the peninsula, and to provide medical support to the Soviet troops. After the Soviets relinquished control over the Peninsula after Détente and a shift in policy, they became stranded and ceased their research. Their stock of medicine also dwindling due to the Soviets cutting off supplies. However, due to Gene's FOX Unit taking over the peninsula, the scientists were given the task of monitoring the culture tank of the Perfect Soldier, Null, and maintaining him, and they managed to retrieve their medical supplies.

Russian engineers who were tasked with repairing and maintaining various equipment on the San Hieronymo Peninsula. They weren't negatively impacted by the Soviet's withdrawal from the peninsula, as they still managed to do their duty. However, after the FOX Unit took over the peninsula, the engineers were also tasked with maintaining the ICBMG.

The male scientists wore white lab coats with ID badges and the marking "мч" on the left sleeve and front left pocket, with brown pants and a white shirt and red tie. Female scientists wore white lab coats with a pink or gray blouse underneath. The engineers wore blue uniforms.

• Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov (Metal Gear engineer)

FOX unit

See main article

Under the leadership of Gene, the FOX unit took over the chain of command at the San Hieronymo Peninsula and reorganized various positions. They mostly guard high security areas, with some also acting as direct supervisors over the Soviet personnel.

• Commander Gene (usurper commander)
• Lieutenant Cunningham (interrogation specialist)
• Elisa/Ursula (medical chief/precog)
• Python
• Null

U.S. government officials

See main article

U.S. officials who aided the FOX unit in stealing the ICBMG and Metal Gear RAXA as well as taking over the peninsula. They were eventually betrayed by Gene, and were either in hiding, imprisoned, or being escorted. Wore black suits and ties.

Prisoners

A variety of the soldiers were imprisoned on San Hieronymo for a variety of reasons, many of which deal with rebelling against his/her superiors, as well as due to homesickness and low morale. At least one prisoner was also an exile from the Soviet Union.

• Major Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov (GRU prisoner)

Military resources (as of late 1970)

Vehicles

• Transport tanker (1)
• Ural-4320 hooded transport truck (approximately 13)
  • Two stolen by Big Boss's resistance, five destroyed
• Hind A helicopters (at least seven)
• ICBMG
• Metal Gear RAXA
• Cunningham's flying platform
• Highway freight rig transport trucks

Weapons

See main article

• Mk22
• M1911A1
• Colt Single Action Army
• MAC-10
• Uzi
• Scorpion
• AK-47
• M16A1
• XM177E2
• SVD
• Mosin Nagant
• Ithaca M37
• M870
• M63
• RPG-7
• RGD-5 grenade
• Stun grenade
• Smoke grenade
• Chaff grenade
• GA-KO
• Magazine (book)
• TNT
• Shield
• Survival knife
• Spetsnaz knife
• Land mines
• Gun camera

Equipment

See main article

• Keys
  • Punch card
• Cardboard box
• Binoculars
• Thermal goggles
• NVG
• Mine detector
• Medical kits
• Rations
• Pentazemin
• Radio
• Infrared sensors
• Fire extinguishers
• Fuel drums

Behind the scenes

The San Hieronymo Peninsula is the setting of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus.

Kazuhira Miller briefly mentions San Hieronymo in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The English version of the line has him disparage the locale by referring to it as "crap", while in the Japanese version, he merely mentions severing ties to it without indicating any negativity towards it at all. In addition, the 2012 Scenario book for the same game, when covering the opening/tutorial level for the game, explains that the Militaires Sans Frontieres campsite at the Barranquilla Coast was located adjacent to the San Hieronymo Peninsula.

Appearances

• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
• Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (non-canon)
• Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (cutscene montage only)
• Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (mentioned only/online map)