Guaicamacuto-class patrol boat

The Guaicamacuto-class patrol boats (Avante 1400) is a class of offshore patrol vessels or BVL (Spanish: Buque de Vigilancia de Litoral) in Venezuelan Navy service for patrol duty in economic exclusive zone. A contract for four BVLs and four POVZEE was signed together on 25 November 2005. Since 2014 the Spanish Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the €42m "commission" paid to some of those involved.[3]

Guaicamacuto in 2010
Class overview
Builders: Navantia, Cádiz, San Fernando Yard
Operators:  Bolivarian Armada of Venezuela
Planned: 4
Completed: 4
Active: 3
Lost: 1
General characteristics
Type: Patrol vessel
Displacement: 1,453 tons standard displacement, 1,720 tons full load
Length: 79.9 m (262 ft 2 in)
Beam: 11.8 m (38 ft 9 in) (max.)[1]
Draught: 7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Propulsion:
Speed: 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Range: 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement: 34 + 30
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Surface Search radar: Thales VARIANT, I - G band
  • Fire Control radar: Thales STING EO, I - K band with TV/IR/Laser
  • Electro-Optics: Thales MIRADOR
Armament:
Aircraft carried: AB212, AB412 and AS565
Aviation facilities: Landing pad[1]

The final vessel of the class was to have been named after Tamanaco, a 16th-century tribal leader, but in 2013 GC-24 was renamed Comandante eterno Hugo Chávez after the death of the then president. GC-24 was laid down in 2008 under the supervision of Navantia at the Venezuelan National Dams and Shipyards (DIANCA) in Puerto Cabello, was launched in 2014 and began sea trials in April 2018, but Navantia pulled out of Venezuela in January 2019 before trials were complete.[4]

Ships of class
Name Pennant Launched Commissioned Fate
Guaicamacuto GC-21 16 October 2008 2 March 2010[5]
Yaviré GC-22 11 March 2009[6] 29 January 2011
Naiguatá GC-23 24 June 2009[7] 1 March 2011 Sunk
Comandante eterno Hugo Chávez GC-24 2014

Naiguatá (GC-23) sunk after ramming the cruise ship RCGS Resolute on 30 March 2020 in an apparent attempt to seize it.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Navantia Avante 1400 patrol ship" (PDF). Navantia. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  2. "Wartsila Propulsion Solutions for OPVs" (PDF).
  3. Ángel Noceda, Miguel (28 July 2014). "El macrocontrato de Navantia en Venezuela tropieza por los avales". El Pais (in Spanish).
  4. Gonzalez, Miguel (29 January 2019). "España retira su apoyo al buque de guerra 'Comandante Eterno Hugo Chávez'". El Pais (in Spanish).
  5. "Navantia Launches and Commissions Two OPVs to Venezuelan Navy".
  6. "Navantia launches second OPV for Venezuela".
  7. "Navantia launches first Venezuelan OPV".
  8. "Venezuelan Navy boat rams German cruise ship and sinks". Deutsche Welle. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
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