Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela

Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela
Coat of Arms of the Navy
Active	1811 – Present
Country	Venezuela
Branch	Navy of Venezuela
Size	6 frigates 4 corvettes 2 submarines 4 amphibious ship 8 patrol boat 3 auxiliary ship
Part of	Ministry of People's Power for Defense
Patron	Virgen del Valle
Motto(s)	Navegare necesse, vivere non necesse (Latin: "Sailing is necessary, but living is not".)
Colors	Navy Blue
March	Marcha Epica de las Fuerzas Navales (Grand March of the National Navy)
Engagements	Venezuelan War of Independence Battle of Lake Maracaibo
Commanders
Current commander	Admiral Gilberto Pinto Blanco
Ceremonial chief	Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela Nicolás Maduro Moros
Notable commanders	José Prudencio Padilla Luis Brión
Insignia
Naval Ensign
Naval Jack
Naval Jack 1930–2006	File:Naval Jack of Venezuela 1930–2006.svg

The navy of Venezuela is officially called the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela (Spanish language: Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela ).

It serves the purpose of defending the naval sovereignty of the country, including inland, fluvial security, it also serves to prevent illegal activities in the Venezuelan borders and collaborates with international organizations to safeguard international waters from criminal activities.

History

The Navy was born as a coastal defense force during the height of the Venezuelan War of Independence. In April 1811 the Nautical School was opened by order of the national government in La Guaira to train future naval officers, months before the Venezuelan Declaration of Independence, thus the Navy's origins start from this date, with its first vessels being those formerly used by the naval forces of the Captaincy General of Venezuela.

For long time their vessels, even if obsolete, were maintained properly by its sailors. In 1937 the Navy acquired from Italy two gunboats of the Azio class and rechristened them General Soublette and General Urdaneta; these ships where retained in service until 1951 (for other sources in 1948 or 1950) and scrapped later.

Joint exercises

In September, 2008, the Russian Navy's nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, accompanied by three other ships of Russia's Northern Fleet, sailed from its base in Severomorsk on a cruise to the Caribbean Sea for a joint exercise with the Venezuelan Navy. This action represented the first major Russian power projection in that region since the end of the Cold War. The fleet of ships, headed by the nuclear-powered Pyotr Velikiy, set off from its base at Severomorsk in the Arctic on Monday, September 22. Russian Navy spokesman Igor Dygalo told the AFP news agency, "It's the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser Peter the Great, the anti-submarine warship Admiral Chebanenko and other accompanying ships". The other ships included a tug boat and supply ships.

Organization of the Navy

The Navy is led by the Commanding General of the Navy, by 2012 Admiral Diego Antonio Guerra Barreto.^{[citation needed]}

Naval Operations Command

Led by the Chief of Naval Operations, as of 2013 Vice Admiral Jesus Gerardo Ortega Hernández, it supervises all 4 naval operating commands.

Fleet Forces Command

Based in Naval Base Rear Admiral Agustín Armario in Puerto Caballo, Carabobo State it is the lead operating command of the Navy, divided into four operating squadrons:^{[citation needed]}

• Frigates Squadron
• Submarine Squadron
• Patrol Squadron
• Service and Amphibious Squadron

Fluvial Command

This command is the riverline and fluvial operations arm of the Navy mandated for riverline operations.

Venezuelan Naval Aviation Command

The command serves as the air arm of the Venezulean Navy.

Naval Air Stations of the Venezuelan Navy

There are eight Naval Air Statons:^{[citation needed]}

• NAS Puerto Cabello (NAC HQ)
• NAS Punto Fijo
• NAS Maiquieta
• NAS Caracas (Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda Air Base)
• NAS Guiria
• NAS La Blanquilla
• NAS La Orchila
• NAS Puerto Ayacucho (General in Chief José Antonio Páez AFB)

Coast Guard Command

Headquartered in La Guaira, Vargas, it is responsible for the surveillance of Venezuelas jurisdictional waters.

Support and Shore Establishment Commands

Naval Service Education and Training Command

The NSETC has eight component units tasked in the training of all officers and enlisted personnel:^{[citation needed]}

• Venezuelan Naval Academy
• Naval War College
• Naval Tactical Scenarios School
• Center of Naval Administration
• Military Technical Academy - Naval Branch
• Naval Technical School
• Naval Recruit Training School
• Naval Police School

Fleet Forces and Coast Guard ship organization

The following is the roster of active duty vessels and ships of the Venezuelan National Bolivarian Navy.

Vessels
Frigates
Class	Origin	Type	In Service	In order	shipyard	Notes
Mariscal Sucre	Italy	Missile frigate	3		3	mothballed at the DIANCA shipyard.
submarine
Clase Sabalo	Germany	Diesel-electric submarine	1		1	mothballed at the DIANCA shipyard.
Patrol and Guard Combat
Guaiquerí	Spain	Patrol (POVZEE)	3		1	PC-22 Warao, to be repaired after grounding off Fortaleza, Brazil in August 2012
Guaicamacuto	Spain	Patrol coast guard (BVL)	3	1		POV tamanaco is being assembled in DIANCA
Vosper Constitution class	USA	Patrol coast guard	3
Vosper Federation class	USA	Patrol coast guard	3
Coast Guard Patrol
USGC Point class Petrel	USA	patrol boat	4
Class Pagalo	VEN/Cuba	patrol boat	1	5		5 are under construction in Cuba
Class Gavion	USA	patrol boat	12
Fast Boats
Class Punta Macoya	VEN	fast boats	?
Class Chichiriviche	VEN	fast boats	?
Polaris	USA	fast boats	8
type Courage clase Constancia	VEN	fast boats	?
River Patrol Boats
Class Manaure	VEN	River Patrol	?
Class Guaicaipuro	VEN	River Patrol	?
Class Guri	VEN	riverboat	?
Class Terepaima	VEN	riverboat	?
River Patrol Boats
Capana	South Korea	Amphibious	4
Damen Stan Lander 5612 clase Los Frailes	NED	Amphibious	3	1		1 under construction in Cuba
Class Margarita	USA	Utility landing craft (LCU)	2
LCM (8) mod.1 Curiapo	USA	Utility landing craft (LCU)	1
LCVP Yopito	USA	Utility landing craft (LCU)	?
Auxilary Ships
Ciudad Bolivar	South Korea	Fleet replenishment ship			1	In service from 2012 DIANCA
Punta Brava	Spain	oceanographic vessel	1
Francisco de Miranda	NED	Salvage Tug	1
Bricbarc	Spain	Sail training ship	1
Class Los Taques	VEN	logistics ship	2
Class Gabriella	USA	Boat hydrographic	1
Hovercraft
Griffon 2000TD	United Kingdom	personnel transport	1
Griffon 1050TD	United Kingdom	Hovercraft hydrographic	1

Frigates

Venezuelan frigates General Salóm (foreground) and Mariscal Sucre conduct maneuvers

• Six Lupo/Mariscal Sucre-class missile frigates class

• • F-21 AB Mariscal Sucre, in service since 07-14-1980
  • F-22 AB Almirante Brión, in service since 03-07-1981
  • F-23 AB General Urdaneta, in service since 08-08-1981
  • F-24 AB General Soublette, in service since 12-04-1981
  • F-25 AB General Salóm, in service since 04-03-1982
  • F-26 AB Almirante García, in service since 07-30-1982

Ocean Patrol

PC-21 Guaiquerí

• Four Spanish-made offshore patrol vessels of the Guaiquerí class.

• • PC-21 AB Guaiquerí, in service since 14-04-2011
  • PC-22 AB Warao,in service since 02-08-2011 to be repaired after grounding off Fortaleza, Brazil in August 2012
  • PC-23 AB Yekuana, in service since 07-12-2011
  • PC-24 AB Kariña, in service since 23-04-2012

Amphibious and service ships

• Four Capana-class LST.
  • T-61 AB Capana, in service since 07-24-1984
  • T-62 AB Esequibo, in service since 07-24-1984^{[citation needed]}
  • T-63 AB Goajira, in service since 11-01-1984^{[citation needed]}
  • T-64 AB Los Llanos, in service since 11-01-1984
• Four Cuban made Los Frailes-class multipurpose LSTs
  • T-91 "AB Los Frailes", in service since March 2012
  • T-92 "AB Los Testigos", in service since December 2012
  • T-93 "AB Los Roques", in service since October 25, 2013
  • T-94. in construction
• One Ciudad Bolívar-class supply ship.
  • T-81 AB Ciudad Bolívar, in service since 09-23-2001
• One Bricbarc type/Simón Bolívar training sailboat.
  • BE-11 AB Simón Bolívar, in service since 08-6-1980
• One oceanographic ship
  • BO-11 "AB Punta Brava", in service since 03-24-1991

Coast patrol

File:Bvl.png

GC-21 Guaicamacuto

• Four Spanish-made offshore patrol vessels of the BVL class.
  • GC-21 AB Guaicamacuto, in service since 02-Mar-2010[3][5]
  • GC-22 AB Yavire, in service since 29-Jan-2011
  • GC-23 AB Naiguata, in service since 1-Mar-2011
  • GC-24 AB Tamanaco, in order

Coast guard ships

• Four USCG Point-class patrol boats, as of 2014.
  • PG-31 ′′AB Petrel′′, ex Point Knoll 27 June 1967 – 11 September 1991,Transfer to Venezuela 30 August 1998
  • PG-32 ′′AB Alcatraz′′, ex Point Judith 26 July 1966 – 15 January 1992,Transfer to Venezuela 20 December 1991
  • PG-33 ′′AB Albatros′′, ex Point Ledge 18 July 1962 – 3 August 1998,Transfer to Venezuela 30 August 1998
  • PG-34 ′′AB Pelicano′′, ex Point Franklin 14 November 1966 – 23 June 1998,Transfer to Venezuela 3 August 1998
• 12 Gavion-class patrol boats.
• Damen Stan 2600 vessels, built in Venezuela, similar to the United States Coast Guard's Marine Protector class, as of 2014.
  • PG-51 ′′AB Pagalo′′, in service since 10-09-08
  • PG-52, in order
  • PG-53, in order
  • PG-54, in order
  • PG-55, in order
  • PG-56, in order

Naval Aviation assets

Airplanes

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service as of 2014	Notes
CASA C-212-200 Patrullero	Spain	Maritime Patrol aircraft	C-212-200S43 Patrullero	3
CASA C-212-400 Aviocar	Spain	Transport aircraft	C-212-400 Aviocar	4
BE-200 Super King Air	USA	Transport	B-200	1
C-90 King Air	USA	Transport	C-90	1
Rockwell AC-980	USA	Transport aircraft		1
206 Stationair	USA	Transport aircraft		?

Note: The Navy has others two or three light aircraft.

Helicopters

Aircraft	Origin	Type	Versions	In service as of 2014	Notes
Bell 212 ASW	ITA	antisubmarine warfare	Agusta Bell AB-212 ASW	9	lost one in an accident
Bell 412	USA	transportation, assault and tactical support	Bell 412EP	7
MIL MI-17V-5	Russia	Assault/transport helicopter	Mi-17V-5	6
Bell TH-57A	USA	Training light helicopter	Sea Ranger	2
Bell 206B	USA	Training light helicopter	Jet Ranger	2
Harbin Z-9	China	Anti-submarine warfare	ASW	8 on order	First delivery in 2015

External links

• (Spanish) Sitio oficial del Ministerio del Poder Popular para la Defensa de Venezuela
• (Spanish) Sitio oficial de la Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela
• (Spanish) Sitio no oficial de la Fuerza Armada de Venezuela
• [2]