The Nueva Esparta-class destroyers were a class of destroyers used by the navy of Venezuela. The lead ship was named after Nueva Esparta (Spanish for "New Sparta"), one of the states of Venezuela.
These ships were ordered in 1950, and were built by the Vickers-Armstrongs shipyards in Barrow-in-Furness between 1951 and 1954.
History The ships were designed by Vickers-Armstrong shipyards in the 1950s for the Venezuela naval forces. The design has been identified as a derivative of the Batch 3 Battle-class destroyers built for the United Kingdom and Australia, according to information released by the International Naval Research Organization and several independent researchers in 2006. They were to form part of a fleet that included a 25,000 ton aircraft carrier and a .
The fleet arrangement for 30/04/1949 covers:
1 (25,000-ton) aircraft carrier (conceptual engineering) 1 (8,000-ton) cruiser (detailed engineering) 3 Nueva Esparta-class destroyers (built) 6 Alimirante Celemente-class destroyer escorts (built) 4 submarines (1 used from US Navy) 12 patrol boats (detailed engineering) 2 minesweepers (basic engineering) 1 marine assault ship (built)
The names assigned to these ships were associated with states in Venezuela. Nueva Esparta refers to bravery and loyalty. Zulia to remember the Battle of Lake Maracaibo in the Venezuelan War of Independence and the huge contribution of this state to that conflict. Aragua because this state is the military heart of Venezuela, and as homage to the La Victoria battle remembered on "Youth Day".
Ships
CodeNameShipyard ID.Keel dateLaunch dateCommissionedRepairWeapons refitMajor maintStatusDecommissionedLife cycleD11Nueva Esparta100924/07/195119/11/195208/12/1953195919601968/69Sunk197825,08D21Zulia101024/07/195129/06/195314/02/195619591960N/AFloating museum - sunk198329,32D31Aragua103629/06/195327/01/195514/02/19561959N/AN/ASunk197519,89
Sensors and EW
ModelMax rangeAbilitiesNotesFH-4500Surface and aerial search, bearing, and classification dataPassive RWR/ESM/SIGINTTipo 1621Search, bearing, and range dataActive sonarType 1703Search, bearing & range dataActive sonarType 1773Search, bearing & range dataActive/passive radarType 275 fc16Surface & aerial search in surface, bearing and classification, range & altitude dataRadarType 29345Surface & aerial search in surface, bearing and range data, IFFRadarType 97425Surface & aerial search in surface, bearing and range dataRadar
Armament MountRate of FireCapacityWeapons per mount8 x twin mounting 40mm L/60 Bofors12080016 x 40mm/60 twin double Bofors (max 16)2 x Mark 4 Squid18033 x MK4 Squid (max 3)3 x 4.5 inch (113 mm) L/45 Vickers Mark V in BD Mark IV twin mounting189003 x 114mm/45 Vickers MK IV Twin (max 6)
Magazines
MagazinesRate of FireArmorCapacityStores 4.5 in (114 mm)18Light900900MK4 Squid15None202040mm120None800800
Communications and datalinks NameTypeRangeChannelsDescriptionHFRadio30010HF secureVHFRadio10010VHF secureUHFRadio10010UHF secureHFRadio30010HF plainVHFRadio10010VHF plainUHFRadio10010UHF plain
Sensor signatures Signature TypeFrontSideRearPassive sonar959697Active sonar162717Visual110151110IR—126718Radar7114071
Service One ship was assigned to each destroyer division along with two Almirante Clemente-class destroyers; Nueva Esparta went to the first division, Zulia to the second and Aragua to the third.
References
Bibliography
External links http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/venezuela/navy-history.htm A brief history about this ships pictures https://web.archive.org/web/20181005072516/http://www.ussmullinnix.org/1962Cruise.html https://web.archive.org/web/20080217155523/http://www.navyphotos.co.uk/index12.htm list of Venezuelan Navy ships