Guaiquerí-class patrol boat

PC-21 Guaiquerí
Class overview
Builders: Navantia, Cadiz, Puerto Real Yard
Operators:  Bolivarian Armada of Venezuela
Building: 4
Planned: 4
Completed: 4
General characteristics
Type: Corvette
Displacement: 2,419 tons
Length: 99 m (325 ft)
Beam: 13.6 m (45 ft)
Draught: 7.2 m (24 ft)
Draft: 3.8 m (12 ft)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • Maximum: 24 knots
  • Cruising: 22 knots
  • Economy: 18 knots
Range: At cruising speed of 18 knots: 3500 Nm
Complement: 60 + 32
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Thales SMART-S Mk-2 multifunction radar
  • Thales Mirador EOTS
  • Thales Vigile 100 ESM
  • Thales Scout Mk2 LPI
  • Thales Sting 1.2
  • Thales TACTICOS CMS
Armament:

1 × Oto Melara 76 mm (A position)

1 × Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun System

2 × machine guns 12,7 mm
Aviation facilities: landing pad, hangar

The Guaiquerí class patrol vessels (Avante 2200 Combatant) are a class of ocean patrol vessels or POVZEE (Spanish: Patrullero Oceánico de Vigilancia de la Zona Económica Exclusiva) in Venezuelan Navy service. The lead ship were originally intended to have the pennant F-31 and name of Guaicaipuro but has since been renumbered.

Design

The POVZEE vessels feature stealth technology with reduced radar and infrared signatures as well as special design to minimize the propulsion system's noise emissions and vibrations. An aft hangar and flight deck enables operation of a single rotary-wing aircraft. The ship carries two small semi-rigid boats RHIB for rescue and transport purposes.

The first ship, PC-21 Guaiquerí was launched by Navantia, Cadiz on the June 24, 2009.[2]

On 3 August 2012, Warao grounded on a reef off Fortaleza, Brazil when arriving for joint exercise "VenBras-2012" with the Brazilian Navy. She was assisted by sister Kariña and refloated by Brazilian tugs.[3] The hull and propulsion system were heavily damaged and it was decided to repair her in Brazil with assistance from Navantia.[4] In March 2013 she arrived at the naval dockyard at Rio de Janeiro aboard Dutch heavy-lift dock Rolldock Sea.[5]

On 31 March 2016, the accidental discharge of a cannon on Guaiquerí left at least one dead and several injured. [6]

Ships of class

Name Pennant Laid Down Launched Commissioned
Guaiquerí PC-21 11-Sep-2008 24-Jun-2009 14-Apr-2011[7]
Warao PC-22 12-May-2009 03-Nov-2009 Aug-2011
Yekuana PC-23 22-Sep-2009 01-Mar-2010 9-Dec-2011
Kariña PC-24 17-Feb-2010 unknown Jan-2012

References

  1. ↑ "Wartsila Propulsion Solutions for OPVs" (PDF).
  2. ↑ "Navantia launches first Venezuelan OPV".
  3. ↑ "Navio de guerra venezuelano encalha no litoral de Fortaleza". Tribuna Hoje, Maceió AL (in Portuguese). 3 August 2012.
  4. ↑ "El patrullero oceánico Warao (PC-22) de la Armada de Venezuela será reparado en Brasil". infodefense.com (in Spanish). 9 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "El patrullero oceánico Warao de la Armada de Venezuela arriba a Río de Janeiro para su eventual reparación". infodefense.com (in Spanish). 7 March 2013.
  6. ↑ http://www.notiactual.com/explosion-buque-patrullero-oceanico-ab-guaiqueri-po-11-la-base-naval-puerto-cabello-deja-muerto-seis-heridos/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ↑ Navantia entrega a la Armada venezolana el primer Patrullero Oceánico de Vigilancia

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, April 01, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.