ARV General Soublette (F-24)
ARV General Soublette (F-24) was the fourth ship of the Mariscal Sucre-class frigate of the Venezuelan Navy.
ARV General Soublette and ARV General Salom on 1 January 1986 | |
History | |
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Venezuela | |
Name | General Soublette |
Namesake | General Soublette |
Ordered | 1975 |
Builder | Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Riva Trigoso |
Laid down | 26 August 1978 |
Launched | 4 January 1980 |
Commissioned | 5 December 1981 |
Homeport | Puerto Cabello |
Identification | Pennant number: F-24 |
Status | Decommissioned |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Mariscal Sucre-class frigate |
Displacement | 2.506 t (2.466 long tons) full load |
Length | 113.2 m (371 ft) LOA |
Beam | 11.3 m (37 ft) |
Draft | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | 4,300 nmi (8,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h) |
Complement | 185 (20 officers) |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 1 AB-212ASW helicopter |
Aviation facilities |
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Development and design
Venezuela ordered six Lupo-class frigates from CNR in 1975 as a replacement for older warships. These units were commissioned between 1980 and 1982. In general terms, their appearance and equipment is similar to those built for Peru, except for some differences in electronics and missiles. The first two ships, ARV Mariscal Sucre (F-21) and ARV Almirante Brión (F-22) were upgraded by Ingalls Shipbuilding over a four years period (1998–2002). The other ships in Venezuelan service were expected to undergo an austere version of this upgrade, but three ships were eventually taken out of service.
Construction and career
General Soublette was laid down on 26 August 1978 and launched on 4 January 1980 by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico at Riva Trigoso. She was commissioned on 5 December 1981.
Over the years she has participated in multiple important naval exercises and has been the flagship of the multinational UNITAS exercise.
With the change of name of the Venezuelan naval force, the unit prefix changed from ARV (Armada de la República de Venezuela) to AB (Armada Bolivariana).[1]
References
- "Unidades del Escuadrón de Fragatas". archive.is. 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2021.