Simón Bolívar (barque)

Simón Bolívar is a training vessel for the Venezuelan Navy. She sails from the home port of La Guaira and is a frequent participant in tall ship events. She is named after Simón Bolívar, the liberator of Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Venezuela.

Simon Bolivar under sail
Simón Bolívar at anchor
History
Venezuela
NameSimón Bolívar
NamesakeSimón Bolívar
BuilderAstilleros Celaya S.A., Bilbao
Laid down1978
Launched21 November 1979
Commissioned12 August 1980
HomeportLa Guaira
Identification
StatusActive as of 2018
General characteristics
Class and typeSteel class "A" tall ship[Note 1]
Displacement1260 tons
Length270 ft (82 m) oa
Beam35 ft 1 in (10.7 m)
Draft14 ft 6 in (4.4 m) full load
Installed power750 hp (560 kW)
Propulsion1 Detroit diesel 12V-149t
Sail plan
Complement110 plus 87 cadets

Design

Simón Bolívar was built in the Spanish shipyard of Astilleros Celaya in Bilbao, Spain. She is one of four similar barques built as sail training vessels for Latin American navies; her half-sisters are the Mexican Cuauhtémoc, the Colombian Gloria and the Ecuadoran Guayas.[1]

History

She was commissioned on 12 August 1980. She participated in Operation Sail in 1986 and again in 2000,[2] visiting New York City on both occasions. She formed part of the French Voiles de la liberté in 1989, Armada de la liberté in 1994 and Armada du siècle in 1999.[3]

In 1995 she won the golden prize in the international Americas' Sail tall ship race.[4]

From 2002 until 2008 she was in refit at Diques y Astilleros Nacionales Compañía Anónima state shipyard in Puerto Cabello.

She participated in Velas Sudamerica 2010, an historical Latin American tour by eleven tall ships to celebrate the bicentennial of the first national governments of Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Mexico.[5]

She is classified as a Class A Tall Ship by the International Sail Training Association and has the MMSI number 735059037.

See also

Notes
  1. Class "A" denotes any sailing vessel over 40m in length and all square-rigged vessels.

References
  1. Schäuffelen, Otmar (2005). Chapman Great Sailing Ships of the World. Hearst Books. p. 41. ISBN 978-1-58816-384-4.
  2. "Tall ship Simon Bolivar passes the Statue of Liberty". newsday.com. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  3. "Les bateaux - fiches techniques (Simon Bolivar)" (in French). Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  4. America's Sail History (in English)
  5. "Velas Sudamerica 2010".

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