ARV General Urdaneta (F-23)

ARV General Urdaneta (F-23) was the third ship of the Mariscal Sucre-class frigate of the Venezuelan Navy.

ARV General Urdaneta on 1 June 1987
History
Venezuela
NameGeneral Urdaneta
NamesakeGeneral Urdaneta
Ordered1975
BuilderCantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico, Ancona
Laid down23 January 1978
Launched23 March 1979
Commissioned8 August 1981
Decommissioned2014
HomeportPuerto Cabello
IdentificationPennant number: F-23
Motto
  • Patria honor y mar
  • (Homeland honor and sea)
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typeMariscal Sucre-class frigate
Displacement2.506 t (2.466 long tons) full load
Length113.2 m (371 ft) LOA
Beam11.3 m (37 ft)
Draft3.7 m (12 ft)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 35 kn (65 km/h) with gas turbines
  • 21 kn (39 km/h) with diesels
Range4,300 nmi (8,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h)
Complement185 (20 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • - Selenia SADOC 2 combat management system
  • - 1 x Selenia SPS-774 (RAN-10S) early warning radar
  • - 1 x Selenia SPQ-2F CORA OTH surface search radar
  • - 1 x Selenia SPS-702 (or RAN-11L/X) air/surface search radar
  • - 1 x Selenia SPG-70 (RTN-10X) fire control radar
  • - 1 x Raytheon Mk 95 fire control radar
  • - 2 x Selenia SPG-74 (RTN-20X) fire control radar
  • - 1 x GEM Elettronica AN/SPN-748 navigation radar
  • - Raytheon DE 1160B (SQS-56) hull sonar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Aircraft carried1 AB-212ASW helicopter
Aviation facilities
  • Flight deck: 25.2 m × 11.3 m (83 ft × 37 ft)
  • Telescopic hangar for 1 medium helicopter.

Development and design

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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

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General Urdaneta was laid down in June 1977 and launched on 22 February 1979 by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico at Ancona. She was commissioned on 7 March 1981.

Over the years she has participated in multiple important naval exercises and has been the flagship of the multinational UNITAS exercise.

On 1 January 1990, she came alongside USS Hayler during UNITAS 1990.

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]

She has been drydocked at Puerto Cabello shipyard since 2014.[2]

ARV General Urdaneta completed her operational fleet refit in the 4 Missile Frigates, which already completed the fairing, axles, valves and electrical work in April 2015.[3]

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References

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  1. ^ "Unidades del Escuadrón de Fragatas". archive.is. 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 24 December 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  2. ^ Infodefensa.com (21 March 2015). "La fragata General Urdaneta de la Armada de Venezuela será reflotada la próxima semana en el astillero Dianca - Noticias Infodefensa América". Infodefensa.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Armada Nacional Bolivariana - Página 69". América Militar: información sobre defensa, seguridad y geopolítica (in European Spanish). 9 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2021.