Nueva Esparta-class destroyer

{{Infobox ship image

|Ship image=Nueva Esparta Class Destroyer.jpg

|Ship caption=Aragua

}}

{{Infobox ship class overview

|Name=Nueva Esparta class

|Builders=Vickers Armstrongs Shipyards, Barrow-in-Furness

|Operators={{navy|Venezuela}}

|Class before=

|Class after=

|Subclasses=

|Built range=1951-1956

|In commission range=1953-1978

|Total ships building=

|Total ships planned=3

|Total ships completed=3

|Total ships cancelled=

|Total ships active=

|Total ships laid up=

|Total ships lost=

|Total ships retired=3

|Total ships preserved=

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

|Hide header=

|Header caption=

|Ship type=Destroyer

|Ship displacement=*Standard: 2,600 tons

Full load: 3,670 tons

|Ship length={{convert|402|ft|m|abbr=on}}

|Ship beam={{convert|43|ft|m|abbr=on}}

|Ship draught={{convert|19|ft|m|abbr=on}}

|Ship draft=

|Ship power=*2 Foster Wheeler boilers (650 psi, 850 °F)

{{convert|50,000|shp|lk=in|abbr=on}}

|Ship propulsion=Parsons steam turbines

|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn}}

|Ship range={{convert|10,000|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn|abbr=on}}

|Ship complement=18 officers and 236 crew members

|Ship sensors=*Radar Type 293Q target indication

Radar Type 291 air warning
Radar Type 274 navigation
Radar Type 275 fire control on director Mk.VI
Radar Type 262 fire control on director CRBF and STAAG Mk.II

|Ship EW=

|Ship armament=*6 × QF 4.5 inch naval gun Mark V guns in 3 twin BD Mark IV mountings

8 × 40 mm/60 Bofors A/A cannons in 4 twin STAAG Mk.II mounts
8 × 40 mm/60 Bofors A/A cannons in 4 twin Mk.V mounts
3 × Torpedo tubes for {{convert|21|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} Mk.IX torpedoes in 1 triple mount
1 × 'Squid A/S mortar

|Ship armour=

|Ship armor=

|Ship aircraft=

|Ship aircraft facilities=

|Ship notes=

}}

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 {{sclass|Tiger|cruiser}}.

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

File:Venezuelan destroyer ARV Zulia (D-21) underway in 1969.jpg exercise in 1969.]]

class="wikitable"

!width="10"|Code

!width="50"|Name

!width="30"|Shipyard ID.

!width="30"|Keel date

!width="30"|Launch date

!width="30"|Commissioned

!width="30"|Repair

!width="30"|Weapons refit

!width="30"|Major maint

!width="30"|Status

!width="20"|Decommissioned

!width="20"|Life cycle

D11

|Nueva Esparta

|1009

|24/07/1951

|19/11/1952

|08/12/1953

|1959

|1960

|1968/69

|Sunk

|1978

|25,08

D21

|Zulia

|1010

|24/07/1951

|29/06/1953

|14/02/1956

|1959

|1960

|N/A

|Floating museum - sunk

|1983

|29,32

D31

|Aragua

|1036

|29/06/1953

|27/01/1955

|14/02/1956

|1959

|N/A

|Sunk

|1975

|19,89

=Sensors and EW=

class="wikitable"

!width="50"|Model

!width="50"|Max range

!width="350"|Abilities

!width="100"|Notes

FH-4

|500

|Surface and aerial search, bearing, and classification data

|Passive RWR/ESM/SIGINT

Tipo 162

|Search, bearing, and range data

|Active sonar

Type 170

|Search, bearing & range data

|Active sonar

Type 177

|Search, bearing & range data

|Active/passive radar

Type 275 fc

|16

|Surface & aerial search in surface, bearing and classification, range & altitude data

|Radar

Type 293

|45

|Surface & aerial search in surface, bearing and range data, IFF

|Radar

Type 974

|25

|Surface & aerial search in surface, bearing and range data

|Radar

=Armament=

class="wikitable"

!Mount

!Rate of Fire

!Capacity

!Weapons per mount

8 x twin mounting 40mm L/60 Bofors

|120

|800

|16 x 40mm/60 twin double Bofors (max 16)

2 x Mark 4 Squid

|180

|3 x MK4 Squid (max 3)

3 x 4.5 inch (113 mm) L/45 Vickers Mark V in BD Mark IV twin mounting

|18

|900

|3 x 114mm/45 Vickers MK IV Twin (max 6)

=Magazines=

class="wikitable"

!width="50"|Magazines

!width="50"|Rate of Fire

!width="50"|Armor

!width="50"|Capacity

!width="100"|Stores

4.5 in (114 mm)

|18

|Light

|900

MK4 Squid

|15

|None

|20

40mm

|120

|None

|800

=Communications and datalinks=

class="wikitable"

!width="50"|Name

!width="50"|Type

!width="50"|Range

!width="50"|Channels

!width="100"|Description

|Radio

|300

|10

|HF secure

VHF

|Radio

|100

|10

|VHF secure

UHF

|Radio

|100

|10

|UHF secure

|Radio

|300

|10

|HF plain

VHF

|Radio

|100

|10

|VHF plain

UHF

|Radio

|100

|10

|UHF plain

=Sensor signatures=

class="wikitable"

!width="50"|Signature Type

!width="50"|Front

!width="50"|Side

!width="50"|Rear

Passive sonar

|95

|96

|97

Active sonar

|16

|27

|17

Visual

|110

|151

|110

|—12

|67

|18

Radar

|71

|140

|71

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

{{cite journal |last1=Caruana |first1=J.|last2=Freivogel |first2=Zvonimir |last3=Grobmeier |first3=A. H. |last4=Johnson |first4=Erik C. |last5=Viglietti |first5=Brian |title=Question 6/04: Venezuelan Neuva Esparta Class Destroyers |journal=Warship International |date=2005 |volume=XLII |issue=1 |pages=23–24 |issn=0043-0374}}
{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Erik C. |title=Question 6/04: Venezuelan Nueva Esparta Clas Destroyers |journal=Warship International |date=2006 |volume=XLIII |issue=1 |pages=35–36 |issn=0043-0374}}

External links

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/venezuela/navy-history.htm A brief history about this ships
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110928112410/http://www.dockmuseum.org.uk/archive/browser.asp?deepcriteria=Nueva+Esparta&searchtype=1 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
[http://oceania.pbwiki.com/Venezuelan+Navy list of Venezuelan Navy ships]

Category:Destroyer classes