Guaicamacuto-class patrol boat

The Guaicamacuto-class patrol boats (Avante 1400) is a class of offshore patrol vessels or BVL (Spanish: Buque de Vigilancia de Litoral) in Venezuelan Navy service for patrol duty in the county's exclusive economic zone. A contract for four BVLs and four POVZEE was signed together on 25 November 2005. Since 2014 the Spanish Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office has been investigating the €42m "commission" paid to some of those involved.^[3]

Naiguatá during sea trials
Class overview
Builders	Navantia, Cádiz, San Fernando Yard
Operators	Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela
Planned	4
Completed	4
Active	3
Lost	1
General characteristics
Type	Patrol vessel
Displacement	1,453 tons standard displacement, 1,720 tons full load
Length	79.9 m (262 ft 2 in)
Beam	11.8 m (38 ft 9 in) (max.)[1]
Draught	7 m (23 ft 0 in)
Propulsion	CODAD, 4 × MTU 12V-1163-TB93 rated at 4440 kW each 2 × shaft with Wärtsilä 5C09 controllable pitch propeller[2]
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Range	4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Complement	34 + 30
Sensors & processing systems	Surface Search radar: Thales VARIANT, I - G band Fire Control radar: Thales STING EO, I - K band with TV/IR/Laser Electro-Optics: Thales MIRADOR
Armament	Guns: 1 × Oto Melara 76 mm (A position) 1 × 35 mm Oerlikon Millennium (Y position) 2 × 12.7 mm (B position)
Aircraft carried	AB212, AB412 and AS565
Aviation facilities	Landing pad[1]

The final vessel of the class was to have been named after Tamanaco, a 16th-century tribal leader, but in 2013 GC-24 was renamed Comandante eterno Hugo Chávez after the death of the then president. GC-24 was laid down in 2008 under the supervision of Navantia at the Venezuelan National Dams and Shipyards (DIANCA) in Puerto Cabello, was launched in 2014 and began sea trials in April 2018, but Navantia pulled out of Venezuela in January 2019 before trials were complete.^[4]

Ships of class

Name	Pennant	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Guaicamacuto	GC-21	Navantia, Spain	16 October 2008	2 March 2010[5]
Yaviré	GC-22		11 March 2009[6]	29 January 2011
Naiguatá	GC-23		24 June 2009[7]	1 March 2011	Sunk after ramming an unarmed civilian vessel
Comandante eterno Hugo Chávez	GC-24	DIANCA, Puerto Cabello	2014[needs update]	[citation needed]

Naiguatá sunk after ramming the cruise ship RCGS Resolute on 30 March 2020 in an apparent attempt to seize it.^[8][9]

See also

• Viana do Castelo-class patrol vessel