Simón Bolívar at anchor
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History | |
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Venezuela | |
Name: | Simón Bolívar |
Namesake: | Simón Bolívar |
Builder: | Astilleros Celaya S.A., Bilbao |
Laid down: | 1978 |
Launched: | 21 November 1979 |
Commissioned: | 12 August 1980 |
Homeport: | La Guaira |
Identification: |
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General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Steel class "A" tall ship |
Displacement: | 1260 tons |
Length: | 270 ft (82 m) oa |
Beam: | 35 ft 1 in (10.7 m) |
Draft: | 14 ft 6 in (4.4 m) full load |
Installed power: | 750 hp (560 kW) |
Propulsion: | 1 Detroit diesel 12V-149t |
Sail plan: |
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Complement: | 110 plus 87 cadets |
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.
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. Their design is similar to the 1930 designs of the German firm Blohm & Voss, like Gorch Fock, USCGC Eagle and the NRP Sagres. She was launched in Bilbao on 21 November 1979.
She was commissioned on 12 August 1980. She participated in Operation Sail in 1986 and again in 2000, 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.
In 1995 she won the golden prize in the international Americas' Sail tall ship race.