Venezuela May Name New Sub ABV Simon Bolivar

El Presidento Hugo Chavez of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela considers naming the lead ship of his proposed submarine fleet after Caracas native Simón Bolívar. Bolívar, born in 1783, has been credited with the independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia.

The first sub will be a Project 636 diesel, while the next 4 are expected to be Project 950 Amur submarines. Currently, Venezuela operates 2 vintage, 109 class (Type A-1300) subs purchased from West Germany in 1972.

On October 19, 2008, Chavez announced plans to build the country's first naval base on the island of Margarita to protect Venezuela's Caribbean coast.

The U.S. once had a nuclear Polaris missile submarine named USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641). It was decommissioned in 1995.

Armada Bolivariana de Venezuela (ABV) is the official name of the Venezuelan Navy.