--- id: c895ca1f-4ded-41f0-b4d1-f1a0ff1f51a8 title: 'ARV Mariscal Sucre: Venezuelan Frigate' abstract: The ARV Mariscal Sucre is a Mariscal Sucre-class frigate in service with the Venezuelan Navy. Commissioned in 1980, the vessel was built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico in Italy and features a CODOG propulsion system with gas turbines and diesel engines. It serves as a key asset for Venezuela's maritime sovereignty and defense operations. classification: primary: '629.5' secondary: - '355.4' - '629.53' udc_main_class: '6' tags: - frigate - Venezuelan Navy - military ship - Mariscal Sucre - naval warfare - warship topics: - Naval Engineering - Military History - Venezuela author: '' created_at: '2026-05-31T23:39:54.479347' updated_at: '2026-06-01T01:02:30.917311' sources: - type: url uri: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARV_Mariscal_Sucre format: url_fetch udc_label: Other engineering version: '1' --- ## Card: ARV Mariscal Sucre: Venezuelan Frigate The ARV Mariscal Sucre is a Mariscal Sucre-class frigate in service with the Venezuelan Navy. Commissioned in 1980, the vessel was built by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico in Italy and features a CODOG propulsion system with gas turbines and diesel engines. It serves as a key asset for Venezuela's maritime sovereignty and defense operations. ## Classification Primary: 629.5 | Secondary: 355.4, 629.53 | Tags: frigate, Venezuelan Navy, military ship, Mariscal Sucre, naval warfare, warship | Topics: Naval Engineering, Military History, Venezuela ## Content ARV Mariscal Sucre - Wikipedia Jump to content Main menu Main menu move to sidebar hide Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Special pages Search Search Appearance Donate Create account Log in Personal tools Donate Create account Log in Contents move to sidebar hide (Top) 1 Development and design 2 Construction and career 3 Gallery 4 References 5 Bibliography Toggle the table of contents ARV Mariscal Sucre 3 languages Español Italiano Português Edit links Article Talk English Read Edit View history Tools Tools move to sidebar hide Actions Read Edit View history General What links here Related changes Upload file Permanent link Page information Cite this page Get shortened URL Print/export Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item Appearance move to sidebar hide From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mariscal Sucre-class frigate ARV Mariscal Sucre on 12 July 1987 History Venezuela Name Mariscal Sucre Namesake Mariscal Sucre Ordered 1975 Builder Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico , Riva Trigoso Laid down 19 November 1976 Launched 28 September 1978 Commissioned 10 May 1980 Home port Puerto Cabello Identification Pennant number : F-21 Motto Soberanía y libertad (Sovereignty and freedom) Status Active General characteristics Class & type Mariscal Sucre -class frigate Displacement 2.506  t (2.466 long tons) full load Length 113.2 m (371 ft) LOA Beam 11.3 m (37 ft) Draft 3.7 m (12 ft) Propulsion - CODOG scheme - 2 x shaft - 2 x GE / Fiat LM2500 gas turbines 50,000 shp (37,000 kW) - 2 x diesel engines Grandi Motori Trieste GMT A230-20 diesel engines 7,800 shp (5.8 MW) - 4 x diesel engine generators Grandi Motori Trieste GMT 236SS, 3,000 kW (4,000 shp) Speed 35 kn (65 km/h) with gas turbines 21 kn (39 km/h) with diesels Range 4,300 nmi (8,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h) Complement 185 (20 officers) Sensors & 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 - SLR-4 ESM system - SLQ-D ECM system - AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy - 2 x Breda SCLAR decoy launchers Armament - 8 x Otomat Mk 2 SSMs - 1 x Mk.29 octuple launcher for Sea Sparrow / Aspide SAM - 2 x Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes - 1 x OTO Melara 127/54 mm gun - 2 x OTO Melara Twin 40L70 DARDO compact gun Aircraft carried 1 AB-212ASW helicopter Aviation facilities Flight deck: 25.2 m × 11.3 m (83 ft × 37 ft) Telescopic hangar for 1 medium helicopter. ARV Mariscal Sucre (F-21) is the lead ship of the Mariscal Sucre -class frigate of the Venezuelan Navy . Development and design [ edit ] Main article: Mariscal Sucre-class frigate 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 [ edit ] Mariscal Sucre was laid down on 19 November 1976 and launched on 28 September 1978 by Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico at Riva Trigoso . She was commissioned on 10 May 1980. Over the years she has participated in multiple important naval exercises and has been the flagship of the multinational UNITAS exercise . In 1987, together with other units of the Venezuelan navy, she participated in the confrontation with Colombia which almost resulted in an armed conflict, known in Colombia as the ARC Caldas corvette crisis , in which a dispute relating to the territorial waters of the Gulf of Maracaibo naval forces in the area, and a significant deployment of military means at the border of the two countries. [ 1 ] Between 1998 and 2002, together with her sister ARV Almirante Brión , she underwent modernization works at the Ingalls Shipbuilding plants in Pascagoula in Mississippi . [ 2 ] The changes involved the total overhaul of the hull, the replacement of the diesel propulsion engines, the modernization of the gas turbines, the replacement of the powertrain control system, the replacement of the generators, a new navigation radar, new sonar. to hull, new electronic systems that have modernized the command and control system, significantly improving the level of automation and allowing the crew to be reduced from 185 to 131 men. The unit was equipped with MTU 20V 1163 diesel engines, the new Elta EL / M-2238 Star 3D surveillance and air search radar, the ESM / ECM Elisra NS 9003/9005 system and of the Elbit ENTCS 2000 system for shooting control. The SCLAR launchers have been replaced by 130mm Mk 137 launchers, as well as the sonar which in the new configuration is the Northrop Grumman SQS-53C hull mounted. The ships are equipped with the Sperry marine MK 39 navigation system and the SHINCOM 2100 integrated communication system from DRS Technologies . Venezuela never paid the full bill for this repair, leading to more than 20 years of litigation in the US and in international arbitration [ 3 ] starting in 2002. As of 2023, the successor to Ingalls Shipbuilding, Northrop Grumman Ship Systems continued to seek satisfaction of a claim of USD 137,977,646.43 plus interest by taking part in a court-ordered asset sale of the US possessions of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA . 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). [ 4 ] Gallery [ edit ] ARV Mariscal Sucre , date unknown. ARV Mariscal Sucre in 2008. ARV Mariscal Sucre and ARV General Salóm on 12 July 1987. ARV Mariscal Sucre on 12 July 1987. ARV Mariscal Sucre on 12 July 1987. References [ edit ] ^ ".::: CABALLEROS ANDANTES :: Leyendas Medievales :::" . 29 October 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013 . Retrieved 28 March 2021 . ^ "Las Fragatas Clase ¨LUPO¨ - Venezuela Defensa" . 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 . Retrieved 28 March 2021 . ^ "Northrop Grumman v. Ministry of Defense" . ^ "Unidades del Escuadrón de Fragatas" . archive.is . 24 December 2012 . Retrieved 28 March 2021 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ( link ) Bibliography [ edit ] Scheina, Robert L. & Smigielski, Adam (1995). "Venezuela". In Chumbley, Stephen (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947–1995 (revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. pp.  635– 637. ISBN   1-55750-132-7 . v t e Lupo -class frigates   Marina Militare Lupo class Lupo Sagittario Perseo Orsa Soldati class Artigliere (ex- Hitten ) Aviere (ex- Thi Qar ) Bersagliere (ex- Al Qadissiya ) Granatiere (ex- Al Yarmouk )   Iraqi Navy S Hitten Thi Qar Al Qadissiya Al Yarmouk   Peruvian Navy Carvajal class Carvajal Villavisencio Montero Mariátegui Aguirre (ex- Orsa ) Palacios (ex- Lupo ) Coronel Bolognesi (ex- Perseo ) Quiñones (ex- Sagittario )   Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela Mariscal Sucre Almirante Brión General Urdaneta General Soublette General Salóm Almirante García S Seized before delivery due to arms embargo Preceded by: Alpino class Followed by: Maestrale class List of frigates of the Italian Navy List of frigates of the Peruvian Navy List of frigates of the Bolivarian Armada of Venezuela Portals : Italy Engineering Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=ARV_Mariscal_Sucre&oldid=1349258113 " Categories : 1978 ships Lupo-class frigates Ships built in Riva Trigoso Hidden categories: CS1: unfit URL CS1 maint: deprecated archival service Articles with short description Short description is different from Wikidata Use dmy dates from March 2021 This page was last edited on 16 April 2026, at 13:43  (UTC) . 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