Venezuelan War of Independence more years of war, the country achieved independence from Spain in 1821 under the leadership of its most famous son, Simón Bolívar. Venezuela, along with the countries of Colombia, Panama, and Ecuador, formed part of the Republic of Gran Colombia until 1830, when Venezuela separated and became a sovereign country. The French invasion of Spain in 1808 led to the collapse of the Spanish Monarchy. Most subjects of Spain did not accept the government of Joseph Bonaparte, placed on the Spanish throne by his brother, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte of France. At the same time, the process of creating a stable
USS Simon Bolivar (SSBN-641) Bolivar". As part of a "warm – cold water" refit exchange program, in 1977 the ship conducted one "cold water" refit from the Holy Loch SSBN site in Scotland with maintenance and supply services provided by submarine tender . Departing Holy Loch for her assigned operating areas the ship then completed its 34th deterrent patrol. Following a trans-Atlantic transit, "Simon Bolivar" returned to the "warm water" Charleston SSBN site to continue its normal refit-patrol operating cycle from the continental US. In February 1979, following her 40th deterrent patrol, "Simon Bolivar" entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine, for overhaul and