AHC: Venezuelan Naval Engagement after independence

The Wikipedia page on the Venezuelan Navy lists its major engagements as being in the Venezuela war of independence back in 1810-1813.


Challenge: Have the Venezuelan Navy have a major engagement after independence. Preferably this is not a doomed effort to avoid collection of debts by either a European power or the United States.
 
Depending on how we're defining "major," World War II vs either the Germans or the Vichy French is probably your best bet.
 
Well, there was a spat with the Dutch over Curacao that resulted in the Dutch capturing a guardship in 1908, but that's probably not what you're looking for.

The Venezuelan Navy first got big in the 1950s, and I'm not sure how to have that expansion come earlier - who's Venezuela going to be in a naval arms race against? Why spend money on ships rather than education and infrastructure (both of which were strongly lacking in the first half of the 20th century). Perhaps there could be a renewal of the Dutch-Venezuelan dispute over Curacao?

I suppose Venezuelan Navy elements could be involved in a major battle against Soviet submarines during a World War III scenario - again, not sure if this counts.
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EDIT: According to Conway's All the World's Ships, during World War II the Venezuelan Navy had just a few 615t gunboats, not enough for a safe engagement against the Germans or a Vichy force; they picked up some war-surplus corvettes and cutters around 1946-1947, but only had a significant navy starting in the 1950s, with the Nueva Esparta-class destroyers.
 
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