Everything about Amerigo Vespucci Ship totally explained
The
Amerigo Vespucci is a
tall ship of the
Marina Militare, named after the explorer
Amerigo Vespucci. Her home port is
Livorno,
Italy. As of
2005, she's still in use as a
school ship.
In 1925, the
Regia Marina ordered two school ships to be built following a design by Lieutenant Colonel
Francesco Rotundi of the Italian Navy Engineering Corps, inspired by the style of large late 18th century 74-cannon
ships of the line. The first of these two ships, the
Cristoforo Colombo, was put into service in 1928 and was used by the Italian Navy until 1943. After
World War II, this ship was handed over to the
USSR as part of the
war reparations and was shortly afterwards decommissioned.
The second ship of the design was the
Amerigo Vespucci. The ship was built in 1930 at the (formerly Royal) Naval Shipyard of
Castellammare di Stabia (
Naples). She was launched on
February 22,
1931, and was put into service in July of that year.
The vessel is a
full rigged three masted steel hull 82.4
m (270.34
ft) long, with an overall length of 101 m (331 ft) including the bowsprit and a maximum width of 15.5 m (51 ft). She has a draught of about 7 metres (23 ft) and a displacement at full load of 4146
tons. Under auxiliary engine power, the
Amerigo Vespucci reaches a top speed of 10
knots and has an autonomy of 5450
nm (at 6.5 knots).
The three steel
masts are 50, 54, and 43 metres high, respectively, and carry
sails that total 2824
m² (30400 ft²) In total, the
Amerigo Vespucci has 26 sails —
square sails,
staysails, and
jibs: all are traditional
canvas sails. The rig, some 30 km of
rope, entirely uses traditional
hemp ropes, too. Only the
mooring lines are synthetic in order to comply with port regulations. As of 2004, she's the only existing three decked square rigger.
The
hull is painted black with two white stripes in reference to the two
gun decks of the original ships the design is based on, but of course she carries no guns. The
deck planks are of
teak wood and need to be replaced every three years.
Bow and
stern are decorated with intricate ornaments; she's a life-size
figurehead of
Amerigo Vespucci. The stern gallery is accessibly only through the Captain's salon.
The standard crew of the
Amerigo Vespucci comprises 16
officers, 70
non-commissioned officers, and 200
sailors. In summer, when she embarks the
midshipmen of the Naval Academy (
Accademia Navale), there's a total crew of about 450 persons aboard.
The ship has two
diesel electric auxiliary engines, which together produce about 1471
kW (2000
hp), and a twin steering. When carrying cadets, she's usually steered at the manual stern
rudder station, which is operated by four steering wheels with two men each. At other times, the hydraulically assisted steering on the bridge is used. Except for the anchor
winch, the winches aboard are man-powered. The bridge is equipped with sophisticated modern electronic
navigation instruments.
Except for the time during the
second World War, the
Amerigo Vespucci has been continually active. Most of her training cruises are in European waters, but she's also sailed to
North and
South America, and navigated the
Pacific, too. In 2002, she undertook a voyage around the world.
The
Amerigo Vespucci often participates in sailing parades and
Tall Ships' Races, where she's in amicable rivalry with the
Gorch Fock. When she's berthed in a port, public tours of the vessel are usually offered.
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