Amerigo Vespucci (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Amerigo Vespucci is a tall ship
of the Marina Militare
, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci
. Its home port is Livorno
, Italy
; It is still in use as a school ship
.
In 1925, the Regia Marina
ordered two school ships to a design by General Lieutenant 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, 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 was the Amerigo Vespucci. It 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 ton
s. Under auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion power, the Amerigo Vespucci reaches a top speed of 10 knots (19.6 km/h) and has an autonomy of 5450 nm
(at 6.5 knots).
The three steel mast
s are 50, 54, and 43 metres high and carry sail
s totalling 2824 m² (30400 ft²) The Amerigo Vespucci has 26 sails — square sails
, staysail
s, and jib
s: all are traditional canvas
sails. When sail sailing she can reach, under severe sea and wind conditions, a speed of 12 knots (23.5 km/h). The rig, some 30 km of rope
s, uses only traditional hemp
ropes; only the mooring lines are synthetic, to comply with port regulations. As of 2004, she is the last surviving three-decked square rigger.
The hull is painted black with two white stripes in reference to the two gun deck
s of the original ships the design is based on, but she carries only two 6pdr saluting guns in pivot mountings on the deck, forward of the mainmast. The deck
planks are of teak
wood and must be replaced every three years. Bow
and stern
are decorated with intricate ornaments; she has a life-size figurehead of Amerigo Vespucci
. The stern gallery is accessible only through the Captain's salon.
The standard crew of the Amerigo Vespucci is 16 officers, 70 non-commissioned officer
s and 190 sailor
s. In summer, when she embarks the midshipmen of the Naval Academy (Accademia Navale)
, the crew totals some 450 persons.
Since 1964 the ship has had two 4-stroke, 8-cylinder FIAT B 308 ESS diesel
engines; these replaced the original 2-stroke 6-cylinder FIAT Q 426 engines. The newer engines generate electric power for one electric propulsion motor that can produce up to about 1471 kW (2000 hp
).
When carrying cadets, the ship is usually steered from 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 not power operated. 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 has also sailed to North
and South America
, and navigated the Pacific
. In 2002, she undertook a voyage around the world.
The Amerigo Vespucci often takes part in sailing parades and Tall Ships' Races
, where she is in amicable rivalry with the Gorch Fock
. When she is berthed in port, public tours of the vessel are usually offered.
Other web sites:
Tall ship
A tall ship is a large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessel. Popular modern tall ship rigs include topsail schooners, brigantines, brigs and barques. "Tall Ship" can also be defined more specifically by an organization, such as for a race or festival....
of the Marina Militare
Marina Militare
The Italian Navy is the navy of the Italian Republic. It is one of the four branches of military forces of Italy; formed in 1946, from what remained of the Regia Marina . As of 2008, the Italian Navy had 35,200 active personnel with 180 commissioned ships, 19 Floating Docks, and 123 aircraft...
, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
. Its home port is Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; It is still in use as a school ship
School ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is especially used for ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms....
.
Regia Marina
The Regia Marina dates from the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy in 1861 after Italian unification...
ordered two school ships to a design by General Lieutenant Francesco Rotundi of the Italian Navy Engineering Corps, inspired by the style of large late 18th century 74-cannon ships of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
. The first, the Cristoforo Colombo
Dunay (tall ship)
The Dunay was a tall ship serving with the Soviet Navy, first launched as the Cristoforo Colombo, laid at the Castellammare yards on April 15, 1926...
, was put into service in 1928 and was used by the Italian Navy until 1943. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, this ship was handed over to the USSR
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as part of the war reparations and was shortly afterwards decommissioned.
The second ship was the Amerigo Vespucci. It was built in 1930 at the (formerly Royal) Naval Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia
Castellammare di Stabia
Castellammare di Stabia is a comune in the province of Naples, Campania region, southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about 30 kilometers southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento.-History:...
(Naples); she was launched on February 22, 1931, and was put into service in July of that year.
The vessel is a full rigged
Rigging
Rigging is the apparatus through which the force of the wind is used to propel sailboats and sailing ships forward. This includes masts, yards, sails, and cordage.-Terms and classifications:...
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 ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
s. Under auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion power, the Amerigo Vespucci reaches a top speed of 10 knots (19.6 km/h) and has an autonomy of 5450 nm
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
(at 6.5 knots).
Mast (sailing)
The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall, vertical, or near vertical, spar, or arrangement of spars, which supports the sails. Large ships have several masts, with the size and configuration depending on the style of ship...
s are 50, 54, and 43 metres high and carry sail
Sail
A sail is any type of surface intended to move a vessel, vehicle or rotor by being placed in a wind—in essence a propulsion wing. Sails are used in sailing.-History of sails:...
s totalling 2824 m² (30400 ft²) The Amerigo Vespucci has 26 sails — square sails
Sail-plan
A sail-plan is a set of drawings, usually prepared by a naval architect. It shows the various combinations of sail proposed for a sailing ship.The combinations shown in a sail-plan almost always include three configurations:...
, staysail
Staysail
A staysail is a fore-and-aft rigged sail whose luff can be affixed to a stay running forward from a mast to the deck, the bowsprit or to another mast....
s, and jib
Jib
A jib is a triangular staysail set ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bow, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast...
s: all are traditional canvas
Canvas
Canvas is an extremely heavy-duty plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, and other items for which sturdiness is required. It is also popularly used by artists as a painting surface, typically stretched across a wooden frame...
sails. When sail sailing she can reach, under severe sea and wind conditions, a speed of 12 knots (23.5 km/h). The rig, some 30 km of rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
s, uses only traditional hemp
Hemp
Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...
ropes; only the mooring lines are synthetic, to comply with port regulations. As of 2004, she is the last surviving three-decked square rigger.
The hull is painted black with two white stripes in reference to the two gun deck
Gun deck
The term gun deck originally referred to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon to be fired in broadsides. However, on many smaller vessels such as frigates and unrated vessels the upper deck, forecastle and quarterdeck bore all of the cannons but were not referred...
s of the original ships the design is based on, but she carries only two 6pdr saluting guns in pivot mountings on the deck, forward of the mainmast. The deck
Deck (ship)
A deck is a permanent covering over a compartment or a hull of a ship. On a boat or ship, the primary deck is the horizontal structure which forms the 'roof' for the hull, which both strengthens the hull and serves as the primary working surface...
planks are of teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
wood and must be replaced every three years. Bow
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
and stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
are decorated with intricate ornaments; she has a life-size figurehead of Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian explorer, financier, navigator and cartographer. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.-Expeditions:...
. The stern gallery is accessible only through the Captain's salon.
The standard crew of the Amerigo Vespucci is 16 officers, 70 non-commissioned officer
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
s and 190 sailor
Sailor
A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...
s. In summer, when she embarks the midshipmen of the Naval Academy (Accademia Navale)
Accademia Navale di Livorno
The Italian Naval Academy is a coeducational military university in Leghorn , which is responsible for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy.-The Hospital of St. James:...
, the crew totals some 450 persons.
Since 1964 the ship has had two 4-stroke, 8-cylinder FIAT B 308 ESS diesel
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
engines; these replaced the original 2-stroke 6-cylinder FIAT Q 426 engines. The newer engines generate electric power for one electric propulsion motor that can produce up to about 1471 kW (2000 hp
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
).
When carrying cadets, the ship is usually steered from the manual stern rudder
Rudder
A rudder is a device used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft or other conveyance that moves through a medium . On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse yaw and p-factor and is not the primary control used to turn the airplane...
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
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
, the winches aboard are not power operated. The bridge is equipped with sophisticated modern electronic navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
instruments.
Except for the time during the second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Amerigo Vespucci has been continually active. Most of her training cruises are in European waters, but she has also sailed to North
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and navigated the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. In 2002, she undertook a voyage around the world.
The Amerigo Vespucci often takes part in sailing parades and Tall Ships' Races
The Tall Ships' Races
The Tall Ships' Races are races for sail training "tall ships" . The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. The races are held annually in European waters and consists of two racing legs of several hundred nautical miles, and a...
, where she is in amicable rivalry with the Gorch Fock
Gorch Fock (1958)
The Gorch Fock is a tall ship of the German Navy . She is the second ship of that name and a sister ship of the Gorch Fock built in 1933. Both ships are named in honor of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym "Gorch Fock" and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916...
. When she is berthed in port, public tours of the vessel are usually offered.
External links
Official web sites:- Amerigo Vespucci web site of the Italian Navy (in ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
). This article is partly based on a translation of that web page. - Technical fact sheet from the Italian Navy web site, in Italian.
Other web sites:
- Congedati Vespucci Amerigo Vespucci's crew web site
- Italian web site about the Amerigo Vespucci, with images of the interior. (In Italian.)
- Tall Ships 2000 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Has many pictures; the Amerigo Vespucci is in "Part 1".
- http://www.whonamedamerica.com "Pope Valley School Cuts 1507 Globe Map for World Geography Month." Riccardo Gaudino, America500tv. April 20, 2007.
- SchoonerMan — has a report from someone who visited the ship.
- Tourism New Zealand has a brief article of a visit of the Amerigo Vespucci.
- Hawaii Navy News article about an earlier stop in the same voyage around the world in 2002.
- "Amerigo Vespucci", Model Ship Builder. An article on a scaled wooden model of the Amerigo Vespucci.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ITsG6pQX4I scale model made by Bülent Karaali