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Kaisei (ship)
Encyclopedia
The STS Kaisei (海星), meaning “Sea Star” in the Japanese language
, is a steel
-hulled brigantine
designed by Zygmunt Choreń
. It was built in Gdańsk
, Poland
in 1987. It is a two-masted vessel, square rigged on the foremast, with fore-and-aft sails on the mainmast.
by the Polish Yachting Association as the Zew, she was acquired by the Sail Training Association of Japan (STAJ) and delivered to Japan
via the Panama Canal
in 1993 following a 16-month maiden voyage under the United Nations
flag in which she saw 100 knots (196 km/h) winds off the coast of Scotland
and participated in the American Tall Ship Celebration in 1992.
in her mission to promote the global community and bring countries and cultures together through the international language of the sea
. She has covered roughly 40,000 nautical miles (around 80,000 km).
In 1992 sailed with the Columbus fleet, flying the UN flag. Kaisei's maiden voyage lasted 16 months throughout Europe, East Coast US, Caribbean, Panama Canal, West Coast US and Pacific Islands covering 57,000 km. During this time period, the vessel flew the United Nations flag. Under Japanese flag she traveled throughout the Pacific and Asia. Carried over 10,000 trainees during the 14-year period.
In August 2009, Kaisei embarked from San Francisco on a month long voyage for the Ocean Voyages Institute as part of "Project Kaisei
", a mission to study the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
. She returned again in 2010 to the North Pacific Gyre and also took part in a variety of educational and awareness events.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, is a steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
-hulled brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
designed by Zygmunt Choreń
Zygmunt Choren
Zygmunt Choreń is a Polish naval architect and the proprietor of the naval architectural firm Choreń Design and Consulting. He is a graduate of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Leningrad Ship-Building Institute....
. It was built in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1987. It is a two-masted vessel, square rigged on the foremast, with fore-and-aft sails on the mainmast.
History
Originally commissionedShip commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
by the Polish Yachting Association as the Zew, she was acquired by the Sail Training Association of Japan (STAJ) and delivered to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
in 1993 following a 16-month maiden voyage under the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
flag in which she saw 100 knots (196 km/h) winds off the coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and participated in the American Tall Ship Celebration in 1992.
Name origin
It has been suggested that the ship's name 'kaisei' could also be a play on words, with the word meaning "reform" in Japanese (written "改正").Trips
Under the Japanese flag, she has visited 15 countries and has traveled extensively throughout the PacificPacific 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 her mission to promote the global community and bring countries and cultures together through the international language of the sea
Sea
A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
. She has covered roughly 40,000 nautical miles (around 80,000 km).
In 1992 sailed with the Columbus fleet, flying the UN flag. Kaisei's maiden voyage lasted 16 months throughout Europe, East Coast US, Caribbean, Panama Canal, West Coast US and Pacific Islands covering 57,000 km. During this time period, the vessel flew the United Nations flag. Under Japanese flag she traveled throughout the Pacific and Asia. Carried over 10,000 trainees during the 14-year period.
Ocean Voyages Institute
Ocean Voyages Institute a California 501(c) 3 organization currently operates the vessel Kaisei and she serves as the figurehead and expedition ship of "Project Kaisei" which is a international program dedicated to implementing solutions to the problem of marine debris.In August 2009, Kaisei embarked from San Francisco on a month long voyage for the Ocean Voyages Institute as part of "Project Kaisei
Project Kaisei
Project Kaisei is a scientific and commercial mission to study and clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a large body of floating debris trapped in the Pacific Ocean by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. Discovered by NOAA, the patch is estimated to contain 20 times the density of...
", a mission to study the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Great Pacific Garbage Patch
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also described as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is a gyre of marine litter in the central North Pacific Ocean located roughly between 135°W to 155°W and 35°N to 42°N...
. She returned again in 2010 to the North Pacific Gyre and also took part in a variety of educational and awareness events.