From 12 to 13 October, the Navy Navy Amerigo Vespucci will stop at the port of Chioggia to continue the navigation that at this time sees its protagonist around Italy.
Last summer Nave Vespucci carried out the Summer Campaign for Official Officers of the Livorno Naval Academy and, after a demanding Atlantic crossing driven by the Alisei, returned to 16 years in the United States and Canada, where in Montreal hosted the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, on the occasion of the "150 Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation".
At the end of the Education Camp, the sailing ship was sent to Livorno by the end of September to sail around our country that has already seen it accommodate about 10.000 visitors during the first two stops in Civitavecchia and Castellammare di Stabia, the town of Campania, a place of its origins, where 86 years ago, under the supervision of the Director and design manager, Naval Genius Francesco Rotundi was set up, built and launched.
During the stop at Chioggia, Nave Vespucci will be moored at the Rizzo quay and will be open to visits on Thursday 12 October from 14.00 to 17.30.
Insights
The ship was designed, like the "twin" Cristoforo Colombo, by Francesco Rotundi, engineer and lieutenant colonel of the Naval Engineers, and director of the shipyards of Castellammare di Stabia.
The 22 February 1931 (86 years ago) was launched at Castellammare di Stabia, the ship Amerigo Vespucci, now in service for the training of the official pupils of the Academy of Livorno.
Vespucci has made 2014 to 2016 modernize the on-board operational capabilities and above all, adapting logistics accommodation to modern standards. The propulsion and power generating equipment have been completely replaced by technologically advanced products; The unit has been equipped with a new propeller and new platform systems, more efficient and rigorously oriented to protecting the environment.
The important "rejuvenation" and "re-styling" activity of Vespucci was coordinated by the Works and Services Management, and in particular by the Studies Section of the MM Arsenal in La Spezia, with an important contribution from the "in house" workforce. by the arsenal workers, and by the crew.
Since its entry into service, the ship has carried out every year training activities (with the exception of 1940, due to the war events, and the years 1964, 1973 and 1997, for extraordinary work), mainly for the students of the Naval Academy, but also of the Volunteer students in pre-established Ferma and of the students of the Naval College, now "Francesco Morosini" Military Naval School.
From a technical-constructive point of view, the Amerigo Vespucci is a sailing ship with a motor; from the point of view of the sailing equipment it is "armed to Nave", then with three vertical trees, foresail, mistress and mezzana, equipped with flagpoles and square sails, plus the bowsprit in the bow, to all intents and purposes a fourth tree. The Unit is also equipped with cutting sails: the flakes, at the bow, between the bowsprit and the foresail, the stralli, between foresail and teacher and between mistress and mezzana, and the mainsail, equipped with boom and peak, on the mezzana.
The crew consists of approximately 270 military men and women. During the summer, the ship embarked on the volunteer students on charter before, and then the Cadets of the Naval Academy for the usual Education Campaign, increasing the crew of other about 100 units thus reaching full-time regime to over 400 people aboard .
This year, 79 students of the 24 ° Volunteers in Fixed Four-Year Standing (VFP4) during the stop in Montreal were replaced by 125 students of the 1 ^ class of the Naval Academy of Livorno, including 18 foreign students.
The students embarked, immersed in a unique business environment, learn the fundamentals of seamanship and sea-going artwork by practicing what has been studied in the books so far, trained with mariners' equipment going up in the trees and calculating with the sextant is the position of the unit with respect to the stars.
The Amerigo Vespucci School Ship is UNICEF's Ambassador from September 2007.