Argentine Navy´s training ship, Frigate ARA Libertad, will be visiting Saint Lucia between May 26th and May 28th, as part of its 50th Training Voyage.
According to the Charge d´Affaires of the Embassy of Argentina, Mr. Angel Dalmazzo, this is a historic opportunity for both countries, and the OECS region, to deepen their relationships and encourage more cultural exchanges. Additionally, besides the official activities programmed with St Lucian authorities, Mr Dalmazzo informed that the Vessel will be opened to the general public on May 27th, welcoming all citizens and tourists to come aboard and learn about the ship’s history and life onboard with the crew.
One of the largest and fastest tall ships in the world, holder of several speed records, the Frigate is a steel-hulled, full-rigged, class “A” sailing ship that serves as a school vessel in the Argentine Navy. She was designed and built in the 1950s by the Río Santiago Shipyard, Ensenada, Argentina. The ship’s follows the archetypal windjammer design, with a clipper bow and a wood-carved figurehead representing Liberty in a long flowing robe and a cruiser stern bearing the Argentine coat of arms in cast bronze.
Her maiden voyage was in 1961, and she continues to be a training ship with yearly instruction trips for the graduating naval cadets as well as a travelling goodwill ambassador, having covered more than 800,000 nautical miles (1,500,000 km) across all seas, visited about 500 ports in more than 60 countries, and trained more than 11,000 navy graduates.