Amerigo Vespucci: the Italian ship is sailing towards America

Last updated on July 5, 2018

The Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian ship that was officially launched on the 22nd of February 1931 is now sailing in the Mediterranean sea and will be soon crossing the Atlantinc ocean to achieve the coasts of North America by the summer.

The ship, named after the Italian explorer and navigator, is the training ship of the Italian navy and it is considered one of the most beautiful ships still in service. In 1962 the US aircraft carrier USS Independence was sailing in the Mediterranean sea when saw the Vespucci and through light signals asked “Who are you?” . The captain of the Vespucci promptly replied “Amerigo Vespucci, training ship of the Italian Navy” and the USS Independece replied “You are the most beautiful ship in the world”.

Nowadays the ship with its 26 sails can host a large number of people. In particular during the training season it hosts: 16 officers, 70 non-commissioned officers and 190 sailors. In summer, when she embarks the midshipmen of the Naval Academy, the crew’s members are 450.

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Pictures from Wikipedia page about the Amerigo Vespucci: By Cocai (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The cadets will be visiting several harbours and countries in the next few months. The schedule of their training crossing includes the mediterranean countries, the islands in the Atlantic ocean and then Canada and the US. In particular:

18th of April: La Spezia (Italy)

22nd of April – 1st of May : Sines (Portugal)

6th of May – 10 of May: Funchal (Madeira Islands – Portugal)

30th of May – 5th of June: Hamilton (Bermuda Islands)

11th of June – 14th of June: Halifax (Canada)

22nd of June – 2nd of July: Montreal (Canada)

4th of July – 8th of July: Quebec City (Canada)

18th of July – 22nd of July: Boston (USA)

28th of July – 31st of July: New York (USA)

22nd of August – 25th of August: Ponta Delgada (Azores Islands – Portugal)

3rd of September – 7th of September : Malaga (Spain)

15th of September – 18th of September : Barcelona (Spain)

21st of September: Porto Ferraio (Italy)

23rd of September : Livorno (Italy)

If you happen to be in one of the above cities during the summer don’t miss the chance to go at the harbour and enjoy the sight of the Amerigo Vespucci docking!