The Argentine Navy’s training ship, the frigate ARA Libertad, visited Saint Lucia for the very first time on Thursday, as part of its 50th training trip and will leave port later in the day.
In a private ceremony on Thursday evening, Captain Carlos Pedro Schavinsky Trinchero hinted that this was the perfect opportunity for Argentina and Saint Lucia to forge a friendship and bond of goodwill.
One of the largest and fastest tall ships in the world, holder of several speed records, the Frigate is a fully rigged, steel-hulled Class ‘A’ sailing vessel that serves as a training vessel in the Navy Argentina. It was designed and built in the 1950s by the Río Santiago shipyard in Ensenada, Argentina.
“It is a great joy to visit this beautiful country for the first time and to share with you all our culture and our traditions, not only from the Argentine Navy, but also from all my country. (There are) a total of 92 midshipmen who are in the final stages of completing their professional practices (and there are) 326 sailors aboard this tall ship,” Trinchero said.
“Yesterday we celebrated our national day in commemoration of the revolution (which) occurred on May 25, 1810. During this ceremony, we had the pleasure (of sharing it) with the authorities of the Foreign Service of Sainte- Lucie and the main authorities of the Royal Saint Police of Lucia. My crew enjoys your wonderful beaches, the richness of your culture and the warm welcome of your country. It is truly a pleasure to be here”, a- he added.
Trinchero praised the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, particularly the force’s maritime division, whose members helped his crew feel at home in Saint Lucia. The two sides exchanged thanks aboard the ship during Thursday evening’s ceremony.
The crew’s journey began in February of this year; team members visited Rio De Janeiro. The frigate left Buenos Aires on April 30, 2022, visited the port of Fortaleza in Brazil, and after Saint Lucia is due to visit the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico, the United States of America, Ireland, the France, Spain, El Salvador and Brazil, and will return to Buenos Aires in September.
The visit to the frigate in Saint Lucia ended on May 28, however, citizens and tourists were invited to board on May 27 between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., to learn more about the history of the ship and the life of the crew.
The ship follows the archetypal windjammer design, with a clipper bow and carved wooden figurehead depicting Liberty in a long, flowing robe and a cruiser stern bearing the Argentinian coat of arms in cast bronze.
The frigate made her maiden voyage in 1961 and continues to be a training ship with annual instruction trips for graduating sea cadets as well as a traveling goodwill ambassador, having sailed over 800,000 nautical miles (1,500,000 km) across all seas. Frigate has visited approximately 500 ports in over 60 countries and trained over 11,000 naval graduates.
