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Italian Navy Training ship. Built Castellmare. Launch 1930. Displ 3543tn. Designed to resemble a line-of-battleship of the Napoleonic Wars. Built f steel. 2 Fiat oil engines driving generators powering Marelli electric motors. 10knts. Mounts for 3in and one 20mm gun for ceremonial purposes. Compl appx 400. Italian stamp design gives an inaccurate picture of the vessel with one line of ports.
Anguilla SG692, Italy SG312, Gibraltar SG207. SSS Ency.

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Niger 1998 875F sg?, scott?
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Guinea 2018 12.500 FG sg ?, scott?
Mozambique 2019 116MT sg?, scott?
Togo 2017 3300F sgMS?, scott?
Togo 2018 sgMS, scott? in margin

Amerigo Vespucci

Anguilla, 1985

Americo Vespucci (Tall Ship, Full Rigger Training Ship) 1931

The Amerigo Vespucci is a tall ship of the “Marina Militare” (Italian Navy), named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Its home port is La Spezia, Italy, and it is in use as a school ship. Her sister ship was Cristoforo Colombo but Cristoforo Colombo had less displacement, less power and less sail area

In 1925, the Regia Marina ordered two school ships to a design by General Lieutenant Francesco Rotundi of the Italian Navy Engineering Corps, inspired by the style of large late 18th century 74-cannon ships of the line like the neapolitan ship "Monarca".

Monarca is a Spanish ship, participated in the Battle of Trafalgar and sister ship of San Telmo.

See topic: “San Telmo 1788”

The first of them, the Cristoforo Colombo, was put into service in 1928 and was used by the Italian Navy until 1943. After World War II, this ship was handed over to the USSR as part of the war reparations and was shortly afterwards decommissioned.

“According to unofficial info taken from a friend of mine officier in the “Marina Militare”. Russia wanted Amerigo Vespucci as war reparations but Italians hide Amerigo Vespucci and showed the Cristoforo Colombo to Russians and said that this ship is Amerigo Vespucci and take her as war reperations !!!”.

The second ship was the Amerigo Vespucci, built in 1930 at the (formerly Royal) Naval Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia (Naples). She was launched on February 22, 1931, and put into service in July of that year.

The vessel is a full rigged three-masted steel hull 82.4 m (270.34 ft) long, with an overall length of 101 m (331 ft) including the bowsprit and a maximum width of 15.5 m (51 ft). She has a draught of about seven metres (23 ft) and a displacement at full load of 4146 tons. Under auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion the Amerigo Vespucci can reach 10 knots (19 km/h) and has a range of 5450 nm at 6.5 knots.

The three steel masts are 50, 54 and 43 metres high, and carry sails totalling 2824 m² (30400 ft²) The Amerigo Vespucci has 26 sails –square sails, stay sails, and jibs: all are traditional canvas sails. When under sail in severe sea and wind conditions she can reach 12 knots. The rig, some 30 km of ropes, uses only traditional hemp ropes; only the mooring lines are synthetic, to comply with port regulations.

The hull is painted black with two white stripes, harking back to the two gun decks of the ships her design is based on, but she carries only two 6pdr saluting guns in pivot mountings on the deck, forward of the mainmast. The deck planks are of teak wood and must be replaced every three years. Bow and stern are decorated with intricate ornaments; she has a life-size figurehead of Amerigo Vespucci. The stern gallery is accessible only through the Captain's saloon.

The standard crew of the Amerigo Vespucci is 16 officers, 70 non-commissioned officers and 190 sailors. In summer, when she embarks the midshipmen of the Naval Academy (Accademia Navale), the crew totals some 450.

She was modernised three times in 1951, 1958 and 1973.

Since 1964 the ship has been fitted with two 4-stroke, 8-cylinder FIAT B 308 ESS diesel engines, which replaced the original 2-stroke 6-cylinder FIAT Q 426 engines. The newer engines generate electric power for one electric propulsion motor that can produce up to about 1471 kW (2000 hp).

When carrying cadets, the ship is usually steered from the manual stern rudder station, which is operated by four steering wheels with two men each. At other times, the hydraulically assisted steering on the bridge is used. Except for the anchor winch, the winches aboard are not power operated. The bridge is equipped with sophisticated modern electronic navigation instruments.

Other than during World War II, the Amerigo Vespucci has been continually active. Most of her training cruises are in European waters, but she has also sailed to North and South America, and navigated the Pacific. In 2002, she undertook a voyage around the world.

The Amerigo Vespucci often takes part in sailing parades and Tall Ships' Races, where she is in amicable rivalry with the Gorch Fock.

See Topic: “Gorch Fock II”.

She is still in service and when she is berthed in port, public tours of the vessel are usually offered.

On the first stamp Mediterranean fauna is shown with the ship Amerigo Vespucci in the background. “Il mare deve vivere” means “The sea must live” She participated a cruise including 16 Mediterranean ports to draw the the attention of governments and people of Mediterranean nations to the fact that “the sea must live”.

Italy 1978, S.G.?, Scott: 1317-20

Italy 1981, S.G.?, Scott: 1473

Portugal 1998, S.G.?, Scott: 2263

Romania 2004, S.G.?, Scott: 4617

Source: Wikipedia.

Amerigo Vespucci
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