The tall ship “Amerigo Vespucci" is the oldest active military vessel in the Italian Navy. Its motto, “Not who begins, but he who perseveres," inspired by the words of Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian polymath of the Renaissance, emphasizes the importance of seeing projects through to completion.
Designed and launched by the royal shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia on 22 February 1931, the Amerigo Vespucci was commissioned as a training ship in June of that year. It embarked on its first training voyage through Northern Europe in July 1931. The ship boasts three main decks (upper, middle, and tween) and two superstructures (the forecastle and the aft castle). At the bow, a gilded bronze figurehead depicts Amerigo Vespucci, the 15th-century Italian explorer and navigator who lent his name to the “New World."
Since her launch, the Amerigo Vespucci has been primarily used to train cadets in the first year of the Italian Naval Academy, along with students from the Francesco Morosini Naval Military School, cadets from other Italian Navy and armed forces training institutions, and young recruits from organizations like Lega Navale and Sail Training Association Italia.
For the last 30 years, the ship has also been employed in safeguarding the natural environment and the maritime ecosystem. It regularly cooperates with associations like UNICEF (as a Goodwill Ambassador since 2007), WWF, and Marevivo, exemplifying the Italian Navy's policy of Complementary Use, to impart to new generations the importance of respecting our planet. Due to her continuous naval diplomacy missions around the world, Amerigo Vespucci has earned the reputation of being a floating Italian Embassy.
The Italian Navy's school ship Amerigo Vespucci has been administratively and operationally reporting to CINCNAV, the Command in Chief of the Italian Fleet, since October 14, 2013, and is based in La Spezia.
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