Photos

Detail from Kruzenshtern.

The Kruzenshtern (Russian: Крузенштерн) is a Russian four masted barque and tall ship that was built in 1926 in Weserműnde (Bremerhaven, Germany), under the name Padua. She was given to the USSR in 1946 as part of the wiedergutmachung (restitution) and renamed after Adam Johann von Krusenstern. After the Sedov she's the largest traditional sailing vessel still in operation.

Originally she was a cargo ship, used among other things to ship construction material to South America, returning with salpetre. Later she transported wheat from Australia. The maiden voyage from Hamburg to Talcahuano (Chile) took 87 days. In 1933/34 she took a record-breaking 67 days from Hamburg to Port Lincoln in South-Australia. Until WWII she made 15 long trips to Chili or Australia.

The painting on the side suggests the presence of canons, but that is an illusion. In 1934, however, the ship got a canon and, under German flag, shot down a German airplane and rammed a German submarine, but was never used against the Allies. In 1946 she was given to the USSR and from 1955 used as a training vessel by the navy. From 1959 to 1961 she was anchored at Kronstadt near St Petersburg, where she was outfitted with two engines. In 1966 she became property of the ministry of fishery, which uses her for training purposes to this day. In 1995/96 she made a trip around the world in the trail of her namesake.

The ship was used in three films; Die Meuterei auf der Elsinore (1935); Herz geht vor Anker (1940) and Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (1944).

The Kruzenhshtern takes part in many international regattas. After the fall of the USSR funding became a problem, so passengers are taken aboard for that purpose.

The Kruzenshtern is one of the four remaining Flying P-Liners and still in use, mainly for training-purposes, with her homeport in Kaliningrad.

Dimensions:

Length: 114,4 m
Width: 8,5 m
Height: 51,3 m
Depth: 6,8 m
Sail surface: 3400 m²
Crew: 257
Tonnage: 4700 tons
Engines: 2 x 1000 hp (diesel)
In Wikipedia.com