The sailing ship "Juan Sebastian de Elcano"

"Juan Sebastián de Elcano" under full sail.
The sail training ship A-71 "Juan Sebastián de Elcano" is the hallmark of the Spanish Navy fleet (Armada Española), displaying its flag in many parts of the world for almost a hundred years. Thousands of future Armada officers were baptized on board, including the kings of Spain Juan Carlos I, Felipe VI and the current heir to the throne, Princess Leonor.
Escuela Naval Militar de España
The Academia de Guardias Marinas (Academy of Midshipmen) for the training of officers of the Spanish Navy, called the Compañia de Guardias Marinas, was opened in Cadiz in 1717 on the initiative of the Minister of the Navy and naval reformer José Patiño. On February 7 of that year, 37 midshipmen began to master the theoretical and practical foundations of naval affairs. At that time, the system of training officers in the leading maritime countries - England and France - was strikingly different. British "midshipmen" were trained mainly in the practical foundations of naval affairs, while the French "Gardes marins" - in bare theory. The training program of Spanish midshipmen included both of these aspects.

Jose Patiño
In 1769, the Academy was transferred to the island of Isla de León, and in 1776, the Royal Companies of Midshipmen (Reales Compañías de Guardias Marinas) were formed in Cartagena and El Ferrol, which existed until 1824. In 1824, the Academy was transferred to the Arsenal de Carraca (Cadiz), but in May 1831 it was closed, and the midshipmen were sent for practical training on the ships Perla and Soberano.
Many years passed before the Academy resumed its existence. On January 1, 1845, in the military town of San Carlos, located next to the naval arsenal Arsenal de La Carraca, the Colegio Naval Militar opened, where 80 midshipmen soon began their studies.
Beginning in 1862, midshipmen underwent sea training on the ships of the fleet specially allocated for this purpose: Isabel II, Rey Francisco de Asis, Mazaredo, Constitución, Villa de Bilbao. From 1874 to 1910, the frigates Blanca, Almansa, Asturias and the corvette Nautilus were used for this purpose. In November 1892, the training corvette Nautilus, in commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America, with midshipmen on board, set off from the port of El Ferrol on a 40-mile round-the-world voyage, ending in July 1894 in San Sebastian. From 1922 until the early 80s, the three-masted barque Galatea, built in 1896 in Glasgow for a British shipping company, was used as a training vessel.
During the 23 years of the existence of the Colegio Naval Militar (closed in 1867), 1002 Armada officers graduated from its walls. On September 10, 1869, the Floating Naval School (Escuela Naval Flotante) was opened in El Ferrol on board the frigate Asturias. Such frequent upheavals with the naval school were caused by the unstable political and economic situation of the country and the far from brilliant state of the navy, where there was a clear excess of officers and admirals.
From 1913 to 1943, the new naval school was located in Cadiz, and then, by decision of General Franco, it was transferred to Marín (Pontevedra, Galicia), where it is located today. At the same time, other options for the location of the Escuela Naval Militar were considered - in Cadiz, El Ferrol, Cartagena, Mahon or San Sebastian.

Coat of arms of the Escuela Naval Militar

The Carlos I Gate is the main entrance to the Escuela Naval Militar
The current curriculum of the Escuela Naval consists of five academic courses and prepares officers for the following naval services: the Naval Service (Cuerpo General), the Marine Corps (Infantería de Marina), the Naval Engineer Corps (Cuerpo de Ingenieros de la Armada) and the Quartermaster Service (Cuerpo de Intendencia). In addition, the school provides adaptation training for future officers of the Voluntary Naval Reserve.
Cadets of the first two years hold the rank of postgraduate students (Aspirante de 1° and Aspirante de 2°), those of the third and fourth years hold the rank of midshipmen (Guardiamarina de 3°, Guardiamarina de 4°), and those of the fifth year hold the rank of junior student lieutenant (Alférez de Fragata Alumno, marines - Alférez Alumno). Since the 2010/2011 academic year, a new form of education has been introduced, whereby cadets, in addition to studying military disciplines, receive a university education at the Military University Center (Centro Universitario de la Defensa) at the University of Vigo and a diploma in mechanical engineering.
A mandatory part of the training is sea practice. During the second semester of the 4th academic year, midshipmen undergo practice on board the training sailing ship "Juan Sebastián de Elcano". Most often, this is a six-month voyage (Cruceros de Instrucción) along the route Spain - ports of the American continent - Spain, a distance of about 20 thousand miles with 155 days at sea.
At the same time, theoretical training continues alongside practical classes. For five hours daily in two ship auditoriums, midshipmen listen to lectures on meteorology, navigation, astronomy, English and other subjects. Future marine officers also study tactics, landing operations, etc. Since graduates of the Escuela Naval Militar now also receive mechanical engineering degrees, professors from the Centro Universitario de la Defensa also give lectures to midshipmen at sea.
In addition to the midshipmen of the Escuela Naval Militar, cadets of the Escuela de Suboficiales de Armada (San Fernando), the Escuela de Especialistas (La Granja), and other naval educational institutions also undergo practical training on board the sailing ship.
Ship birth
The decision to build a new sailing ship, the Minerva, for the Armada at the Echevarrieta y Larrinaga shipyard was approved on April 6, 1923. On November 24, 1925, the keel-laying ceremony took place, attended by the heir to the throne, Don Carlos, Prime Minister General Primo de Rivera and other officials. During the ceremony, the owner of the shipyard, Horacio Echevarrieta, proposed to Primo de Rivera to change the name of the ship, and on April 17, 1925, by decree of King Alfonso XIII, the future ship was named Juan Sebastián de Elcano, in honor of the great Spanish navigator who, after the death of Ferdinand Magellan, led the expedition that in 1522 completed the first circumnavigation of the world.

Juan Sebastian de Elcano
In memory of this navigator, in 1933, by order of the ship's commander Moreno Fernández, the coat of arms of Juan Sebastian de Elcano, granted to him by Emperor Charles I, was placed on one of the bulkheads of the sailboat - a globe framed by the Latin inscription "Primus Circumdedisti Me" (You were the first to round me). The ship was launched on March 5, 1927, and its godmother was the daughter of the Prime Minister (effectively the dictator of Spain) Carmen Primo de Rivera.

Coat of Arms of "Juan Sebastian de Elcano"
Main performance characteristics of the training sailing ship A-71 "Juan Sebastián de Elcano"
(modern data)
Place of construction: Echevarrieta y Larrinaga shipyard (Cadiz).
The vessel was laid down on November 24, 1925.
Launched on March 5, 1927.
Commissioned on February 29, 1928.
The cost of building the vessel, in Spanish pesetas: 8.
Maximum length, m - 94,1.
Maximum length with bowsprit, m - 113,0.
Length between perpendiculars, m — 79,24.
Maximum width, m - 13,0.
Maximum draft at bow, m - 6,524.
The greatest draft is aft, m - 7,570.
Freeboard height to main deck, m - 6,3.
Freeboard height to boat deck, m — 9,0.
Maximum height of the vessel, m - 49,9.
The type of sailing equipment is a four-masted barquentine (Spanish: bergantín-goleta).
Number of sails - 20.
Sail area, m² — 3151.
Full displacement, t — 3770,7.
Main engine power, hp — 2070.
Speed under sail, knots – up to 17.
Speed under diesel, knots - 10 (?)
Diesel generator capacity, kW — 3 x 301.
Diesel fuel capacity, m³ — 262.
Fresh water reserve, t — 305.
Desalination plant capacity, t/day — 64.
Cruising range under diesel, miles - 10 (500 knots), 6 (8 knots).
The crew consists of 197 (24 officers, 22 midshipmen, 146 sailors and petty officers, 5 civilian teachers).
The number of interns is up to 78.
Armament: 2 - 37 mm salute guns, 2 - 12,7 mm Browning machine guns, 2 - 7,62 mm MG-1 machine guns.

A female midshipman in front of a salute gun
During her service, the ship underwent significant modernization in 1955-1956, 1978, 2011 and 2017. According to the Ship Preservation Plan adopted in 1997, the Juan Sebastián de Elcano should remain in service until its centenary, although it will undoubtedly continue to serve beyond that.
The sailing ship is based at the Arsenal de La Carraca naval base (San Fernando - Cadiz) and is organizationally part of the Fuerza de Acción Marítima of the Spanish Navy.
Hull design, steering and boat gear

Nasal figure
The ship's hull is steel, riveted, double-island, with a forecastle and a poop deck, with a wheelhouse in the middle part. In the horizontal plane, it is divided into four decks - the hold deck, lower, upper and main decks. The numbering of frames (from 0 to 129) from stern to bow, the length of the frame is 685 mm (610 mm at the ends). The main transverse watertight bulkheads, reaching the main deck (except for the M40 bulkhead, which extends only to the upper deck), divide the sailboat into four compartments. The hold contains ballast made of cast iron ingots with a total weight of 769,88 tons.
The tanks for liquid supplies are located between the keel and the lower deck:
1. Four tank diesel fuel with a total capacity of 261,914 tons.
2. Six fresh water tanks (305 t).
The lubricating oil capacity for the main and auxiliary diesel engines is 14350 liters.
The steering device consists of an unbalanced rudder blade, which is a flat steel sheet with an area of 9,6 m² and a thickness of 26 mm, and an electro-hydraulic steering machine (installed in 1997).

The author of the article at the helm of the emergency rudder control "JSDE", Santa Cruz de Tenerife, January 19, 2025.
The anchoring gear consists of two Hall anchors weighing 2400 kg each with anchor chains of 53,97 mm caliber and 227,6 m (left) and 261 m (right anchor) in length. A spare anchor of the same type weighing 2050 kg is stored on the main deck. The windlass is an Emerson Walker Thompson electro-hydraulic windlass with a pulling force of 23 kg. For mooring operations, running rigging control, cargo handling, etc., four electro-hydraulic winches and the same number of manual capstans are used.

Windlass

Hand pin
Lifeboat device:
- two sailing and rowing boats with a capacity of 11 people each. Launching/raising is carried out by davits;
- two semi-rigid boats of the DUARRY DSL-430 ARMADA type with a 75 hp engine. They are serviced by electro-hydraulic cranes with a lifting capacity of 1 t;
- semi-rigid boat type DUARRY CORMORAN 730 (engine 200 hp, speed 35 knots, capacity 18 people). Serviced by an electro-hydraulic crane with a lifting capacity of 3,3 tons;
- a motorboat of the “Lepanto” type with a capacity of 13 people. Launching/raising is carried out by davits.

Sailboat

Semi-rigid boat and electro-hydraulic crane for its maintenance
There are also 23 life rafts and two man overboard rafts.
Information