Legendary Russian ship arrives in Mauritius (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

The Kruzenshtern has made its first stop in the African state since a global voyage nearly 20 years ago

Iconic Russian ship the Kruzenshtern arrived in the port of Port Louis, Mauritius, on Wednesday for an official visit as part of its ‘Sails of Victory’ international voyage, the Russian embassy has reported.

The vessel was greeted offshore by Russian windsurfers, a kitesurfer, and a foiler, who were welcomed by the crew from the deck. Embassy officials noted that despite facing challenging sea conditions while sailing from Cape Town, South Africa, the ship completed its journey as planned. 

In addition to its traditional training mission, the Kruzenshtern – which is operated by the Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo) – also organized a children’s art exhibition onboard and a message-in-a-bottle campaign.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, it is the ship’s first visit to Mauritius in nearly two decades, the last being during its second global circumnavigation almost 20 years ago.

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The current voyage – its 135th – began in mid-March and is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II. The four-month journey includes training exercises for 135 cadets supported by a permanent crew of around 60 sailors. The vessel is scheduled to return to its home port of Kaliningrad by the end of July.

Speaking to TASS, the ship’s captain, Mikhail Yeremchenko, highlighted the significance of Mauritius as a port of call. He explained that the visit commemorates an act of Soviet solidarity from 1975, when the island was devastated by tropical cyclone Gervaise. Yeremchenko said Soviet ships sailed more than 2,500 miles and deployed 300 sailors to provide aid just five days after the disaster. 

“The capital of this island nation, Port Louis, where we arrived today, appeared on our route for a reason. The people of Mauritius still remember and are grateful to the Soviet sailors who came to their aid exactly half a century ago. That’s what this visit is about,” he said.

Prior to its arrival in Mauritius, the Kruzenshtern visited a South African port. While in Cape Town, the crew paid tribute to Russian sailors buried in Simon’s Town between 1809 and 1912 and laid flowers at a memorial dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Soviet victory in WWII.

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The Kruzenshtern, originally built in 1926 in Germany under the name Padua, is one of the world’s ten largest sailing ships. In 1946, the vessel was transferred to the Soviet Union as part of war reparations. Under the Soviet Navy’s flag, the barque was renamed in honor of Admiral Ivan Kruzenshtern, who led the first Russian circumnavigation expedition from 1803 to 1806. Today, it serves as a Russian sail training ship.