• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Chilean Sailing Ship Esmeralda Visits Guam

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS070802-12
Release Date: 8/2/2007 2:13:00 PM

By Jesse Leon Guerrero, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas Public Affairs

SANTA RITA, Guam (NNS) -- U.S. Naval Base Guam welcomed a rare visitor to the island when the Chilean sailing ship Esmeralda (BE-43) pulled into Apra Harbor July 20.

Esmeralda is a training ship with more than 300 crew members.

For more than a week, Esmeralda’s crew explored the base and the rest of the island, interacting with Sailors, Navy family members and local residents.

“We enjoy the hospitality from the people of Guam,” said Cmdr. Ivo Brito, Esmeralda’s executive officer, following a press conference aboard the ship July 24.

“We appreciate all the support from the Navy, especially from the Naval Hospital,” said Brito, referring to the assistance given to one Chilean Sailor who required medical attention upon his arrival.

During their stay, crew members marched in Guam’s July 21st Liberation Day parade and provided guided tours of the ship for the public.

The ship serves as a training vessel for midshipmen and other Sailors, as well as being a diplomatic asset for the Chilean government.

For USS Houston (SSN-713) submariner Lt. Joel Holwitt, Esmeralda offers a very different type of sea training, but the tours also show how similar the two navies are.

“Even in our Navy, or at least at our Naval Academy, I know that midshipmen are required to go on sailboat cruises,” said Holwitt. “And it’s all to be able to understand the power of the sea as opposed to a ship because a lot of Sailors get complacent with the amazing power that our engines can give them.”

Guardiamarina Matias Fisher, one of Esmeralda’s tour guides agreed with Holwitt that the historic visit helps strengthen the relationship between the United States and Chile.

“I think that for us, I think it’s really important to get people here because we can show them our culture, the Chilean culture,” said Fisher. “This ship, for us, is like a piece of our country.”

With 29 different sails capable of being raised on the ship’s four masts at heights of more than 150 feet, the 370-foot long Esmeralda is the second tallest and longest sailing ship in the world. Although it has a diesel-powered engine, Esmeralda primarily uses only its sails on the open sea to reach speeds averaging about eight knots.

Esmeralda originally left the homeport of Valparaiso, Chile on April 1 and expects to return Dec. 9 after completing what is now its 52nd training cruise.