Amerigo Vespucci
FULLY BUILT AND READY TO DISPLAY MUSEUM QUALITY SHIP MODEL
- LARGE MUSEUM QUALITY MODEL
- Dimension Approx.: 48″L x 14″W x 33″H
- The model is already built, NOT a model ship kit
- Handcrafted from scratch using finest woods & metal fittings
- Freight shipping. Please contact us with any questions.
DESCRIPTION
We are offering a new model of the famous school ship Amerigo Vespucci , named after the famous italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. She is part of the Italian Navy. She was designed by General Lieutenant Francesco Rotundi, of the Italian Navy Engieering Corp, inspired by the style of large late-18th century 74- cannon ships. She was built in 1930 at the Regio Cantiere Navale of Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples, where it was launched on February 22, 1931, on the 50th anniversary of the naval academy’s foundation.
In the late 1920s, the Italian navy began construction of two ships for training their officer cadets at Sea, Cristoforo Colombo and Amerigo Vespucci: The first, the Cristoforo Colombo, was put into service in 1928 and was used by the Italian Navy until 1943. After World War II, this ship was handed over to the USSR as part of the war reparations and was shortly afterwards decommissioned. The second ship was the Amerigo Vespucci, built in 1930 at the (formerly Royal) Naval Shipyard of Castellammare di Stabia (Naples). She was launched on February 22, 1931, and put into service in July of that year.
Amerigo Vespucci is a steel hull seventy-four-gun frigate, with three fully rigged steel masts. She is 82.4 m (270.34 ft) long, with an overall length of 101 m (331 ft) including the bowsprit and a maximum width of 15.5 m (51 ft). She had a draught of about seven metres (23 ft) and a displacement at full load of 4146 tons. Under auxiliary diesel-electric propulsion the Amerigo Vespucci can reach 10 knots (19 km/h) and has a range of 5450 nm at 6.5 knots.
Her three steel masts are 50, 54 and 43 metres high, and carry sails totalling 2824 m² (30400 ft²) The Amerigo Vespucci has 26 sails – square sails, staysails, and jibs: all are traditional canvas sails. When under sail in severe sea and wind conditions she can reach 12 knots (22 km/h). The rig, some 30 km of ropes, uses only traditional hemp ropes; only the mooring lines are synthetic, to comply with port regulations.
The hull is painted black with two white stripes, harking back to the two gun decks of the ships her design is based on, but she carries only two 6pdr saluting guns in pivot mountings on the deck, forward of the mainmast. The deck planks are of teak wood and must be replaced every three years. Bow and stern are decorated with intricate ornaments; she has a life-size figurehead of Amerigo Vespucci. The stern gallery is accessible only through the Captain’s saloon.
The standard crew of the Amerigo Vespucci is 16 officers, 70 non-commissioned officers and 190 sailors. In summer, when she embarks the midshipmen of the Naval Academy (Accademia Navale), the crew totals some 450.
Since 1964 the ship has been fitted with two 4-stroke, 8-cylinder FIAT B 308 ESS diesel engines, which replaced the original 2-stroke 6-cylinder FIAT Q 426 engines. The newer engines generate electric power for one electric propulsion motor that can produce up to about 1471 kW (2000 hp).
To date, she is still in use as a school ship. The ship also carries out the role of ambassador for culture and Italian naval tradition, as it takes part in several important activities and events all over the world. Its motto is 'Not those who begin but those who persevere', a sentence attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci.
NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO OWN A BEAUTIFUL MUSEUM QUALITY PIECE OF HISTORY AT GREAT SAVINGS!!!
NOTE: Due to the Extrodary size of this model, it is too large to ship normal UPS or FedEx freight and requires truck freight, which is not as expeditious and may not arrive as fast as smaller shipping methods do. A SPECIAL REBATE OF $200 AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL PICK UP OF THIS MODEL.
