''Capitán Miranda'' (ROU 20) is a three-masted staysail schooner of the

Uruguayan Navy The National Navy of Uruguay () is a branch of the Armed Forces of Uruguay under the direction of the Ministry of National Defense and the commander in chief of the Navy (''Comandante en Jefe de la Armada'' or COMAR). History Independence Unde ...

. Originally acquired by the Uruguayan Navy as a survey ship in 1930, the ship remained in service until 1976 in this role. Destined for the

shipbreakers ''Shipbreakers'' is a 2004 documentary film. A co-production of the National Film Board of Canada with Storyline Entertainment directed by Michael Kot, the film explores the practice of ship breaking decommissioned vessels in Alang, India. Aw ...

, the vessel was repurposed as a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

in 1978.

Ship history

''Capitán Miranda'' was ordered in January 1930 from the Spanish ''Sociedad Española de Construcción Naval'' shipyard at

Cádiz Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia. Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...

. The vessel was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 3 March and launched on 27 July 1930. As a

hydrographic vessel Hydrographics may refer to: *Hydrography, the measurement of physical characteristics of waters and marginal land *Hydrographics (printing), a printing technique for three-dimensional objects * Hydrographic Department, UK agency for providing hydr ...

she displaced 552 tons, with an overall length of , and a beam of . Capable of , the ship was armed with a 37 mm cannon and a machine gun, and had a complement of 52. She was named after Captain Francisco Prudencio Miranda (1868–1925), Uruguayan naval officer and marine geographer.

Sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...

s were completed on 19 November 1930, and on 21 November ''Capitán Miranda'' was delivered to the Uruguayan Navy. She served as a survey ship, charting the coasts and waters of Uruguay until 1976. She was then due to be

scrapped Scrap consists of recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has monetary value, especially recovered me ...

, but instead was converted into a three-masted schooner. The conversion was completed by 20 October 1978, when she began in her new role as a

. ''Capitan Miranda'' has since participated in numerous international tall ship regattas.

Gallery

File:Capitan Miranda sunset.jpg, ''Capitán Miranda'' at sunset File:VE Capitan Miranda 020.JPG, Gun on deck of ''Capitán Miranda'' File:Capitan Miranda - Armada Rouen 2008.jpg, ''Capitán Miranda'' at Armada Rouen 2008 File:Capitán Miranda bow.jpg, Bow and figurehead, Capitán Miranda, South Street Seaport, New York City May 2023 File:Capitán Miranda accent jibs.jpg, Accent jibs and stays, Capitán Miranda, South Street Seaport, New York City May 2023 File:Collage Capitán Miranda.jpg, Capitán Miranda, South Street Seaport, New York City May 2023

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, IMO 6109101
''Capitan Miranda'' official site
Schooners Ships of the National Navy of Uruguay Sail training ships 1930 ships Ships built in Spain Survey ships