MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

ARA Libertad visits Portsmouth.

The Argentine Navy sail training frigate last week ARA Libertad paid an informal visit to Portsmouth, Britain, and is now expected in Zeebrugge, Belgium.

The vessel arrived on Bank Holiday Monday and left to continue her training cruise on Friday August 29. ARA Libertad last visit to Britain was a year ago in London.

A fully-rigged ship, Libertad was ordered for the Argentine navy in 1956 and built in Rio Santiago, Buenos Aires, by the naval shipyard Astilleros y Fabricas Navales del Estado SA. She was launched in May 1956 and commissioned almost exactly seven years later, in 1963. In June that same year she began her maiden voyage.

Since then she has made 36 major voyages, visiting 492 ports in more than 76 countries and sailing a total of more than 760,000 miles.

In 1966 Libertad won the Great Medal prize when she sailed the 2,059 miles between Canada (Cape Race) and the UK (an imaginary line drawn between Dublin and Liverpool) at an average speed of 10.1 knots ? a world record passage time of just over eight days and twelve hours.

Five years ago she won the American Sail regatta Prize when she took part in the precision race event between Savannah and Green Port on the Eastern seaboard of the USA, and she has six times won the Boston Teapot Trophy, awarded by the International Sail Training Association for the ship with more than 50 per cent of its crew under training and which covers the greatest distance only by sail in a period of 124 hours.

Commanding Officer Capt Andrew Roque di Vincenzo has a crew of almost 300 ? 25 officers, 63 midshipmen, 189 ratings and various members of other Argentine services and young officers from other navies. Each year the frigate also hosts more than ten officers from other navies.

While in Britain a group of young officers from the training frigate visited Foxford, Mayo county, 140 miles west of Dublin, Ireland hometown of the Argentine Navy founder Admiral Guillermo Brown who played a vital role in the liberation of Argentina and Uruguay from Spain in the early nineteenth century.

A commemorative park and a replica of Admiral Brown's famous man-o-war "25 de Mayo" are planned in Foxford and the adjoining Moy river. Next September 25, the Irish Post Office will be launching its first commemorative stamp dedicated to Foxford's "prodigal son", Admiral (William) Brown.

ARA Libertad is 103.7 metres long, has a beam of 14.3 metres and a draught of 6.6 metres, and displaces 3,765 tonnes. She has 27 sails in a frigate rig on three masts and a bowsprit, with a total surface area of 2,683 square metres. She also has two 1,200hp diesel engines, and has a maximum speed of 12 knots, though she cruises at eight knots.

From Belgium, ARA Libertad will sail to Rotterdam, Holland; Brest, France; El Ferrol, Spain and then cross the Atlantic reaching Rio de Janeiro, Brazil November 3. She's scheduled back in Buenos Aires, November 15.