Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias completes her voyage as a midshipman on the training ship “Juan Sebastián de Elcano”
The Juan Sebastián de Elcano Training Ship carried out its 17th training cruise, with 76 midshipmen on board, including Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias who, as Crown Princess, is undergoing her training period in the Armed Forces.
This year, the Juan Sebastián de Elcano made a stopover in Salvador de Bahía, where the 400th anniversary of the recapture of Salvador de Bahía from the Dutch was commemorated by a combined Spanish-Portuguese fleet commanded by Admiral Fadrique Alvarez de Toledo. Until that time, that fleet was the largest to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
Providing comprehensive training to embarked midshipmen and highlighting Spain’s relations with the countries where it calls at each of the ports are some of the missions of the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, which departed from the port of Cádiz on January 11 and arrives, on its first stop abroad and in the Americas, in Salvador de Bahía (Brazil), after having been in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Bahía is the only port in Brazil where the Juan Sebastián de Elcano will call.
The midshipmen are accompanied by a crew of 20 officers, 20 non-commissioned officers, 130 military personnel from the Navy and Enlisted ranks, and two civilian teachers.
Among the various exercises the midshipmen perform during the voyage are: mast climbing, sail trimming, positioning with a sextant, preparing and maintaining the ship before and after each stop, as well as attending conferences and watches.
The Pracatum school’s female percussion group performed a batucada upon the arrival of the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano to Salvador de Bahía on February 14. The ship’s midshipmen wished to thank this group and those responsible for the school for their work through the Pracatum Social Action Association (APAS), which has been carrying out educational, cultural and community development programs in the Candeal Pequeño de Brotas neighborhood of Salvador, Bahia, for more than thirty years. The group was led by Brazilian musician Carlinhos Brown, who was with King Felipe and Queen Letizia twenty years ago, during their visit to Salvador when they were princes.
In the early afternoon, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias had lunch with the Spanish Ambassador to Brazil, the Spanish Defense Attaché in Brazil, the Minister Counselor of the Spanish Embassy, the Chief of the Second Naval District of Brazil, the Commander of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the Chief of the Sixth Military Region of Brazil, the Spanish Consul in Salvador, and the CEO of the port authority CODEBA.
On its first stop in Latin America, and the only one in Brazil, a formation of midshipmen from the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, along with another formation from the Brazilian Navy, participated in a floral tribute to the fallen of both Armed Forces at Fort Santa María in Salvador (Bahia).
This city commemorates the 400th anniversary of the recapture of Salvador from the Dutch by a combined Spanish-Portuguese fleet commanded by Admiral Fadrique de Toledo, to whom a plaque is dedicated in this military defensive enclosure. To date, this fleet was the largest to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
The fort’s heptagonal structure, originally from the 17th century with thick stone curtain walls, hosted the ceremony, which began with the playing of both national anthems, before the joint floral offering made by the commander of the Second Naval District of Brazil, Vice Admiral Antonio Carlos Cambra, and the commander of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, Luis Carreras-Presas do Campo.
Later, in the presence of the Spanish Consul General in Salvador, Ignacio Pérez Cambra, the restored copy of the painting “Siege and Enterprise of Salvador de Bahia” was handed over to the Brazilian Navy by the Spanish Navy, at the Naval Museum of Salvador de Bahia (Barra Lighthouse) – now without a midshipman.
Also held yesterday was a history seminar entitled “Salvador de Bahía and its Siege and Enterprise of 1625,” organized by the Cultural Council of the Spanish Embassy in Brasilia in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute of Salvador—one of the Institute’s eight branches in Brazil—and the Geographic and Historical Institute of Bahia, a leading institution in the research and preservation of the city’s historical heritage. Renowned historians from Bahia and Spain participated in the seminar, and a representation of officers from the Juan Sebastián de Elcano ship attended. These initiatives are part of the program of events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the recapture of Salvador de Bahía from the Dutch, along with the temporary exhibition to be held at the Naval Museum in Madrid entitled “Salvador de Bahía 1625: ‘The Credit of Spain.'”
On February 19, the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano set sail from the port of Salvador bound for Montevideo (Uruguay).
Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias, accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, participated in the swearing-in ceremony aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, which stopped in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Forty-five Spaniards residing in Uruguay participated in the swearing-in ceremony. Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias was the flag bearer within the formation of midshipmen commissioned for the occasion.
His father, Don Felipe, as Prince of Asturias, was also ensigned in Montevideo on March 19, 1987, during his training as a midshipman aboard the training ship.
After boarding the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias was received by the training ship’s commander, Luis Carreras-Presas do Campo, and Admiral Antonio Piñeiro, Chief of the Naval Staff (AJEMA), and honors were performed before the Oath of Allegiance began. On each edition of the training cruise, at least 250 Spaniards living abroad choose to swear allegiance to the flag throughout all the ship’s stops.
A representative of Spanish residents and Uruguayan society also attended the reception hosted by the commander of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano in the afternoon. This reception was also attended by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and Uruguayan officials.
There are more than 73,000 Spanish residents in Uruguay, representing more than 2% of the population, making it one of the countries in the world with the largest Spanish population relative to its population. More than half are of Galician origin (around 41,000), with numerous groups also coming from Asturias, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, and the Basque Country, among others.
It is one of the Latin American countries that has welcomed the largest number of immigrants from Spain throughout its history relative to its population. It is estimated that nearly two million Uruguayans are of Spanish descent. Spanish men and women have played a key role in the country’s development, from the formation of the geography of its capital to the development of several inland departments, for example.
Currently, the Democratic Memory Law, approved in 2022, allows the children and grandchildren of Spaniards who had to leave our country to apply for Spanish nationality without having to renounce their Uruguayan nationality. More than 17,000 applications have already been received, of which nearly half have been successfully resolved.
Among the activities related to the arrival of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano were a visit to the historic center of Montevideo and a reception for the midshipmen and crew by the Spanish Embassy, as well as a floral offering at the monument to the hero of Uruguayan independence, José Gervasio Artigas.
The training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, on its 17th training cruise, was in Montevideo until the 9th. This stopover marks the training ship’s eighteenth visit to Montevideo. The first visit occurred in 1928—during the first training cruise—and the previous one was in 2020.
After passing through Montevideo, the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, on its 17th training cruise, continues its journey through Chilean waters with stops in Punta Arenas from March 20 to 23 and in Valparaíso from April 4 to 8, and continues its journey to El Callao in Peru from April 18 to 22.
As a continuation of the training cruise for future officers of the Spanish Navy, The Princess of Asturias, who is currently on the crew of the emblematic training ship of the Spanish Navy, made a stopover in Panama on May 3. Upon arrival, Her Majesty the Queen was waiting for her, who embraced Doña Leonor in an emotional embrace, and also greeted the Spanish Ambassador to Panama. Later, the Princess of Asturias, within the commission of midshipmen decided by the Commander and together with Officers of the Ship “Juan Sebastián de Elcano”, participated in a visit to Panama Viejo, where they were able to see the Plaza de Armas of Panama City, took a short walk to the Cathedral Tower and visited several rooms of the Museum (of Panama Viejo), which has a commemorative plaque of the visit of His Majesty the King 2019. Also, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias, midshipmen and the crew of the Ship “Juan Sebastián de Elcano”, with the assistance of Her Majesty the Queen, participated in the reception on board that traditionally takes place.
After visiting Panama, the ship “Juan Sebastián Elcano” departed for Colombia, where it stopped in Cartagena de Indias and Santa Marta from May 9 to 14. It also sailed to the Dominican Republic from May 19 to 24, where it made a stopover in Santo Domingo.
Later, the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, on its 17th training cruise, arrived in New York on June 5th, specifically at Pier 88 on the Hudson River. This is the 34th stopover for the Juan Sebastián de Elcano in the American city; the first occurred in 1929—during the first training cruise, the last port before returning to Cádiz. The last time the Juan Sebastián Elcano was in New York was in 2023.
Among the activities related to the arrival of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano to New York, on June 5, a commission of midshipmen attended a Concert at Carnegie Hall entitled “A Musical Fantasy from Spain”, with works by Falla, Turina, Ravel and Korngold, with the Teatro Real’s Titular Orchestra under the direction of David Afkham and with the participation of violinist María Dueñas – Princess of Girona Award for Arts and Letters 2023 – and soprano Saioa Hernández – Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts 2021 -.
Also, on the occasion of this stopover, a representation of Spanish residents in the United States participated, on June 6, in the Oath of Allegiance ceremony of the ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, where Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias was the flag bearer.
There are more than 226,000 Spanish residents in the United States—the third largest country in the world with Spanish residents—of which New York accounts for more than 53,000. The New York area encompasses the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. The majority are divided between the states of New York and New Jersey.
On July 3, the frigate Blas de Lezo and the training ship Juan Sebastián Elcano, with Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias on board, arrived simultaneously in Gijón. Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias will thus complete the training that began in January from Cádiz.
As part of her assigned midshipmen’s commission, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias visited the Jovellanos Maritime Rescue Center during the stopover of the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano in Gijón.
Accompanied by her fellow midshipmen, the Princess participated in an information session led by the center’s director, Julián Camus, who gave a briefing on the main functions of this benchmark institution in maritime emergency training, safety at sea, and the fight against marine pollution.
The Jovellanos Center, part of the Maritime Rescue Department, plays a key role in preparing civilian and military professionals to face critical maritime situations through specialized simulations and training.
After the visit, Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias returned to the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano, where she shared lunch with various civil and military authorities on board.
On the afternoon of Sunday, July 13, Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias arrived at the Marín Naval School aboard the Training Ship Juan Sebastian Elcano, concluding her 17th training cruise.
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