About a thousand people, including family and friends of the crew of the Training Ship “Esmeralda”, arrived this Friday, October 10, at the Molo de Abrigo, to welcome them and reunite with their loved ones, who were also received by the whistles and sirens of the ships in the bay, along with smaller boats that accompanied them in the last stretch of navigation along the coast.
The Unit, under the command of Captain Andrés Gallegos, arrived in Valparaíso around noon, ending its 69th Voyage of Instruction. Its crew is made up of 267 people, of which 73 are Midshipmen, 73 Sailors, 7 Foreign Guest Officers; in addition to four Officers from the other branches of the Armed Forces, Order and Public Security.
On this voyage, the “White Lady” sailed 27,408 nautical miles (equivalent to 45,203 km), in 188 days, visiting six countries and eight ports. The first port it called at was Hanga Roa, to continue to Hawaii (USA), Osaka (Japan), Shanghai (China), Jakarta (Indonesia), Sydney (Australia), Papeete (France), and then, back in our country, it called again in Hanga Roa, later, it went to Robinson Crusoe Island, to finish at its home port of Valparaíso.
Upon arrival, Commander Gallegos pointed out that, “I think it was a successful trip, we fulfilled all our academic objectives, we represented Chile and the Institution abroad, in general we had a lot of contact with the Ambassadors of the countries we visited, they all ended up very satisfied with the contribution of the Esmeralda Training Ship to the mission that they develop and in turn, this particular trip allowed all the sailors to get to know completely different cultures during our time in Asia and also to strengthen the vision of Chile abroad.”
For her part, Midshipman Fernanda Valenzuela indicated that, “it was an incredible and unforgettable experience in which we were actually able to acquire a lot of knowledge, it was my first time away from home; so the friendships that one makes here on the ship are essential to cope with the navigation. This trip will serve me for life, throughout my career and the knowledge I generated here, whether it is my development on the Bridge or the astronomical calculations that we had to carry out in navigation, will undoubtedly serve me in the future.”
Meanwhile, Sailor Nicolás Riffo, who works as a Naval Nurse mentioned that, “this navigation was quite profitable, full of knowledge and new experiences, it was my first navigation since I left the Academy and being a nurse on the Training Ship, it is a great challenge, since emergencies or accidents occur at any time, But with the Health Team, we are always alert and prepared to face any emergency that may occur on the ship.”
Finally, First Corporal Carolina Mondaca said that, “for me it has been a very rewarding experience because in addition to getting to know other ports, I have been able to put into practice everything I have learned in the previous transshipments that I have had during my naval career. I am happy to have returned to Valparaíso, with the feeling of having fulfilled our duty abroad and now being able to reunite with our families.”