On Sunday 12th April, 2020 the 94 year old Russian (RUS) flag and owned tall ship KRUZENSHTERN was spotted underway 28.1 nautical miles off Malta heading to Novorossiysk, Russia from Las Palmas at 2225 hrs.
Built in 1926 in Bremerhaven, Germany as the cargo ship PADUA she was a four masted barque and used among other things to ship construction material to Chile, South America. Later she transported wheat from Australia. Her maiden voyage from Hamburg to Talcahuano, Chile took 87 days. In 1933/1934 she took a record breaking of 67 days from Hamburg to Port Lincoln in South Australia. Prior to World War II she made 15 long trips to Chile and Australia. Her fastest voyage was in 1938/1939, from Hamburg via Chile to Australia and back to Hamburg in 8 months and 23 days under Captain Richard Wendt of which is a world record voyage for tall ships that has never been broken. Also like all P-liners, PADUA was painted according to the colours of the German national flag of the German Empire era: black (hull above water, topsides), white (waterline area) and red (underwater body).
On 12th January 1946 she was surrendered to the USSR and integrated into the Baltic Fleet of the Soviet Navy. She was moored in Kronstadt Harbour until 1961 where she underwent major repairs and a refit including the installation of her first engines, for her missions for the Hydrographic Department of the Soviet Navy. From 1961 to 1965 she undertook many hydrographic and oceanographical surveys for the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, and Mediterranean, and was used as a training vessel for naval cadets. In 1965 she was transferred to the USSR Ministry of Fisheries in Riga to be used as a schoolship for future fishery officers. From 1968 to 1972 a major modernisation took place, installing her current set of engines and applying her current hull paint – black with a wide white stripe with black rectangles intended to give the illusion of gunports.
In January 1981 she was transferred to the Estonian Fisheries Industry at Tallinn and in 1991 she became part of the State Baltic Academy of the Fisheries fleet with her new home port in Kaliningrad.
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
Published – Thursday 16th April, 2020
