Historic meeting after 60 years

Tall ship meets aircraft carrier: US Navy compliments the Signora

It was on 12 July 1962: The US aircraft carrier "USS Independence" encountered the "Amerigo Vespucci", which was sailing under full sail, in the Mediterranean and asked it to identify itself by light signal. The Italian three-masted ship, which had been launched in February 1931, identified itself by name and described itself as a "high-ranking national ship in active service", whereupon the US Navy described it as "the most beautiful ship in the world".

Now the repetition after 60 years: The aircraft carrier USS "George H.W. Bush" recently passed the "Amerigo Vespucci" in the Adriatic and repeated the compliment: "Amerigo Vespucci, you are still the most beautiful ship in the world," said the "George H.W. Bush".

The Italian naval training ship Amerigo Vespucci sails past the USS Independence in the Mediterranean on 12 July 1962. (National Archives)

Vespucci, whose namesake is the famous Italian explorer after whom America is named, has its home port in La Spezia, Italy. Among other things, it serves as a training ship for the cadets of the Italian Naval Academy. The "Amerigo Vespucci" is the oldest unit of the Italian Navy, also the best known and a beloved national icon, called the "Signora del Mare". She was named a Goodwill Ambassador by Unicef in 2007 and has been called "il veliero più bello del mondo", the most beautiful sailing ship in the world, since the 1962 event.

The commander of the "Amerigo Vespucci", Capitano Max Siragusa, said the renewal of the encounter was a fitting end to his naval career, which also included travelling aboard the ship to the USA in 1992 and later serving on the USS "Abraham Lincoln" in the Persian Gulf during a year-long exchange with the US Navy. But the event was also significant for the sailors aboard the "George H.W. Bush". "This was a great opportunity to honour and strengthen the partnership between our two navies and our countries with maritime diplomacy," said Captain David-Tavis Pollard, commanding officer of the George H.W. Bush.

Watch video

Pictures of the spectacular passage of the ship Vespucci through the waterway in the city of two seas.

Source: Stars and Stripes, ESuT, hsc