10e Sail Amsterdam 2025: United by waves (4)

During Sail 2025 (August 20–24), you will miss the Russian tall ships due to European sanctions. Since 2023, Russian ships have no longer been allowed to dock in European ports. These are ships sailing under the Russian flag or registered in Russia. The three ships Mir, Sedov, and Kruzenstern were still on display at previous editions of Sail, for example in 2000 and 2015. Even after the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. What do you know about the history of these three ships?

Mir (1987)

The Mir is a Russian three-masted ship. The ship was built in 1987 at the Gdansk shipyard in Poland. The ship is used for sailing training by the State School of Marine Engineering in Saint Petersburg. Additionally, it is deployed for training in maritime sciences and oceanography.

The Mir is known as one of the fastest windjammers in her class and has many victories to her name. The Mir is equipped with a full infirmary, including a surgeon. The ship has no winches on board, so sailing is done traditionally.

Mir has participated in races, including the annual The Tall Ships' Races, organized by Sail Training International. In the 1992 Grand Regatta Columbus, held in honor of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492, Mir emerged as the winner.  

Kruzenstern (1926)

The Kruzenstern is a Russian steel four-masted bark, named after the Russian explorer Adam Johann von KrusensternAfter the Sedov, it is the largest traditional sailing ship in the world that is still sailing. Its home port is Kaliningrad.

The ship was launched as the Padua on June 11, 1926, at the Tecklenborg shipyard in Wesermünde (Bremerhaven). It was the last sailing cargo ship to be built and, along with the Pamir, the Passat, the Preußen, the Pommern, and the Peking, formed part of the so-called Flying P-Liners of the F. Laeisz shipping company from Hamburg. It is the only ship of this group currently sailing. Laeisz deployed it as a cargo ship that transported building materials to South America, among other things, and brought back saltpeter on the return journey. The maiden voyage went from Hamburg to Talcahuano (Chile) and took 87 days. Later, this was even achieved in 57 days. The Padua was also used to retrieve wheat from Australia. In 1933-1934, the Padua sailed from Hamburg to Port Lincoln in South Australia in just 67 days; a record. Until the outbreak of the Second World War, the Padua made 15 long voyages to Chile or Australia. During that period, the ship called at the port of Terneuzen, where it unloaded Chilean saltpeter at the firm Aug. de Meyer Zonen's.

On August 8, 1939, the Padua embarked on her final pre-war voyage from Glasgow to Hamburg. Although the ship was equipped with a cannon during the war, it did not see action against the Allies. At the end of the war, it was located in Glücksburg. Following the end of World War II, the Padua was transferred to the Soviet Union on January 12, 1946, as part of war reparations. The ship was renamed Kruzenstern and entered service with the Russian Navy in 1955 as a training ship. From 1959 to 1961, the Kruzenstern was based in Kronstadt near Saint Petersburg, during which time, among other things, two auxiliary engines were installed. Since 1966, it has been owned by the Russian Ministry of Fisheries, which uses it as a training ship. In 1995–1996, the ship made a voyage around the world, following in the footsteps of its namesake. The Kruzenstern regularly participates in international sailing events such as Sail Amsterdam. Because maintenance is very expensive, paying passengers are also taken on board. In de Padua-periode was het schip decor van drie films: Die Meuterei auf der Elsinore (1935); Herz geht vor Anker (1940) en Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (1944).  

Sedov (1921)

The Sedov is a sailing ship. It was initially named Magdalene Vinnen II and later Kommodore Johnson. It has been in Russian possession since 1945. This name refers to the naval officer and polar explorer Georgi Sedov honored. The steel four-masted bark with auxiliary engine is the largest traditional sailing ship still in service. Its home port was Murmansk for a long time, but has been Kaliningrad since 2017. The Sedov was launched in 1921 as the German Magdalene Vinnen II at the Krupp Germania shipyard in Kiel. She owed her name to her first owner, Carl Vinnen, who named her after his daughter. The shipping company FA Vinnen from Bremen had lost all its ships due to the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles; the Magdalene Vinnen II formed part of a new fleet. The shipowner did not actually consider an auxiliary engine necessary, but was persuaded by the shipyard and the Reich Committee for the Reconstruction of the German Merchant Fleet to have one installed anyway.

The ship made its maiden voyage for the German shipping company on September 1, 1921. It transported coal from Cardiff to Buenos Aires. The Magdalene Vinnen II was frequently used to transport saltpeter from Chile and grain from Australia to Germany. In 1936, she was sold to Norddeutscher Loyd, which used her as a cargo training ship under the name Kommodore Johnsen. To this end, accommodations for 50 to 60 officers in training were installed. On the return journey of her first voyage as Kommodore Johnsen, the ship sent out a distress signal on March 3, 1937, due to severe list, after the cargo had shifted during a hurricane. A German tanker dumped oil on the waves, and when the wind also died down, the cargo could be stabilized. The ship made her final voyage for the time being in 1939. During the Second World War, it was laid up in Bremerhaven.

After the war, the ship sailed from the Flensburg Fjord to Hamburg under Allied command. On December 20, 1945, it was transferred by the United Kingdom to the Soviet Union as war reparations. It would henceforth bear the name Sedov and be deployed as a training ship for the Soviet Navy. From 1957 to 1966, it sailed the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean with cadets on board to conduct oceanographic research. Subsequently, the Sedov became the property of the Ministry of Fisheries, which used the ship as a training vessel for the Russian merchant navy. Between 1975 and 1981, the Sedov was located at the Kronstadt naval shipyard near Saint Petersburg. The ship was converted in 1981 to accommodate more people, and gymnasiums, classrooms, and a small museum were added. It became part of the Baltic division of training ships with Riga as its home port, and in August of that year entered a western port for the first time since 1945, Horsens in Denmark. Since 1991, it was the property of Murmansk University of Technology. In 2017, the ship was transferred to Kaliningrad University of Technology. The Sedov sails as a training ship on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea from spring to autumn. A limited number of paying passengers can travel on board. During the winters of 2003/2004 and 2004/2005, the ship was moored in Warnemünde for the winter period. In the summer of 2005, it served as a film set for shooting a film about the sinking of the four-masted bark Pamir. For that occasion, the hull of the Sedov was painted black.  

Sailin' home (1987)

Sailin' Home is a single by Piet Veerman from 1987. It is the best-selling single in the Netherlands in 1987 and also the best-selling single he released during his solo career. Sailin' Home is a cover version of the song Zora Je by the Yugoslavian singer Neda Ukraden from 1985. The lyrics of the song were written by Alan Parfitt. Due to cost considerations, the record company CBS did not want to make a music video, whereupon the public broadcaster Veronica decided to put together a video clip itself, which the broadcaster also used as a recruitment video. The clip contains footage from March 6, 1987 (the salvage of the Herald of Free Enterprise), a documentary made by Pim Korver. After the release of the music video, the record became a hit. The single also appeared on the album (vinyl LP and CD) Piet Veerman from 1987. Later, in 1996, it was included on the compilation album Sailin' Home – The Best of Piet Veerman. Between 1999 and 2014, the song regularly appeared in the TOP 2000. The last time was in 2014 at position 1849. Video Piet Veerman – Sailin' home (1987): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CcaYsW6hkA The 800 ships have left Amsterdam again, heading towards their home ports to enjoy the summer holidays. Sail Amsterdam was the final stop on their journey. Over 2,5 million visitors lined the quays of the ports of Amsterdam. A beautiful example of camaraderie among different people enjoying these sailing ships. Do we have to wait another 5 years? The Tall Ships Races Antwerp are already scheduled for July 11–14, 2026. And perhaps another Sail Den Helder or Delfsail before 2030?  

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Sail Amsterdam: https://www.sail.nl/