Russia's famous Kruzenshtern barque is heading for its home port of Kaliningrad, having finished its summer voyage.
"After a three-month training tour Kruzenshtern is on its way back home. We hope, it will complete its mission, which kicked off on June 12, on September 7," said a spokesman for the Baltic State Fishing Fleet Academy, which operates the vessel.
Kruzenshtern's three-month training tour included visits to foreign ports and participation in several international regattas and sailing festivals. The ship has a crew and 120 cadets on board.
The Kruzenshtern is widely regarded as one of the jewels of the Russian sailing fleet. It was built in Germany in 1926 as a windjammer class ship (then called The Padova).
After World War II, the ship was transferred to the Soviet Union as a reparation payment and renamed after a legendary Russian navigator Johann Kruzenshtern (1770-1846), who performed Russia's first round-the-world trip.
Since the 1970s, the ship has been used as a training vessel for naval cadets.
The Kruzenshtern was moored for three weeks in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics and became one of the most important symbols of support for the Russian team in its ultimately unsuccessful campaign.
KALININGRD, September 2 (RIA Novosti)
