World's biggest bark Sedov started north expedition from Murmansk

04.05.2010 The world's largest sailing ship – bark Sedov – left Murmansk on Friday with naval cadets of Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Kaliningrad on board; during 5.5-month cruise the ship is going to cover about 10,000 nautical miles, said Alexander Yershov, president of Murmansk State Technical University (MSTU) at the press conference.

"North expedition of the sailer which belongs to MSTU is associated with exploration of Arctic continental shelf, polar fishery, and 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Cadets will visit ports of northern countries; they will lay wreaths at memorials and attend commemorative events", said Yershov.

North Expedition-2010 will be carried out in two stages. At the first stage, the bark is going to call at Norwegian port Bergen and celebrate the National Day of Norway along with the residents; then the ship will arrive to Oslo, just at the beginning of Eurovision song contest; in Goteborg the sailer will attend festivities of the National Day of Sweden; afterwards – Helsinki, Stockholm and St. Petersburg.

The crew took three capsules with northern ground inside; one will be handed over to veterans of St. Petersburg, the second one – to veterans of Klaipeda, the third one will be returned back to Murmansk and kept for ever in city museum.

At the second stage of the expedition the ship is scheduled to call at Norwegian port Tromso; then the sailer will head for Barentsburg located on Spitsbergen archipelago, visit Franz Josef Land, Severnaya and Novaya Zemlya, and return back to Murmansk no sooner than mid-Oct.

"Sedov was ready to such cruise, although there were some problems. For instance, the ship's deck has not been renewed for decades, and that's a sensitive issue. Director of the federal fishery agency promised to find money for repairs in 2011. In addition, there are no air conditioners in cadets' quarters. If the vessel undergoes a renovation, she'd be capable to conduct overseas expedition; the federal agency insists on that", told Yershov.

Bark Sedov is the world's largest sailing ship; she was built in 1920. The sailer's length is 117.5 meters; displacement is 7,320 tons; crew is 320. The ship was laid down at Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft shipyard in Germany as a cargo freighter. In 1936 the sailer was refitted and used as cargo and school ship. During WW2 the bark flied the Nazi naval flag; after the war she was transferred to the USSR as reparation along with Kruzenshtern, Padua, and Gorch Fock. In 1946 the Soviet naval flag was hoisted on the ship, she was renamed into Sedov and became a training vessel. In 1991 Sedov was handed over to MSTU. Bark Sedov is listed in Guinness World Records as the biggest existent sailing ship.