Corvette Stereguschiy met Danish royal yacht

06.09.2011 In accordance with international naval protocol, flagship of Leningrad Naval Base – corvette Stereguschiy – met Danish royal yacht Dannebrog and patrol frigate HDMS Thetis at Russian sea border; the ships arrived in St. Petersburg on Sept 6 within the framework of state visit of Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark Margrethe II, told Western Military District Press Service to Central Navy Portal.

Corvette Stereguschiy escorted Danish ships to the moorage site. At 9.30 pm the royal yacht and patrol frigate moored at English Embankment, and the host ship – at Lt. Schmidt Embankment.

The visit of Danish ships to St. Petersburg will last till Sept 10. Danish mariners will familiarize with the Russia's "northern capital", lay wreaths at Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery, visit Central Naval Museum and cruiser Avrora.

On Sept 10 the royal yacht and the frigate will leave St. Petersburg with Her Majesty, Consort Prince, and accompanying persons on board.

Royal yacht Dannebrog was built in 1931-1932 in Copenhagen and is one of the most beautiful ships of her class. Magnificence of interior decoration impresses much and copies that of the yacht's same-named predecessor, a steamship built in 1879. In wartime, the yacht can be used as a hospital ship. The yacht's crew numbers 9 officers, 7 petty officers, and 36 enlisted. Since her launching in 1932, the yacht has covered over 300,000 nautical miles which is more than the distance from the Earth to the Moon.

Patrol frigate HDMS Thetis is the lead ship in the series; she was built in 1991. The ship is used for patrol of Denmark's maritime economic zone, protection of fishery, and participation in NATO joint operations. The frigate is armed with up-to-date artillery and antisubmarine systems and equipped with deck-based helicopter. The crew numbers over 60 persons.