BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A replica of a ship captained by the world-famous Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan is sailing upriver to Baton Rouge, where it will be open for public tours from March 13 through March 25.
The USS KIDD Veterans Museum will host the tall ship Nao TRINIDAD, a Spanish-built replica of the 16th-Century flagship of the Magellan-Elcano expedition, which was the first to sail around the world.
Magellan led Nao TRINIDAD from 1519-1522, and during those years it became one of only two ships to successfully travel from Sevilla, Andalusia to the Spice Islands.
Nao TRINDAD’s arrival in American waters is a celebratory event marking five centuries since the world’s first circumnavigation of the globe. The ship’s replica construction took 14 years to make and concluded on March 11, 2018.
Guests who choose to tour the vessel in the coming weeks will find themselves aboard a structure that weighs 200 gross tons and measures 93 feet in length with a 26-foot beam. Its three masts carry five sails, with the mainmast being more than 82 feet high.
Visitors will be able to tour four decks in order to experience what life was like onboard a 16th-Century ship and how it is to live today on a historical ship of that time. They will be able to learn about seamanship directly from the crew.
The sailing vessel is categorized as a “Nao” or “carrack,” which was a type of large sailing ship used for exploration, to carry cargo, or serve as a warship in the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Naos were known for their original designs, which made them the most advanced in naval engineering of that era.
If you would like to check out the Nao TRINIDAD for yourself, tickets are $25 per person (children under 5 years old with an adult are free) and include access to the USS KIDD Veterans Museum and both ships.
From March 13-25, the museum will remain open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for special engagement hours. Guests should keep in mind that because this is a multi-day event, tickets will only be available at the entrance to the USS KIDD Veterans Museum on the day of the visit.
Visit the website at usskidd.com or call 225-342-1942 for more information.
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