The tall white lady with a rather colourful past

14 09 2019

Photographs from a visit to the Chilean Navy’s tallship, B.E. Esmeralda, which made another return to our shores this week. Singapore is the 5th port of call in the training ship’s 2019/20 round the Pacific voyage that has taken her from Valparaíso to Wellington, Auckland, Sydney and Bali so far. The ship, which last made a call to Singapore in 2017, is a 113 metre, four-masted barquentine built by Astilleros de Cádiz (now part of the Navantia naval shipbuilding group). Initially built as a National training ship for the Spanish Navy, she was transferred to the Chilean Navy during her construction in 1951 before being launched in May 1953 and delivered in June 1954.

Affectionately known as “La Dama Blanca” or “The White Lady”, the ship has been linked to some of the excesses committed in the aftermath of the military coup in 1973 that was led by former Chilean strongman General Augusto Pinochet – when she was allegedly used as an interrogation centre. The vessel, leaves for Shanghai at approximately 1700 hours today and her seven month voyage will also see her calling at Busan, Tokyo, Honolulu, Papeete before returning to Chilean waters.

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Date : 14 September 2019
Tags: Armada de Chile, Barquentine, BE Esmeralda, Buque Escuela, Chilean Navy, La Dama Blanca, Naval Ships, Photographs, Photography, Sailboats, Sailing Ships, Sails, Ships, Singapore, Tall Ship, The White Lady, Training Ship
Categories : Events, Naval Ships, Photography, Sailing Ships, Ships, Singapore, Tall Ships

4 responses

14 09 2019: Constantine Ng (10:52:41) :

This is indeed a historic ship.

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14 09 2019: john ting (11:01:51) :

Nice photos Jerome!

johnT Sent from my iPhone

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14 09 2019: irenehoe (11:45:15) :

Hmmmmmm! Thanks for that background! I visited the ship when it was last here. Didn’t feel any bad vibes then though the friends I was with simply couldn’t wait to get off. Now I know why!

“You fail only if you stop writing.”

— Ray Bradbury

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14 09 2019: allen chong (11:45:48) :

Nice ship.👍

On Sat, 14 Sep 2019, 10:43 The Long and Winding Road, wrote:

> Jerome Lim, The Wondering Wanderer posted: “Photographs from a visit to > the Chilean Navy’s tallship, B.E. Esmeralda, which made another return to > our shores this week. Singapore is the 5th port of call in the training > ship’s 2019/20 round the Pacific voyage that has taken her from Valparaíso > to Wel” >

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