The Liberty Frigatethe training ship of the Argentine Navy, advanced this Tuesday on its journey towards the port of Mar del Plata and in the early hours of the afternoon it sailed in waters near Pinamar with more than 300 crew members and cadets on board, within the framework of the preparations for the 51st Training Trip to be carried out next May by the midshipmen of the Armed Forces.
The Libertad Frigate is first and foremost a universe of young people, both men and women, who all the time carry out tasks of instruction, learning and maintenance of the ship.
The non-commissioned officers and cadets of the Naval School carry out work that makes the frigate work, ranging from cleaning to setting the sails that move the boat when the engines are turned off.
The ship has a fixed complement of 215 people for short trips, and on this occasion, 65 cadets from the second, third and fourth year of the Naval School will join, as well as journalists and special guests from other military and security forces and representatives of various civil state agencies.
Those in charge of carrying out the most arduous task are the so-called gavieros, who are responsible for climbing the imposing masts of the frigate to unfurl or collect the sails.
They are young non-commissioned officers who are in charge of carrying out a task that forces them to defy the height, the wind, and at certain times the intense cold of the regions through which the frigate sails on its trip around the world.
On its journey through the Río de la Plata channel, which reaches almost to the end of the Samborombón bay and on its subsequent entry into the open sea, the frigate wobbles to the sides and rises and falls from the bow, causing some to sway. feeling of dizziness and discomfort that makes it difficult to rest and eat.
Gonzalo Nietothe captain in charge of the frigate, tours the deck and the cadet sector every day as one of the others, supervising practice tasks carried out by the students.
“These are preparations for the 51st Training Voyage that will possibly begin at the end of April or beginning of May, and that will take the frigate on its journey through various ports around the world,” The Navy’s press officer, Captain Carlos Gómez Nolasco, pointed out to Télam.
On its journey through the waters of the Río de la Plata, the frigate was honored by three Naval Aviation planes of the Argentine Navy that left the Punta Indio Naval Air Base and performed low-flying and aerobatics as a welcome to the frigate.
The frigate ARA Libertad and the icebreaker Almirante Irízar are two of the ships that Argentina has, and that most attract the attention of the civil public, and on this occasion it will remain from Friday in the port of Mar del Plata where for 10 days can be visited by tourists.
Once that period in the seaside city is over, the frigate will continue its journey towards the Puerto Belgrano base where it will carry out maintenance tasks with a view to beginning its journey around the world.
La Fragata Libertad has a unisex hairdresser, dental office and even an operating room
A unisex hairdresser, a dental office and an operating room are part of the universe of the Frigate Libertad, the Navy training ship that sails towards the city of Mar del Plata with some 300 people on board, as part of the preparations for 51 ° Training trip to be carried out next May by the midshipmen of the force.
Everything in the warehouse bears the stamp of autonomy, from removing or fixing a tooth to making the bread and the bills that are consumed every day at breakfast and snack.
Inside, the frigate houses a surprising world of rooms with bunk beds, common dining rooms, bathrooms for men and women equipped with showers, and recreation and study rooms for future sailors from the Naval Academy.
The ship has a sector for non-commissioned officers (at the bow), another for officers (stern), and an intermediate area for cadets, in addition to the engine room and warehouses with supplies used on board.
Everyone eats the same food, from the captain of the ship Gonzalo Nieto, who drives the ship, to the last non-commissioned officer of the crew, assured the Navy Press Chief, Carlos Gómez Nolasco.
However, the places where they eat, meet and sleep are different, since the 21 officers occupy a warm and neat place, with white upholstered chairs and comfortable armchairs to rest and relax.
The main officers’ room is shared by some twenty area chiefs and by the deputy chief of the frigate, who occupies a different chair in the center of the long polished wooden table.
The captain of the ship is the only one who has an exclusive place, with a place to receive visitors and a table with a blue tablecloth with the shield of the Navy in the center where he can make his meals alone or share it with special guests.
On the ship’s deck, the training tasks, fire drills and evacuation in case of risk of sinking are repeated, all with a view to the six-month journey that the ship and its crew will begin next May through the seas of the world. as a corollary to the training of young midshipmen.
