OPERATION SAIL 1992:
Druzhba Brings US-Soviet Crew "Back to the Basics" By Kevin Haydon The sun brightening off her flanks, on August 14 the Soviet Merchant Marine training vessel Druzhba eased into Pier 17 at South Street Seaport, the pier itself resonating to the sounds of Russian march tunes-"Cavalry of the Steppes" and 'The Russian Circus March ." Swelling the numbers of the midshipman band and reception comm ittee for officers and crew of the Druzhba is an excited midday lunch crowd of wellwishers. The first Russian training vessel to visit the East Coast in 14 years, Druzhba is also the first vessel to host a joint USSR-US Merchant Marine cadet sail. Leaving Odessa on June 10 with forty-one US merchant cadets and instructors , 32 men and 9 women, and 72 cadets of the Odessa Maritime Academy, the Druzhba voyaged 6,500 miles to reach Baltimore on August 5-the most significant part of her mission accomplished. Building on the success of the first trans-Atlantic "SovietAmerican Sail" aboard schooner Te Vega in 1989, the 1990 sail of the Druzhba amplified its predecessor's mission to advance international goodwill and understanding between the youth of both countries. "The ship isn ' t designed to haul cargo," said Duane Bennett, a senior at the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point NY, " it 's designed to haul students. The lesson we learned is friendship . The Soviet cadets would give you the shirt off their back if you asked them ." Among the Soviet cadets were Yura, 22 years of age, and Sergei 23, both in their fourth year of study at the Odessa Academy , and two of only six Odessa cadets with prior experience on square-riggers. Their favorite country nowAmerica. Pulling theDruzhba's 245 lines (145 countingjoint lines) hand-in-hand with US cadets was, in their words, an " unforgettable experience." The joint sail was an experience to be remembered not only by cadets, however. Over one hundred families hosted the Soviet cadets during port stops along the Eastern seaboard, and an estimated 200,000 people toured the vessel. Built in the Gdansk in 1987 , the Druzhba is the newest addition to the Soviet Union's tall ship fleet and a true greyhound of the sea. Designed specifically for merchant marine training, she is the fifth in a series of training ships built at the Polish yard si nce 1983. At 365-ft she is almost as long as the venerable cargo queen-turned-training vessel Kru zenshtern (ex-German Padua , built 1926), but at 2,360 gross tons she is much sleeker. It could be asked why a vessel like the Druzhba still ex ists and why over 100 American and Soviet cadets should train on her now that shipping operates by motor, not by sai l? Admiral Paul L. Krinsky, Superintendent of the US Merchant Marine Academy, asserts that sail experience, " brings you back to the basics. It brings you back to natural forces." It provides a sea sense that isn ' t got aboard large merchant ships virtually impervious to the weather. It was recogn iti on of thi s need that inspired the Directorof the US Tall Ship Foundation , Jay Bolton, to help Massachusetts-based Deepwater Alliance Director Capt. Stephen Wedlock put together "Soviet-American Sai l 1990." They were able to parlay a small private venture aboard the Te Vega in 1989 into a professional educational experience for American merchant marine cadets. Under the leadership of Soviet merchant officers, the American Director of Education, Captain Richard T . Shannon (a former Sailing Master of the USCG Eagle), other US Merchant Academy instructors, and four NOAA officers from the US Department of Commerce, the American cadets received an education that has rarely before SEA HISTORY 55, AUTUMN 1990
Above, US and Soviet cadels mingle aft of th e new Soviet merchant marine training s hip , th e Dru z hba , as s he makes her way to New York 's South Sireet Seaport onAugust 14.
The Druzhba shows her sail approaching Manhattan.A flourish we will see again at Op Sail 1992 in the companyofher Soviet sisterships.
been afforded American merchant cadets. For Captain Bolton, this was the second part of Druzhba's mission-to provide quality education and draw attention to this nation 's need for a fully-rigged merchant marine training sh ip. The US merchant marine academies currently do not have a vessel of this type and the US Tall Ship Foundation is planning to build it. The TS Liberty will be a 3,000-gross ton, 350-ft, four-masted , bark rigged , diesel/sail-powered ship accommodating approximately 160 cadets built, says Captain Bolton, " to maintain the maritime commercial heritage of the United States and to address the critical needs of sea service schools." (See SH 54, pl3.) In the meantime, the US Tall Ship Foundation and Deepwater Alliance have further joint US-Soviet sails planned. Merchant marine cadets will voyage again in 1991 , this time on the Soviet training ship Mir . And when will we see the Druzhba boasting sail in New York harbor again? Operation Sai l,July4, 1992, of course! This time in the company of many of her Soviet sisters. D 31