World’s largest sail training ship

The sail training ship Sedov was built in Kiel, Germany in 1921 as the Magdalene Vinnen II. It is a steel-hulled four masted barque and has an auxiliary diesel engine. Operated as a cargo ship by F.A. Vinnen & Company of Bremen, it carried cargoes of coal, timber, wheat, and pyrite to numerous ports worldwide, making voyages around Cape Horn. In addition to its crew, it regularly carried cadets. In 1936, the ship was sold to Norddeutscher Lloyd and renamed Kommodore Johnsen. While continuing to carry commercial cargoes, it was modified to accommodate 50 to 60 cadets on each voyage. In December 1945, the ship was acquired by the Soviet Union as war reparations. It was renamed Sedov after Arctic explorer Georgy Sedov and used as a sail training vessel by the Soviet Navy until 1957, when it was converted to an oceanographic research ship (although it continued to carry cadets on its various cruises). In 1966, Sedov was transferred to the Ministry of Fisheries and homeported in Kronstadt, where it was used infrequently as a training ship. In 1981, it underwent renovation, including the addition of a glass-domed banquet hall with a stage and a movie theater. Its homeport was changed to Riga and it was used extensively as a sail training ship again. When Latvia became independent in 1991, the ship was transferred to its current homeport of Murmansk. The ship participates regularly in Tall Ship events around the world. In addition to its typical sail training mission, berths are also open to paying guests who can volunteer to participate in sailor’s duties.