The Spanish ship was received by the 'Bomba España' in Valparaíso

The meeting in Chile between the Spanish training ship 'Elcano' and its twin 'Esmeralda'

Esp 4·06·2025 · 21:42 0

This week, the Chilean city of Valparaíso was the meeting place for two veteran ships from sister countries.

The friendly match with 'cannon shots' between 'Elcano' and its twin 'Esmeralda' in Chile
The Flag oath for civilians in the 'Elcano' in Uruguay with Leonor as flag bearer

The training ship "Juan Sebastián de Elcano" of the Spanish Navy and its twin, the training ship "Esmeralda" of the Chilean Navy, have met for the first time since they met in 2020 in the Bay of Punta Arenas, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the Magellan-Elcano expedition, during a voyage in which their crews were unable to go ashore due to the pandemic.

The "Elcano" arrived in Valparaíso on the morning of Friday, April 4, its masts pushing through a dense fog.

Upon arrival in Valparaíso, the Spanish ship was greeted by a musical unit from the Chilean Navy.

In addition, the firefighters of the Seventh Company "Bomba España" of Valparaíso, which I told you about here ten years ago, also came to greet the Spanish ship.

This fire brigade was founded on August 17, 1893 by members of the Spanish community of Valparaíso. They still display the Spanish flag at their headquarters, on their vehicles, and at all their events. In these photos published by the aforementioned Company on their Twitter account and by the Chilean Navy we see several members of the "Bomba España" of Valparaíso with their Spanish flag and hoses, welcoming the Spanish ship.

Above you can see a video of the arrival of the "Elcano" in Valparaíso, published by Il Messaggero. As you can hear, one of the songs sung by the ship's crew upon arrival in the city was "Soldadito español," a popular 1927 pasodoble by Jacinto Guerrero.

Here we can see the moment of the welcome to the "Elcano" with the National Anthem of Spain, in a video published by the Seventh Company "Bomba España" of Valparaíso in which we see two of its firefighters making the military salute when the "March of the Grenadiers" is played.

This time, the "Elcano" and the "Esmeralda" have coincided at the Valparaíso Shelter Molo, where the Spanish ship has been visited by a multitude of Chilean citizens, in the morning and afternoon.

Furthermore, this visit of the "Elcano" coincides with the start of the 69th Training Voyage of Midshipmen and Sailors of the "Esmeralda". In this video published yesterday by the Chilean Navy we can see the "Esmeralda" (in the foreground), with the "Elcano" located at its stern and, behind it, other Chilean warships:

In addition to this meeting, this visit of the "Elcano" to Chile is very special, since Her Royal Highness the Princess of Asturias Leonor de Borbón is participating in its current XCVII Training Cruise, who is currently training as a midshipman at the Marín Naval School. During her stopover in Valparaíso, Leonor participated in the reception on board the "Elcano" for Chilean civil and military authorities, including the Minister of Defense, Adriana Delpiano, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Navy, Admiral Juan Andrés de la Maza.

The Chilean Navy has been paying close attention to the "Elcano", publishing these images of the Spanish ship with its twin ship "Esmeralda" at the Molo de Abrigo in Valparaíso. Recall that the "Esmeralda" was launched in 1953 in Cádiz, Spain. The ship was authorized in 1946 and the initial plans were for it to be used by the Spanish Navy under the name "Juan de Austria", replacing the training ship "Galatea", but it was ceded to Chile in 1954 as part of the payment for the debts incurred by Spain during its Civil War (1936-1939).

In these two images we can see the "Esmeralda" (which was moored at the end of the Valparaíso Shelter Molo) and the "Elcano", located at its stern.

In the most beautiful images of this visit, which you can see below, the "Esmeralda" and the "Elcano" appear decorated and illuminated at night in the port of Valparaíso. The Spanish ship had all four masts illuminated in the colors of the Spanish flag.

You can see more photos of the "Elcano"'s visit to Valparaíso published by the Chilean Navy.

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Photos: Armada de Chile / Ministerio de Defensa Nacional de Chile / Séptima Compañía 'Bomba España' de Valparaíso.

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