Thousands of boats will parade on the quays of Rouen from 8th to 18th June 2023 for the Armada de la Liberté. Among them is the Norwegian three-master Statsraad Lehmkuhl, who had already made the voyage in 1999 and 2008.
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Among the ships present at the 8th edition of the Armada was the Norwegian barque Lehmkuhl Municipal Council. One of the oldest and largest active sailing ships in the world with an incredible history.
A century of history
The Statsraad Lehmkuhl survived two world wars and trained thousands of seafarers. He is the floating ambassador for the city of Bergen in Norway, his home port. Nevertheless, she was born in Germany in 1914 as a training ship for the German merchant fleet.
After World War I it was regained by England and bought by a Norwegian to train future generations of seafarers in his country. But Nazi Germany confiscated Bergen and its boat in 1940, painting it black. A witness of this time is a sextant carried on board. “It’s a very good quality sextant, we can use it very well today”, explains Jonathan Engel Rousseau, 2nd Lieutenant. After the war, this three-master returned to Norway and has been the pride of Bergen ever since. “It’s a very nice boat, it’s our boat”, said a Norwegian proudly.
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Bergen, Norway’s most European city
With its impressive dimensions 98 meters long12.60 meter wide, a draft of 5.20 meter and a sail area of 2,000 square meters on 22 sails that Statsraad Lehmkuhl looks gigantic in the port of Bergen. A port surrounded by mountains in an ideal location, sheltered by islands and nestled between Norway’s two largest fjords that add to the charm of the landscape. Because of its location on the North Sea, Bergen has always had privileged ties with Europe. The port experienced its heyday in the Middle Ages. The most obvious holdover from the days when Bergen was a trading center with the rest of Europe is the Bryggen district on the quays. It is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
For twenty months, the Statsraad Lehmkul traveled the oceans around the world to raise awareness of the vital role of the oceans. His world tour ended last April. On Wednesday 7 June, at around 9:15 p.m., it will pass under the Flaubert Bridge to join the ships from all the seas gathered in Rouen.
Army of Freedom in Rouen from June 8th to 18th, 2023
