In 1962 A US aircraft Carrier Crossed Paths With The Amerigo Vespucci And Performed A Gesture That Went Down In History.
The well-known sailing ship of the Italian Navy called Amerigo Vespucci, launched in 1931 as a training ship for the training of officer cadets, in 1962 encountered the US aircraft carrier USS Independence (CV-62) in the Mediterranean Sea – one of the three Forrestal Class aircraft carriers that they gave a turning point to the design of warships.
The meeting, immortalized in a shot that has become famous, was at the time (and still is today) a source of great pride for MMI and for the whole of Italy.
When the two vessels met, the USS Independence sent out a beacon and asked the vessel to identify itself.
The Amerigo Vespucci revealed its identity and, in response, the message came from the port: “You are the most beautiful ship in the world!”.
Wikimedia/Antonio Angelo Caria
Respect for the “most beautiful ship in the world” is not shown solely through words.
Wikimedia/RonaldW (CC BY-SA 3.0)
According to the navigation code, transatlantic liners must always be given priority by smaller vessels…
Wikimedia/Jeblad (CC BY-SA 2.5)
… but the USS International (and like many other ships) decided to turn off the engines and give way to the Italian sailing ship, as a sign of respect and appreciation for the engineering and technical excellence at its foundation.
Among the historical mottos of Amerigo Vespucci, we remember: “For the Fatherland and for the King” (1931) – “Steady in the fury of winds and events” (1946) – “Not those who begin, but those who persevere” (1978) .
Below you will find a video in which the Navy presents, in all its beauty, the Amerigo Vespucci sailing ship