Tall Ship Juan Returns

NOTE TO EDITORS: Media wishing to visit the vessel may contact the ship's public information officer, Raul Alba, by registering with Navy Public Affairs, 427-6688.

Don't be alarmed Saturday morning if you hear cannons in the harbour. The Juan Sebastian De Elcano and HMCS Toronto will exchange 21-cannon salutes as the Juan Sebastian enters Halifax Harbour.

The SPS Juan Sebastian De Elcano will arrive in Halifax on Saturday, May 14, at about 10:30 a.m. and will be docked at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic until Wednesday, May 18.

The ship, which visited Halifax in 1988, is named after the first circumnavigator of the world. Juan Sebastian De Elcano was Ferdinand Magellan's navigator, and took over the expedition to circumnavigate the world after Magellan's death in 1521.

The Juan Sebastian De Elcano, the official training ship for the Spanish navy, is a 3,420 ton, four-masted top-sail schooner, and was commissioned in 1928. It is commanded by Captain Luis Cayetano y Garrido, and carries a ship's company of about 238 students and crew. Its home port is La Carraca, Spain.

The Juan Sebastian De Elcano will be open to the public:

Sunday, May 15: 10 a.m. - public church service
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - open to public
3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - open to public

Tuesday, May 17: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - open to public
3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. - open to public

Wednesday, May 18: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. - open to public

On Monday, May 16, the ship will fire a 19-cannon salute to honour the visiting ambassador of Spain, Jose Ignacio Carbajal.