The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ celebrates in Miami the 500th Anniversary of the exploration of Florida by Juan Ponce de León.

The training ship ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ participated on May 1st in the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the exploration of Florida by Juan Ponce de León. The festivities included a wreath laying ceremony at the feet of the statue of the Spanish sailor, and the singing of the Spanish Navy Anthem in the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation José Manuel García-Margallo.

The ceremony was also attended by the Spanish Ambassador in Washington, Ramón Gil-Casares, the Mayor of Miami and other authorities.

Upon the conclusion of the ceremony the Minister visited the ship berthed in the Bicentennial Dock. The ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ will depart Miami on May 6th towards Cape Canaveral to continue with the celebrations. This is the 11th time the training ship visits the city of Miami; the last port-call took place in 2008.

Since the beginning of this 84th Training Cruise, the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ has visited the following ports: Las Palmas (Canary Islands), San Juan (Puerto Rico) and Balboa (Panama). Up to now, the ship has sailed around 7,000 nautical miles with 54 days at sea.

After Cape Canaveral, the training ship will visit Newport and subsequently Den Helder (Holland) to attend the 525th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Netherlands Navy. On her way home, the ‘Juan Sebastián de Elcano’ will visit the Spanish cities of Santander and Avilés. She is scheduled to arrive at the Naval Academy in Marín on July 13th.