The “Cristoforo Colombo” was launched on April 4, 1928, at the “Regio Cantiere Navale” (Royal Shipyard) in Castellammare di Stabia, near Naples. She was the sister-ship of the “Amerigo Vespucci”: the vessels were almost twins, with some minor differences regarding the propulsion and the placement of the masts.
The figurehead at the bow, representing Cristopher Columbus, is now at the “Museo Tecnico Navale” (Technical Naval Museum) in La Spezia.
In 1949 the ship was handed over to the Soviet Union as war damage compensation. Renamed “Dunay” (Danube), she was used in Odessa as a training vessel for young Soviet sailors until 1959. In 1961, dismasted and reduced to a barge, she was used for a while as a wood carrier until she burned up with all her load in 1963.(Images digitized from a 1931 copy of “Liburni Civitas”, courtesy of Antonio Cantelli)
Search labels: Amerigo Vespucci
External links: Cristoforo Colombo (Wikipedia) - The Strange Fate of the Cristoforo Colombo (Around Naples Encyclopedia)
12 comments:
These are wonderful VP. Thank you for posting.
Such majestic ships.
What a majestic opening image! Thanks for sharing this..
Nice post.
This is such an interesting tale. The idea of this fine ship ending up as a simple barge is unbelievable.
A sad end for a fine ship. What a history! So good that you found all the photos of her life.
Look at all those sailors standing on the yards!
What a sad destiny, to be handed over to the Soviets...
God bless you!
Cezar
I can't help but agree with Cezar. Such is life...
Thanks for sharing these images. Never seen pictures of this ship.
Glad the figurehead was rescued and it's in a museum now.
What a sad ending for a beautiful ship. Thanks for the pics and story. MB
Triste. Chissa quanti monumenti, tesori, ricordi hanno finito sotto la bandiera dell'Unione Sovietica? Eh..
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