museum ship Mercator

The barquentine Mercator lies at anchor in Ostend, Belgium. She was named after Gerardus Mercator (1512-1594), Flemish cartographer. She was designed by the Antarctic explorer Adrien de Gerlache (1866-1934) as a training ship for the Belgian merchant fleet. She was built in Scotland and launched in 1932. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 2066 KB) Description: Museum ship Mercator, Ostend. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2272x1704, 2066 KB) Description: Museum ship Mercator, Ostend. ... This article is about the ship. ... Ostend (Dutch: Oostende, French: Ostende) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of West Flanders. ... Gerardus Mercator (March 5, 1512 – December 2, 1594) was a Flemish cartographer of German descent, remembered for the Mercator projection named after him. ... Flemish (in Dutch, Vlaams) can either refer to Anything belonging to Flanders (the Flemish nation) or to its inhabitants, the Flemings. ... Cartography is the study of map making and cartographers are map makers. ... Adrien Victor Joseph de Gerlache de Gomery (2 August 1866-4 December 1934) was an officer in the Belgian Royal Navy, who led the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897-1899. ...

Technical data:

• length : 78.4 m
• beam : 11.09 m
• draught : 4.5 m
• foremast : 39 m (square-rigged)
• mainmast : 41 m (fore-and-aft-rigged)
• mizzenmast : 40 m (fore-and-aft-rigged)
• 15 sails (4 jibs, 4 foresails, 3 staysails, 2 spankers and 2 gaff topsails)
• Speed : 13 knots (24 km/h)
• Crew : 150

Besides being a training a ship, she was also used, mainly before WW II, for scientific observations, or as ambassador for Belgium on world fairs and in sailing events. She participated in several races, winning the Oslo-Ostend race. She brought back two Moai (giant statues) from Easter Island. In 1936 she brought home from Molokai, Hawaii, the remains of father Damien. Her last trip was to Lisbon for the commemoration of the quincentenary of the death of infante Henry the Navigator. Jump to: navigation, search Easter Island and its location Orthographic projection centred over Easter Island Easter Island (Polynesian: Rapa Nui (Great Rapa) or Te Pito te Henua (Navel and Uterus), Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island in the south Pacific Ocean belonging to Chile. ... Image of Molokai taken by NASA. Sign greeting visitors to Molokai at exit to airport. ... State nickname: The Aloha State Other U.S. States Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Governor Linda Lingle (R) Senators Daniel Inouye (D) Daniel Akaka (D) Official languages Hawaiian and English Area 28,337 km² (43rd)  - Land 16,649 km²  - Water 11,672 km² (41. ... Father Damien is the patron of lepers, outcasts, those with HIV/AIDS and the State of Hawaii. ... Jump to: navigation, search District Lisbon Mayor   - Party Carmona Rodrigues PSD Area 84. ... Infante D. Henrique, duke of Viseu, nicknamed o Navegador and generally known in English by Henry, the Navigator, (March 4, 1394 – November 13, 1460), a prince of Portugal, looms large as an important figure in the early days of European colonial expansion. ...

In 1961 she became a floating museum, first in Antwerp, and finally from 1964 on in the marina of Ostend, just in front of the city hall. The Cathedral of our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp) in the Handschoenmarkt, in the old quarter of Antwerp is the largest cathedral in the Low Countries and home to a number of triptychs by Renaissance Belgian painter Rubens. ...

During all this time, she has become perhaps the best-known ship of Belgium.

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Mercator (ship)