Meet the ARC Gloria, Colombian Navy’s training ship

The ARC Gloria is a three-masted barque owned and used by the Colombian Navy as its training ship and main ambassador worldwide.

It was built by the Spanish Naval Construction Company of Bilbao in 1968.

The Minister of Culture declared the ARC Gloria a national cultural property in 2005 due to its historical and artistic value.

It was one the first sailing ships commissioned in America, as other navies have also similar boats to train students as sailors:

• Brasil (NVe Cisne Branco)
• Argentina (Fragata ARA Libertad)
• Chile (Esmeralda)
• Mexico (ARM Cuauhtémoc)
• Venezuela (ARBV Simón Bolívar).

The design of the ARC Gloria was inspired by a 19th century brigantine, a vessel with only two masts. It’s been sailing for 40 years, proudly displaying the world’s largest flag on a boat and acting as an ambassador of the Colombian Navy (ARC stands for Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia) across the seas.

All the information about the ARC Gloria at http://www.buqueescuelagloria.com/

The pictures were taken during a stopover of the ARC Gloria in Barcelona in August 2012.

Inside the ship: