Vintage LARGE Bronze Medallion Plaque Chilean Navy Sailing Ship Esmeralda

Description

This is a unique Vintage LARGE Bronze Medallion Plaque of a Sailor in the Chilean Navy who trained on the Chilean Navy Sailing Ship Esmeralda…Overall it measures 18 1/2 x 14 3/4 inches with the bronzed stamped metal medallion measuring 9 1/2 inches in diameter…Artist name on medallion is More…There is an engraved plaque below that is somewhat difficult to read. First line is El Commandante B.E. Esmeralda “ Then appears to have a sailors name, and San Francisco on the bottom…Overall a unique maritime item…Buyer Pays Shipping
The Esmeralda is a steel-hulled four-masted barquentine tall ship of the Chilean Navy.
Construction began in Cádiz, Spain, in 1946. She was intended to become Spain's national training ship. During her construction in 1947 the yard in which she was being built suffered catastrophic explosions, which damaged the ship and placed the yard on the brink of bankruptcy. Work on the ship was temporarily halted. In 1950 Chile and Spain entered into negotiations in which Spain offered to repay debts incurred to Chile as a result of the Spanish Civil War in the form of manufactured products, including the not yet completed Esmeralda. Chile accepted the offer and the ship was formally transferred to the ownership of Chile in 1951. Work then continued on the ship. She was finally launched on 12 May 1953 before an audience of 5,000 people. She was christened by Mrs. Raquel Vicuña de Orrego using a bottle wrapped in the national colors of Spain and Chile. She was delivered as a four-masted topsail schooner to the Government of Chile on 15 June 1954, Captain Horacio Cornejo Tagle in command.