Mercator (ship)
Mercator is a steel-hulled barquentine built in 1932 as a training ship for the Belgian merchant fleet. She was named after Gerardus Mercator (1512–1594), a Belgian cartographer. She was designed by G.L. Watson & Co. and built in Leith, Scotland and launched in 1932.
Mercator visiting Trinidad, c. 1960 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Belgium | |
| Name | Mercator |
| Namesake | Gerardus Mercator |
| Builder | Ramage and Ferguson Ltd, Leith, Scotland |
| Launched | 1932 |
| Status | Museum ship |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 770 gross tons |
| Length | 78.5 m (258 ft) overall; 68 m (223 ft) hull length |
| Beam | 10.6 m (35 ft) |
| Height | foremast 39 m (128 ft); mainmast 41 m (135 ft); mizzenmast 40 metres (130 ft) |
| Draft | 5.1 m (17 ft) |
| Sail plan | Three-masted barquentine, 15 sails: four jibs, four square foresails, three staysails, two spankers, two gaff topsails |
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Crew | 150 |
Besides being a training ship, she was also used, mainly before World War II, for scientific observations, or as ambassador for Belgium on world fairs and in sailing events.
In 1961, she became a floating museum, first in Antwerp and, from 1964, in the marina of Ostend, just in front of the city hall. As of 2019, she remains open to visitors.
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