The Spanish galleon Andalucía goes up the Thames to take London
The 'Galeón Andalucía' is a replica of the ships that were the protagonists of the commercial and cultural routes that for more than three centuries linked Spain with America and the Philippines. The ship was built between 2009 and 2010 by the Nao Victoria Foundation in the Punta Umbría shipyards (Huelva) and was launched on November 30, 2010.
Since then, this ship has been sailing the waters of the world leaving behind impressive images and participating in historical exhibitions, being one of the most spectacular ships that can be visited.
The visit to London is an important milestone in the history of this galleon, which has already sailed more than 100,000 nautical miles visiting ports on four continents, such as Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, New York and Quebec, spreading its history.
London also puts a brilliant finishing touch to the great European tour that it has undertaken this year, which has taken it to ports in France, the Netherlands, Germany, and 14 cities in the United Kingdom, where it has received more than 150,000 visitors.
The image captured from a drone's view leaves no one indifferent: a Spanish galleon sailing up the Thames and crossing London's Tower Bridge is a sight that is hard to forget.
Waving a giant Spanish flag and with the Andalusian flag at the top of its mast, this galleon is a source of pride that carries the history of our nation to every corner of the planet.
The Armada in London 400 years later: a Spanish galleon sails down the Thames
The ship, a replica of a 17th-century model, will remain in London until October 6, after travelling more than 100,000 nautical miles around the world.
The Galleon Andalucía remains docked at St. Katharine Docks in the heart of London, where it arrived earlier this week after sailing up the River Thames and crossing the iconic Tower Bridge.
In an initiative of the Nao Victoria Foundation, the ship, a replica of a 17th century Spanish galleon, has sought to recreate the history that inspired it as it travels the world, acting as an «ambassador of Andalusia» and bringing its maritime heritage and culture closer to the international public as an «authentic floating museum.»
The ship will remain in the British capital until October 6, when it will conclude a European tour that has taken it throughout the year to other cities in the United Kingdom and to ports in France, the Netherlands and Germany.
The European journey is preceded by a tour of some of the most important ports «on four continents», after sailing «more than 100,000 nautical miles through oceans and seas around the world», with destinations such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Manila and New York. In total, more than 150,000 people have visited its deck.