Spains's floating embasst to anchor in Istanbul waters

The Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a historical ship used to train Spain's future naval admirals, will anchor in Istanbul this weekend in its first trip to Turkey since the 1940s. The vessel will dock in Istanbul on Jan. 22-26 and be open to public visits on Jan. 23-25. The ship typically sails across the Atlantic and drops anchor in North America as part of a six-month training program for young Spanish navy officers. "This year, we chose Turkey because the ship is more than 70 years old and will be taken to a shipyard in Istanbul," a Spanish Embassy official said. "It couldn't afford a long journey across the Atlantic, and this year's training will be less than six months as well." The Elcano's main purpose is to train officer cadets. Every year, for this purpose, it is dispatched on a six-month training cruise, normally far away from Spain. The historical ship also plays a role as Spain's floating embassy and in supporting Spanish foreign policy at foreign ports.