For the first time since 2005, the Japanese training sailing ship Nippon Maru will visit Hilo.
For the first time since 2005, the Japanese training sailing ship Nippon Maru will visit Hilo.
The ship is expected to arrive at 10 a.m. today in Hilo Harbor, weather permitting.
The ship and its crew, plus scores of training cadets, will depart at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
The Nippon Maru is known for its crowd-pleasing departures from Hilo, during which all of the cadets climb up on the ship’s masts, wave and shout “aloha” to the crowd.
The ship is visiting Hilo to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the first immigrants from Japan.
During their stay in Hilo, the cadets will participate in a beach cleanup at 10 a.m. Sunday at Hilo Bay, and also will help clean gravestones at Alae Cemetery.
The Nippon Maru is operated by the National Institute for Sea Training out of Tokyo. The ship was launched Feb. 15, 1984, and replaced the original Nippon Maru, which was launched in 1930.
The vessel is 361 feet long and 45 feet wide, with a draft of 21 feet. It has four masts and two diesel engines.
