Replica Frigate "Shtandardt"

[Pieter Boelen]

@Grey Roger, just so you and others here know, I just joined the replica Frigate "Shtandardt" yesterday as trainee.
I'll be there for almost a month, sailing from La Rochelle to Aberdeen.
I won't have much time or internet connection to be accessible here in the community.

 

[Grey Roger]

Noted. Ship for character "Pieter Boelen" to be changed from "NL_Amsterdam" to "Frigate1". Flag to be changed from "HOLLAND" to "PERSONAL_NATION", specifically the double-headed eagle one - not quite the same as the flag on the mainmast in the second photo but it's the nearest one we have. Ship name to be changed to "Shtandardt".

More seriously: when is the ship due in Aberdeen? No guarantees, but I might try heading up there to see it. And you.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Noted. Ship for character "Pieter Boelen" to be changed from "NL_Amsterdam" to "Frigate1". Flag to be changed from "HOLLAND" to "PERSONAL_NATION", specifically the double-headed eagle one - not quite the same as the flag on the mainmast in the second photo but it's the nearest one we have. Ship name to be changed to "Shtandardt".

I'm quite happy to keep me lovely Amsterdam.
She may not sail on real life, but at least digitally she can have her life, right?

More seriously: when is the ship due in Aberdeen? No guarantees, but I might try heading up there to see it. And you.

We arrive on the 20th of July, going through the Irish Sea and around Scotland.
I fly back to Amsterdam the next day.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Some cool diagrams from a Facebook friend of mine.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

DOLPHINS DOLPHINS DOLPHINS!!!
We've seen DOLPHINS in the wild!!!
They stayed with the ship for quite a long time.
They REALLY play in front of the bow!!
I've got video proof!
DOLPHINS DOLPHINS DOLPHINS!!!
I've finally REALLY SEEN THEM!!!
I can die a happy man now.
*Cannot contain excitement!!!*

 

[ANSEL]

You are a lucky man

 

[Pieter Boelen]

You are a lucky man

With dolphins around, indeed... I have to agree.
Such a great history between dolphins and good luck:

Dolphins

The meaning of dolphins as a good luck symbol. Dolphins in Greek mythology. Dionysus & the pirates. Arion & the dolphin. Apollo as a dolphin.

goodlucksymbols.com

Already they inspired me to have an actual swim again.
My first since my near-death experience in the cold dark water earlier this year.
That was scary.
But when there's dolphins around, surely that's a different story?

 

[ANSEL]

The story: "Dionysus and the Pirates" funny and interesting

​

 

[Grey Roger]

DOLPHINS DOLPHINS DOLPHINS!!!
We've seen DOLPHINS in the wild!!!
They stayed with the ship for quite a long time.
They REALLY play in front of the bow!!

Lucky you! I also had the privilege of seeing dolphins escorting our ship when I was on the Atlantis some years ago.

Terry Pratchett:
"Dolphins will never attack or eat a human where this may be observed and adversely commented upon by other humans."

More dolphin-related quotes:
Dolphins Quotes (42 quotes)

Some cool diagrams from a Facebook friend of mine.

Interesting. They have the Russian naval ensign on the jackstaff (white flag with blue saltire), whereas I'd expect the flag which appears as one of PoTC's Personal flags looking like a mutated British Union Jack (red flag with white crosses and blue saltire). Your photos of the actual ship don't seem to show anything there - have you seen a flag on the jackstaff?

The pennant on the mizzen looks like the pennant which PoTC now uses for the Russian ensign.
Russian Navy flags

 

[Pieter Boelen]

The jackstaff is the one on the bow, right?
There's nothing there anymore at all.
DEFINITELY nothing Russian.
The captain is quite opposed to Putin's political antics, being half Ukrainian himself.
Russia doesn't want the ship and the ship doesn't want Russia these days.
She's been reflagged to the Cook Islands.

 

[Grey Roger]

Who took the photos in the first post of this thread? The first one, showing the stern close up, definitely shows a current Russian flag. The ship is named for a royal standard dating back to the time of Peter the Great. That flag is seen on the mainmast in the second photo and also in the stern art in the first photo.


Incidentally, are you aware that the Shtandart is a film star?


(You can click on both pictures to see larger versions.)

 

[Pieter Boelen]

The photo of her at sea is an internet find.
The other two are mine.

I know Shtandardt played in several films, including Michiel de Ruyter/Admiral: Command and Conquer/Sea Battles: The Movie.
Which movie is your photo from though?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

King’s Yacht Returns: 1695 Replica Royal Transport Sails North Towards Aberdeen
History Under Sail: Replica of King William’s Royal Yacht Royal Transport Makes Scottish Passage, Set to Kick Off Tall Ships Races

Aberdeen, 5 July 2025 – A striking double heritage vessel is making its way to Aberdeen this summer: the replica of the replica, combining British and Russian maritime history, is en route from La Rochelle to participate in the Tall Ships Races.
HMS Royal Transport was originally built at Chatham to an experimental design by Captain Peregrine Osborne, Marquis of Carmarthen, and launched on 11 December 1695. She served as a swift dispatch vessel ferrying dignitaries and documents between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. On 14 March 1698, as a gesture of goodwill, King William III presented the yacht to Czar Peter the Great, who had been studying British shipbuilding methods in Deptford and Portsmouth.
Back in Russia, Czar Peter used her lines to build a replica—the first ship of his Baltic fleet. That vessel, the 28-gun frigate Shtandart, was launched in 1703. Fast forward to modern times, and a full-size wooden replica was built from 1994 to 1999 by a dedicated team of volunteers on a beach near St Petersburg, undertaken under the honorary patronage of a member of the British royal family. For the past 25 years, the Shtandart has served as a sail-training ship dedicated to fostering friendship and understanding between people of all nations.
This “replica of the replica” cast off from La Rochelle on 25 June, embarking on a 1,000-mile voyage that will hug the Hebridean edge and round the Pentland Firth before reaching Aberdeen in time for the start of the Tall Ships Race to Kristiansand, Norway, on 22 July. The vessel is crewed by 19 people of ten different nationalities; by comparison, the original Shtandart would have carried around 150 men.
________________________________________
Facing Unfair Hurdles
Despite its aspirations as a peaceful educational ambassador, the Shtandart has faced persistent obstacles tied to its historical Russian origin. In recent years, the ship, its captain, and crew have been targeted by an unfair campaign of intimidation and vitriol. A French activist group publicly pressured authorities to bar the Shtandart from docking in Europe, accusing it of representing unwarranted Russian influence—despite the vessel’s unbroken history as a peace driven sail training ship and its lack of any political affiliations. The allegations were unfounded, yet they caused delays and reputational damage without legal basis.
However, the Shtandart has always been transparent about its origins. It is owned and operated under European Union registered entities and crewed by an international team. Its activities centre on heritage and international goodwill—free of propaganda of any kind.
________________________________________
Support for Aberdeen Port Visit
We respectfully ask the Port Authorities of Aberdeen to recognise the Shtandart—alongside its heritage counterpart, the replica Royal Transport—as esteemed contributors to maritime history and cross-cultural engagement, free of political affiliations. With no breaches of European regulations and full transparency regarding its background, there is every reason to facilitate the ship’s visit.
Aberdeen has a long tradition of welcoming tall ships and heritage vessels. Allowing the Shtandart to dock underscores the city’s proud maritime identity and demonstrates confidence in its legal obligations and historical integrity.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Vladimir Martus (Shtandardt):
Shtandart is a unique ship: true replica of a frigate from the time of Peter the Great, built in Saint Petersburg in the 1990s by a group of enthusiasts led by captain Vladimir Martus. They succeeded in building the vessel without any funding from major sponsors or the Russian state or government funds. Construction took six years, and the ship first set sail in 1999. Since then, Shtandart has spent 25 years continuously at sea, representing Russia’s maritime heritage at festivals, regattas, and sail training events all across Europe.

Today, Shtandart is not only a symbol of maritime history, but also a floating school of traditional seamanship, where young people from all over the world learn to sail a tall ship, live and work in a close-knit crew, and discover the power of the sea.
Participation in the Tall Ships Races is a chance to reunite with dozens of traditional sailing vessels, sail historic routes in the North Sea, and share the story and spirit of the frigate with thousands of visitors.

The situation with the Shtandart is indeed complex. The vessel has, quite literally, found itself caught in the cracks of geopolitical circumstances.
Until 2024, Shtandart organized sail training voyages for youth, oversaw the ship’s maintenance and repairs, and entered into agreements for the Shtandart’s participation in major maritime festivals, such as Sail Amsterdam, Sail Bremerhaven, Hanse Sail in Rostock, and the Havengeburthsdag in Hamburg.

The ship, her captain or its team never had any connection with members of President Putin’s administration. The vessel has always remained entirely independent.

Perhaps due to this strong independence, between 2007 and 2009, we experienced what can only be described as an “attack” from business interests affiliated with members of the current Russian government. We were able to tow the Shtandart out of Russian territorial waters, and since 2009, the vessel has operated exclusively in European waters and has not returned to Russia.

Neither Captain nor any crew member has ever spoken out in support of the unlawful war initiated by the Russian President—neither in 2014 nor in 2022.

Until 2007, the Shtandart was registered in the official state ship's registry; after 2010, it was registered with the non-profit organization “Russian Sailing Federation” as a “sail training vessel, traditional construction, built of wood.”
With the start of the full-scale war, all maritime vessels registered in the Russian Federation were declared subject to sanctions.

The Shtandart withdrew its registration from Russia. On June 6, 2024, the Shtandart received official registration from the Maritime Administration of the Cook Islands.

On June 24, 2024, the EU adopted a new package of sanctions that extended the scope to include “replicas of historical vessels” flying the Russian flag.

However, at that time, the Shtandart was lawfully registered under a non-Russian flag, and as such, these sanctions do not apply to it.

In accordance with current sanctions, any vessel that was sailing under the Russian flag at the start of the war remains subject to restrictions, regardless of its current flag or ownership. This designation acts as a kind of black mark, making it difficult for such ships to enter certain ports, participate in events, or access services — even if the vessel operates independently and carries an international crew.

And yet… she sails on.
Without port access. Without income. But never without spirit.

Thanks to the unstoppable energy of volunteers — both seasoned sailors and first-timers who fell in love with the sea through Shtandart — the ship remains at sea, training, teaching, and inspiring. Every sail raised is a testament to resilience, every voyage a celebration of international friendship and maritime passion.

The Shtandart is now a symbol of resilience, international cooperation, and knowledge-sharing. It needs allies: welcoming ports, patrons, cultural and educational partners. Supporting this ship means defending a vision of maritime Europe — open, free, forward-looking without forgetting its roots.

 

[Grey Roger]

I know Shtandardt played in several films, including Michiel de Ruyter/Admiral: Command and Conquer/Sea Battles: The Movie.
Which movie is your photo from though?

The first of those.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

The first of those.

They're all three the same movie.
Just different names.
The third one I came up with myself.

 

[Grey Roger]

I wasn't sure whether you were using "/" or ":" as the divider, so I saw a choice of either "Michiel de Ruyter", "Admiral: Command and Conquer", "Sea Battles: The Movie"; or "Michiel de Ruyter/Admiral", "Command and Conquer/Sea Battles", "The Movie". Either way, the first was definitely the source of the photo.

Incidentally, did you notice that @Jack Rackham has improved Michiel de Ruyter's face texture?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Incidentally, did you notice that @Jack Rackham has improved Michiel de Ruyter's face texture?

No, I didn't have a clue.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

*insert outrage here*
Not only has our Shtandart Project been banned from the port of Aberdeen, we now also received word the vessel is being excluded from the Tall Ships Races as well.
This flies in the face of every intention of international cooperation that I believe tall ships are supposed to stand for.

As crewman aboard Shtandardt, I believe only in #Uniting_Maritime_Enthusiasts .
We are peaceful explorers, explorers of peace and spreaders of good will.
For me, the Hippocratic Oath is ever important: *do no harm*.
And that is indeed exactly what we do with this beautiful vessel with this beautiful crew.

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[Grey Roger]

Tell Aberdeen that there has been a mutiny, the "Russian" captain has been thrown in the brig and that you're now the captain.