Arung Samudera

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In 1995, the Indonesian government celebrated its golden anniversary of independence by hosting a conference, heralded the Arung Samudera ’95, to draw attention to the archipelago nation. At the conclusion of the conference, a 129-foot staysail schooner purchased in New Zealand was commissioned as Indonesia’s first sail training ship. Known originally as Adventurer, the schooner was built in 1991 to serve as a sail training vessel based in Auckland, New Zealand. She was renamed Kri Arung Samudera to reflect her new home and service. The honorific “kri” is used just as “HMS” is used in Britain to designate a ship in service of the Royal Navy. Together the words “arung” and “samudera” in this context mean “cruise the ocean” a fitting goal for this adventurous schooner. Arung Samudera embarked on a circumnavigation of the globe as her first assignment.