Free tours offered on Mexican naval ship at Port of LA

SAN PEDRO, Calif. (KABC) -- A tall ship, measuring 168 feet at its tallest point, has sailed into the Port of Los Angeles for the first time in nine years.

It's called the ARM Cuauhtemoc and is a class A Mexican Navy barque. The ship is actually a floating classroom that is used to train Mexican naval cadets.

"This is so important to the Port of Los Angeles because we want to bring tourists down here, but it also celebrates a tradition here at the port," said Cynthia Ruiz, deputy executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

At nearly the length of a football field, the Cuauhtemoc throws an impressive silhouette against the San Pedro coastline. Mexican sailors work the riggings of the ship's 23 sails, which contains enough fabric to cover more than one half-acre of land.

There are 253 crew members aboard the ship since April, and the crew has left quite a wake behind in their journey.

"We have visited 19 ports from 11 countries and have sailed more than 22,000 nautical miles to arrive [at the Port of L.A.]," said Capt. Juan Vera Minjares.

During the crew's voyage, the captain said electronics on the ship were turned off. The cadets learned to navigate the ship using only the stars and a sextant.

And it's that old-time, high-seas romanticism that draws so many people to the ship.

"A lot of us that sail wished that we had lived 100 years ago, when there were a lot of ships like [the Cuauhtemoc] out here," said resident Pat Cahill.

If you want to check out the ship, it is docked at Berth 46. Free tours aboard the ship are offered until Thursday, 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.