Sailing ship not a recruitment tool, says navy
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Young Endeavour sails into the Port River in Adelaide (ABC News)
The Royal Australian Navy says it has no plans to use the Young Endeavour sail training ship as a recruiting tool, even though the force is currently understaffed.
The tall ship, which has trained more than 10,000 young Australians over the past 20 years, is on its annual visit to Adelaide.
Lieutenant Commander Gavin Dawe says some of those trained have ended up joining the navy, but that is not the program's objective.
"We definitely don't use the ship as a recruiting tool," he said.
"What we are about is running a very successful program which has been developed over 20 years, and last year we were awarded the International Sail Training Organisation of the Year, which was voted on by our peers."
Lieutenant Commander Dawe says the training ship plans to circumnavigate Australia next year for the first time since 2001.
"We will be back again in Adelaide next year, and what we are hoping to do is do a circumnavigation of the country and that means that we'll get across to Western Australia which we don't normally get the opportunity to do," he said.
"We're looking forward to that and we'll come across the Great Australian Bight and we'll visit Adelaide on our way to Sydney again."
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