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Prince Charles gives training ship to Russian navy
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (AFP) Jul 15, 2003
 Britain's Prince Charles on Tuesday gave a British navy training ship, the "Adventure", to the Russian navy during a ceremony in Saint Petersburg, local officials said.

The ceremony took place on the banks on the River Neva in the heart of the former imperial capital, in presence of civilian and military officials.

The prince, whose visit to Russia's former imperial capital comes as the city celebrates its 300th anniversary, arrived in Saint Petersburg -- known as Leningrad in Soviet times -- late Sunday.

During his three-day trip, which also marks the 450th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Britain, he is due to tour the former residence of the Tsars and visit a centre for the victims of domestic violence.

Charles will wrap up his trip with a visit to the remote Solovetskiye islands in the White Sea, where an important Russian Orthodox monastery was turned into the first "gulag" or labor camp for political prisoners of the Soviets in 1923.

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