Yesterday at midday it was "Cast off!" in Kiel. The "Gorch Fock" left her home port and set off on a special training voyage. She is travelling across the Atlantic to America with stops in Bayonne, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Hamilton (Bermuda), Norfolk, Baltimore and New York as well as Halifax (Canada) and Reykjavik (Iceland).
For the commander, Captain Elmar Bornkessel, a journey with many facets lies ahead: "On the upcoming 189th overseas training voyage, we will be training officer cadets in a particularly demanding maritime environment in the North Atlantic. We are also launching the Work & Travel programme for young soldiers," says the commander.
Work & Travel for conscripts
The voyage offers numerous highlights - from the transatlantic passage to the arrival in New York on 4 July to mark the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States to the reunion of the sister ships of the "Gorch Fock" as part of the "Five Sisters Trophy" from New York to Boston," Bornkessel continued. And: "As commander, I expect that this voyage will give our young sailors unforgettable moments, shape them in a maritime way and prepare them specifically for their future tasks."
The Work & Travel programme is being offered on the "Gorch Fock" for the first time. On each leg of the voyage, the ship takes 25 young men and women who have joined the Bundeswehr through voluntary military service. Around 230 crew members are on board - full capacity utilisation. This means: "There will no longer be the odd gap between the hammock that may have been there in the recent past," says Bornkessel.
Highlight in New York
The sail training ship is to take part in a large fleet parade in New York. Over 100 tall ships have been announced - in principle all tall ships currently sailing the world's oceans, as Commander Bornkessel explains.
From New York, the crew will then sail to Boston for the Five Sisters Trophy against their three sister ships that are still active: the "USCGC Eagle" from the USA, the "Sagres" from Portugal and the "Mircea" from Romania. The race is scheduled for 8 to 10 July.
The last time all the sister ships came together was in 1976 to mark the 200th anniversary of the USA. It was also the first and so far only time that the sister ships - still five at the time - competed against each other. The "Gorch Fock" emerged victorious from the race. The trophy has been on board the German sailing training ship ever since. We reported in detail on the background to the Five Sisters Trophy.
Training and ambassador role
The focus of the trip remains the training of the officer candidates, says the commander. But there are also side missions. The ship is always travelling as an ambassador for the Federal Republic of Germany. Receptions are planned. "We are confident that we will be a good platform for good discussions and interesting encounters," says Bornkessel. The ship is scheduled to return to Kiel on 19 September.
History and use
The barque is the oldest ship in service in the German Navy and is used for training. Since its commissioning in December 1958, around 20,000 officer and non-commissioned officer candidates have been trained on the "Gorch Fock".
In the course of its training voyages, the ship has visited around 400 harbours in almost 60 countries on five continents. It has travelled more than 780,000 nautical miles.
The sail training ship is not part of the fleet, but reports directly to the Mürwik Naval School. Built in Hamburg in 1958 and completely restored between 2016 and 2021, the "Gorch Fock" is a traditional ship of the navy.
Technical data:
- Overall length: 89.3 metres
- Width: 12.0 metres
- Height above waterline: 45.0 metres
- Draught: 5.5 metres
- Displacement: 2,020 tonnes
- Number of masts: 3
- Rigging: Bark
- Sails: 10 square sails, 3 gaff sails, 10 square sails
- Sailing area: approx. 1,800 square metres
- Speed under sail: up to 18 knots
- Diesel engine: 1
- Total output: 1,200 kilowatts (1,700 hp)
- Speed under engine: over 10 knots
- Core crew: 80 to 161 (depending on the size of the course)
- Additional staff: up to 141 course participants
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
