Gorch Fock (1958)
 |
|
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany
|
|
| Namesake: | pseudonym of Johann Kinau |
| Owner: | German Navy (Deutsche Marine) |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss |
| Launched: | 23 August 1958 |
| Commissioned: | 17 December 1958 |
| Homeport: | Kiel |
| Identification: |
|
| Nickname(s): | Gorch Fock II |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2014 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type 441 training ship |
| Displacement: | 1760 tons |
| Length: | 81.2 m (266 ft) |
| Beam: | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.2 m (17 ft) |
| Installed power: | 1,220 kW (1660 hp) |
| Propulsion: | Sail, auxiliary six-cylinder diesel engine |
| Sail plan: | three-masted barque |
| Speed: | 13.7 knots (25.4 km/h; 15.8 mph) under power |
The Gorch Fock is a tall ship of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine). She is the second ship of that name and a sister ship of the Gorch Fock built in 1933. Both ships are named in honour of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym "Gorch Fock" and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916. The modern-day Gorch Fock was built in 1958 and has since then undertaken 146 cruises (as of October 2006), including one tour around the world in 1988. She is sometimes referred to (unofficially) as the Gorch Fock II to distinguish her from her older sister ship. The Gorch Fock is under the command of the Naval Academy in Flensburg-Mürwik.
Germany lost all of its school ships as war reparations after World War II to the Allies, so the (West) German Bundesmarine decided in 1957 to have a new training vessel built following the plans for the original Gorch Fock of 1933 which by that time was owned by the Soviets, and renamed to Tovarishch. The new ship was a modernized repeat of the Albert Leo Schlageter, a slightly modified sister ship of the previous Gorch Fock.
The 1933 Gorch Fock had already been designed to be a very safe ship: she had a righting moment large enough to bring her back into the upright position even when heeling over to nearly 90°. Nevertheless some last-minute changes to the design were made in response to the Pamir disaster in 1957, especially concerning the strength of the body and the bulkheads as well as the lifesaving equipment, including the lifeboats.
...
Wikipedia