Johann Kinau, a local writer, chose an interesting pen name. This pen name became the namesake of the Gorch-Fock-Haus. We are standing in front of the Gorch-Fock-Haus. It stands as a reminder of Hamburg’s rich maritime past and literary heritage.
The Gorch-Fock-Haus carries the name of Johann Kinau. He was a writer from Hamburg-Finkenwerder. Kinau wrote in the local German dialect. He used Gorch Fock as his pseudonym. Kinau tragically lost his life in World War I.
The original Gorch Fock was born in 1880. He wrote stories and poems in both Low and High German. His most famous work is the novel “Seefahrt ist not”. It describes the lives of deep-sea fishermen.
The Gorch Fock I, a barque, was christened with his name. Blohm+Voss in Hamburg built it. The keel was laid in January 1933. The hull was launched after only 100 days.
The Gorch Fock I has impressive specs. It measures 82 meters in length and 12 meters in beam. The ship’s draft is 5.2 meters. Its airdraft reaches 41.5 meters. The displacement is 1354 tons. The sail area covers 1797 square meters with 23 sails. A 500 BHP diesel engine powers the ship. The crew consists of 58 members plus 160 cadets.
After commissioning, the Gorch Fock I began sail training. It sailed in German territorial waters. It also visited Dartmouth in the UK, ports in Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands. With the outbreak of World War II, sail training ended.
The ship was ordered to Lauterbach. This is on the Island of Rügen on the German Baltic coast. The sail training ships Horst Wessel and Albert Leo Schlageter were also moored there. In March 1945, the latter two ships moved westward. The Gorch Fock I remained. The German Wehrmacht scuttled it on April 30th. This occurred in the sound southeast of the island of Rügen.
In 1947, the ship’s second life began. The Soviet Military Administration ordered its raising. Shipyards in Wismar and Rostock rebuilt the barque. In 1951, it sailed again. It had a new name: Tovarishch, meaning “Comrade”. It sailed under the flag of the USSR. Its homeport was Kherson, now in Ukraine.
The Tovarishch sailed over 280000 nautical miles in 15 years. In 1974, it won a leg of the Tall-Ship Race from Copenhagen to Gdynia. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1990, the ship remained in Kherson. It changed flags to Ukrainian.
From 1991, western trainees joined the ship. Tall-Ship Friends, a non-profit, arranged this. In 1992, the ship participated in the Columbus Race to America. Lacking funds, it sailed to Newcastle upon Tyne for repairs. The funds proved insufficient.
In 1997, the ship was towed to Middlesborough. The Teeside Development Corporation planned a shipyard for traditional ships there. Friends of the crew supported them. Tall-Ship Friends arranged home transport for the crew twice a year.
In 1999, Tall-Ship Friends secured a free berth in Wilhelmshaven for Expo 2000 at sea. They worked enthusiastically but failed to raise enough funds. The Ukrainian ship owner rejected further fundraising proposals. He also refused to allow towing to another shipyard. Tall Ship Friends canceled the agreement. Most of the crew left.
In 2002, the Tovarishch was towed to the German Navy Museum in Wilhelmshaven. The crew abandoned it in May 2003. In June 2003, Tall Ship Friends was asked to purchase the ship. On September 9th, 2003, the ship changed owners and flags.
Its third life began. The German Marine Safety Agency denied permission to tow the ship. A dock vessel transported it. This increased costs by €125000. After repairs in Stralsund, it was rechristened on November 29th, 2003. It was registered in the German List of Ships. Volunteers dismantled old equipment.
In 2004, a local support club established a ship’s museum. In 2005, former cadet quarters became available for corporate hospitality. The underwater hull was refurbished in 2008. The Poopdeck was replaced in 2009. The Captain’s saloon was restored in 2010. The officers’ quarters were rebuilt in 2011.
The Gorch Fock I stands here today. It reminds us of its past. It also inspires dreams of future voyages. The spirit of Johann Kinau and the sailors lives on.