Status: 01.09.2021 1:22 p.m.
The sailing training ship of the Navy left the Lürssen shipyard in Lemwerder in the morning to do a test run. The first destination after six years of renovation is Heligoland.
The “Gorch Fock” set off from the shipyard quay across the Weser towards the coast at exactly 9:30 a.m. More than 100 interested people watched the spectacle from the opposite bank as the sailing ship set off leisurely but under its own engine power. According to the Navy, the sails are not yet set. The first thing to do is to test the engine and the navigation system. To be on the safe side, the three-master is accompanied by two tugs. These were also temporarily in use, a naval spokesman for NDR Lower Saxony could not give details.
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The crew collects impressions of the “new” ship
“We are looking forward to the first sea voyage as part of the shipyard test drive and the first real impressions on the ‘new’ ship ‘,” said Captain Nils Brandt, according to the Lürssen shipyard. For the “Gorch Fock” and her regular crew of 160 men and women, it is the first test drive after almost six years of general overhaul. In the afternoon, the ship should first reach the North Sea and then continue to Heligoland. The test drive was actually scheduled for the end of March. According to the shipyard, the reason for the five-month delay was the corona pandemic.
Four weeks of tests in Wilhelmshaven
The “Gorch Fock” is supposed to arrive in Wilhelmshaven on Thursday. She is expected at the naval arsenal around 2 p.m. There the ship will be checked further in the coming weeks. According to the Navy, a so-called heeling test and an evacuation exercise are planned, and material stored in Wilhelmshaven is being returned to the ship.
Lawsuit against the use of tropical wood
The work on the ship had been delayed again and again. The complete renovation took almost six years. The costs rose in the time from ten million to 135 million euros. Environmentalists are currently suing the alleged illegal use of tropical timber in renovation.
Official presentation on October 4th in Kiel
On September 30th, the “Gorch Fock” is officially handed over to the German Navy. From Wilhelmshaven it goes in the direction of Kiel and Denmark for further technical tests and trials. Finally, on October 4th, the “Gorch Fock” is to be presented to the public in Kiel.
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