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THE GORCH FOCK TURNS 50 |
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A queen among sailing ships |
At sea | The GORCH FOCK between icebergs in Newfoundland. |
The GORCH FOCK was launched at Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg in 1958. The training ship has been an admired ambassador for Germany in ports all over the world ever since. For the shipyard, which is now part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, building the vessel presented numerous challenges. An eye witness report. |
Slightly faltering at first, 83-year-old Arthur Wilhelm Hauschildt’s steps soon become steadier and faster as he climbs to the top of the wall separating the slipways from the water at the Hamburg shipyard of Blohm + Voss. “This is where she was launched,” says the retired naval architect, pointing to the huge building slip. As he gazes over the site below the wall, his blue eyes shine even more brightly than usual.
Flashback to August 23, 1958: Before an enthusiastic crowd of 10,000, the young godmother Ulli Kinau smashes the champagne bottle against the bow of a three-masted ship which was destined to become a queen among training ships - the GORCH FOCK. When she was built, Arthur Wilhelm Hauschildt was 33 years old and part of the rigging crew responsible for the planning and construction of the masts, sails and ropes. “We all felt we were working on something special,” says the former naval architect. And indeed the building of the ship represented a double challenge for Blohm + Voss.
Long wrestling over decision to build
The decision to go along with the German Navy’s wish was taken after considerable internal wrestling. The idea that the construction of the ship would help strengthen democracy and consolidate the still young German state played an instrumental role in the decision. At the launch Friedrich Ruge, the Inspector General of the German Navy, said that training aboard a purpose-built ship would promote team spirit and a sense of community. It would be character-building and help the cadets develop as individuals. “The GORCH FOCK was the first naval vessel built by Blohm + Voss after World War II,” says Arthur Wilhelm Hauschildt.
Very short construction period
The keen sailor, who was registered in a sailing club by his parents when he was only three and regularly sails his own boat on the Elbe to this day, well remembers the second challenge, too: “The specified construction period was very short, we had to work hard”. On top of this there was a shortage of skilled labor. Specialists like Hauschildt, who had already been in charge of rigging on other major sailing vessels, were few and far between. “And the destruction left by the war had not yet been repaired, sometimes we really had to improvise.” But in the mood of optimism prevailing at the shipyard, the steel hull of the new ship was completed in just 103 days.
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Then and now | The GORCH FOCK on the slipway at Blohm + Voss shortly before the launch in August 1958. 50 years later Arthur Wilhelm Hauschildt standing on the same spot. The 84-year-old helped with the construction of the rigging when the ship was first built. |
Change of scene: Arthur Wilhelm Hauschildt stands next to a large model of the GORCH FOCK in the foyer of the Blohm + Voss Shipyards office building. He casts his eyes almost lovingly over the masts and sails, in his right hand he holds a sketch of the ship. “The rigging had to be extremely strong, the sails in those days were made of cotton,” he says, brushing his white hair out of his face and pointing with the sketch to the ship’s main mast. It is not until the end of the 1970s that the cotton sails are replaced with modern polyester sails. “When we were designing the rigging we benefited of course from having a lot of documents and drawings available at the shipyard,” he remembers. The new ship was to be largely identical to the four previous vessels in the series. However, the GORCH FOCK was also to incorporate the latest know-how in respect of stability and safety. Just 181 days after the keel laying ceremony on March 6, 1958, the training ship is launched. 91 days later, on December 11, 1958, the Navy can take possession of its new training ship. “Blohm + Voss rose to the challenge. They were great times,” says Arthur Wilhelm Hauschildt with a smile, his blue eyes beaming.
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GORCH FOCK facts and figures
The GORCH FOCK is a bark, i.e. has three masts, with a length overall of 89.32 meters. Her 23 sails have a total area of around 2,000 square meters. She is manned by a crew of 269.
The GORCH FOCK is the last of five ships of the class named after her. The original training bark, the first GORCH FOCK, was launched in 1933 and is now docked in Stralsund port for restoration. The other ships are the EAGLE (launched in 1936), the SAGRES (launched in 1937) and the MIRCEA (launched in 1938). These three ships are also still in service as training vessels for the US, Portuguese and Romanian navies.
The GORCH FOCK, whose port of registry is Kiel, underwent a general overhaul at the beginning of the year and will take part in the Kieler Woche regatta at the end of June and the Hanse Sail regatta in Rostock in August to mark her 50th anniversary. The training ship will then sail to Hamburg at the beginning of September for the official anniversary celebrations.
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