''Alexander von Humboldt'' is a German sailing ship originally built in 1906 by the German shipyard AG Weser at Bremen as the lightship ''Reserve Sonderburg''. She was operated throughout the North and Baltic Seas until being retired in 1986. Subsequently, she was converted into a three masted
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...
by the German shipyard Motorwerke Bremerhaven and was re-launched in 1988 as ''Alexander von Humboldt''. In 2011 the ship was taken off sail-training and sent to the Caribbean for the charter business, then she was converted to a botel.
History
Planned and ordered in 1906 as a reserve
lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...
(to stand in for other lightvessels during scheduled yard maintenance), the ship was launched on 10 September 1906 at AG Weser with the yard number 155 as the first of its class. Its hull was that of a sailing ship, as was common in this class, with the beacon mast in place of the main mast. There is no clear record whether she was christened ''Reserve Fehmarnbelt'' (after her first station) or ''Reserve Sonderburg'', as both names are documented. On the ship's bell appears only ''Reserve''; a first home port at Sonderburg (today
Sønderborg
(; german: Sonderburg ) is a Danish town in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Sønderborg Municipality (Kommune). The town has a population of 27,766 (1 January 2022),Kiel-Holtenau and served in many locations, but mainly along Baltic shores.
She was installed in 1945 as a permanent replacement for the bombed and damaged light vessel ''Kiel''. In the spring of 1957 she was rammed by a Swedish freighter and sank; she was raised and after a two-year overhaul returned to service in 1959.
During the summer of 1967 her location was upgraded to a lighthouse and she returned to stand-by reserve for North Sea deployment. Eventually she was assigned as permanent replacement for the retired ''Amrumbank''. Being supplanted again by a fully automated light vessel – and following another collision and overhaul in Wilhelmshaven – she was towed to
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.
It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...
and named ''Confidentia''.
''Alexander von Humboldt''
A newly established foundation, the ''Deutsche Stiftung Sail Training'' or DSST (German Sail Training Foundation), bought the vessel and transformed it into a tall ship according to the plans of
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
naval architect This is the top category for all articles related to architecture and its practitioners.
{{Commons category, Architecture occupations
Design occupations
Occupations
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role ...
Zygmunt Choreń
Zygmunt Choreń (born 1941) is a Polish naval architect and the proprietor of the naval architectural firm Choreń Design and Consulting. He is a graduate of the Gdańsk University of Technology and the Leningrad Ship-Building Institute.
He was ...
. On 30 May 1988 she was christened ''Alexander von Humboldt'' after the celebrated German explorer. In a historical reference to the sailing ships of the Rickmers shipping company of Bremerhaven, her hull was painted green. Green sails were installed as a marketing tool for advertising campaigns by the ship's sponsor and founding member of DSST, the German brewery Beck's.
"''Alex'', as she was called by her crew, served as a
sail training
From its modern interpretations to its antecedents when maritime nations would send young naval officer candidates to sea (e.g., see Outward Bound), sail training provides an unconventional and effective way of building many useful skills on and ...
ship and was the flagship of DSST. She traveled over in 20 years (equal to 14 times around the equator). High points every year were
tall ships' races
The Tall Ships Races are races for sail training "tall ships" (sailing ships). The races are designed to encourage international friendship and training for young people in the art of sailing. The races are held annually in European waters and c ...
and winter cruises to the Canary Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. During summer months she sailed in the North and Baltic Seas.
Her longest cruise was a voyage in commemoration of
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
's expedition to South America and the Caribbean. On 18 January 2006, ''Alex'' rounded
Cape Horn
Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramí ...
under sail, following the route of the legendary tall ships of the 19th and early 20th century in celebration of her centenary year.
In October 2011 she was taken out of service for DSST and replaced by the newly built '' Alexander von Humboldt II''. She was sold and relocated to the
Bahamas
The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...
in early 2012. In early 2013 she was sailed back to Europe, as the anticipated cruise business in the Caribbean did not materialize; as of November 2013 the hull has been repaired and repainted, but bowthruster and main propeller have been permanently removed.
In 2014, she was converted into a small hotel (42 bunk beds in 16 cabins) and restaurant. Since 19 April 2015, she was located in the Europahafen Bremen, with plans to move her to the
Schlachte
The Schlachte is a promenade along the east bank of the River Weser in the old town of Bremen in the north of Germany. Once one of the city's harbours, it is now popular for its restaurants, beer gardens and river boats.
Etymology
''Schlachte'' ...
in 2016. The move took place on October 24 of that year, with the masts and rigging removed to make the ship fit underneath the three bridges it had to pass to reach its final destination.Die "Alex" liegt an der Schlachte vor Anker . Radio Bremen (German)
See also
*
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
List of large sailing vessels
This is a list of large sailing vessels, past and present, including sailing mega yachts, tall ships, sailing cruise ships, and large sailing military ships. It is sorted by overall length.
The list, which is in the form of a table, covers vessel ...