Statsraad Lehmkuhl

Barque launched in 1914

History

German Empire
Name	Grossherzog Friedrich August
Namesake	Grand Duke Friedrich August of Oldenburg
Builder	Joh. C. Tecklenborg, Bremerhaven
Launched	1914
In service	1914–1918
Fate	Given to Britain as war reparation
British Empire
Acquired	1920
Fate	Purchased by Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab
Norway
Name	Statsraad Lehmkuhl
Namesake	Kristofer Lehmkuhl
Acquired	1921
In service	1923–1940
Fate	Captured by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Name	Westwärts
In service	1940–1945
Norway
Name	Statsraad Lehmkuhl
Namesake	Kristofer Lehmkuhl
In service	1945–present
Identification	IMO number: 5339248 Call sign: LDRG MMSI number: 258113000
Status	in active service
Notes	Training ship
General characteristics
Tonnage	1516 tons
Length	Sparred Length: 98,00 m; (Length of hull): 84,60 m; (Length of waterline): 73,00 m
Beam	12,60 m
Height	Max. Height: 48,00 m
Draft	5.20 m
Propulsion	22 Sails
Sail plan	Sail area: 2026 m2
Speed	11 knots (engine) / 17 knots (sails)
Complement	17 (permanent crew) 150

Statsraad Lehmkuhl is a three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in Bergen, Norway and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a school ship for the Royal Norwegian Navy (using RNoN's prefix "HNoMS").

It was built in 1914 by Joh. C. Tecklenborg ship yard in Geestemünde as a school training ship for the German merchant marine under the name Grossherzog Friedrich August. After the First World War the ship was taken as a prize by the United Kingdom and in 1921 the ship was bought by former Norwegian cabinet minister Kristofer Lehmkuhl (hence the name, which means "Cabinet Minister Lehmkuhl"). Except during the Second World War, when she was captured and under the name of Westwärts used by German forces, the ship belonged to Bergens Skoleskib from 1921 until donated to the Foundation in 1978.^[1]

In 2000, she was chartered by the German Navy while their Gorch Fock was overhauled.

In 2019 the ship was upgraded from diesel to hybrid power by Kongsberg, whereby a 370 kWh battery bank is charged while the ship is being powered by the wind, and can be used to drive the ship's propellers when the sails no longer provide sufficient power, only relying on the ship's KRM6 diesel engine from Bergen Engines as backup support. The batteries are also used to provide energy for the ship's instruments, lights and galley.^[2]^[3]^[4]

In 2021, the ship featured in an NRK slow TV feature from 6 July to 15 August, sailing from Nordkapp to Arendal calling at ports along the Norwegian coastline.^[5] In August 2021 Statsraad Lehmkuhl started the "One Ocean Expedition", circumnavigating the world equipped as a scientific research vessel, collecting meteorological and hydrographical data along with samples of fish, microplastics, zooplankton, eDNA, and carbon dioxide in the water. The ship was hired by marine research institutions on some of the legs.

In spring of 2022 the Ocean Frontier Institute sponsored undergraduate students from Dalhousie University in Halifax and Memorial University of Newfoundland on a 16-week expedition aboard the ship.^[6] The students participated as crew members following an ocean sustainability course offered through Norway's University of Bergen.

The ship has participated numerous times in the Tall Ship Races persistently finishing high in standing in her class.

Sister ships

The three sister ships of Statsraad Lehmkuhl also survive:

Dar Pomorza (originally Prinzess Eitel Friedrich)
Duchesse Anne (originally Großherzogin Elisabeth)
Schulschiff Deutschland

References

^ "History". Statsraad Lehmkuhl. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
^ 2018-02-22T14:05:00. "Rolls-Royce converts tall training ship to hybrid". Motorship. Retrieved 2021-12-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Statsraad Lehmkuhl". www.kongsberg.com. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
^ "Kongsberg Maritime transforms historic tall ship into ultra-modern green vessel". www.theexplorer.no. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
^ "Seks uker med sakte-tv fra Statsraaden: Her skal "Sommerskuta" seile". 15 February 2021.
^ "Epic ocean journey offers students a unique window into the climate crisis".

External links

The Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation
The Royal Norwegian Navy's homepage of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl. (in Norwegian).
Photo Noca 2006 Nordic Cadet Meeting / Statsraad Lehmkuhl in Oulu Finland 3.-6.8.2006
An alumni Music Video from Statsraad Lehmkuhl American 'Oceanics School' voyages in 1970-71 and 1972-73
Statsraad Lehmkuhl winning the Tall Ships Races 2016, Antwerp-Lisbon
One Ocean Expedition, the Mauritius - Mozambique leg