 Dar Pomorza in 2008 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 German Empire | |
| Name | Prinzess Eitel Friedrich |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss,Hamburg |
| Launched | 1909 |
| Fate | Taken byUK as war reparations Sold toPoland |
 Poland | |
| Name | Dar Pomorza |
| Acquired | 1930 |
| Decommissioned | 4 August 1982 |
| Identification | IMO number: 5086451 |
| Status | Museum ship inGdynia |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Sailing ship, full-riggedship |
| Tons burthen | 1561 gross tons, 525 net tons |
| Length | 80 m (260 ft) (93 m full length) |
| Beam | 12.6 m (41 ft) |
| Propulsion | Auxiliary engine, 430 HP |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship, 1900 or 2100 square metres of sail |
| Complement | Crew of 28, plus 150-200 cadets |
TheDar Pomorza (English:Gift ofPomerania) is a Polish full-rigged sailingship built in 1909 which is preserved inGdynia as amuseum ship. She has served as asailtraining ship in Germany, France, and Poland.Dar Pomorza won theCutty Sark Trophy in 1980.
The ship was built in 1909 byBlohm & Voss and dedicated in 1910 byDeutscher Schulschiff-Verein as the German training shipPrinzess Eitel Friedrich, named forDuchess Sophia Charlotte of Oldenburg.[1] Her yard no. was 202, her hull was launched on 12 October 1909.[citation needed] She was commission on 6 APril 1910. In 1920, followingWorld War I, the ship was taken as war-reparations by Great Britain, then brought to France, where she was assigned to the seamen's school atSt-Nazaire under the nameColbert.[1] The ship was in 1927 given toBaron de Forrest as compensation for the loss of a sailing yacht. Due to the high costs of refurbishing the ship, she was sold in 1929.[citation needed]
Still bearing the namePrinzess Eitel Friedrich, she was bought by the Polish community ofPomerania for £7,000, as the new training ship for theMaritime School inGdynia.[citation needed] She was given the name"Dar Pomorza" (Gift of Pomerania). In 1930 the ship was repaired and fitted with an auxiliary diesel engine.[1] The experience gained during rebuilding works enabled Danish shipbuilders of Nakskov to build a sail training vessel for their country, theDanmark (still in service).
The ship made her first voyage under Polish colours temporarily named "Pomorze" (Pomerania in Polish).[1] (Possibly the name was later changed to avoid similarity to the unfortunate German pre-dreadnought battleshipPommern (Pomerania in German), lost with all hands during theBattle of Jutland in June 1916.) This first voyage was made under tow of two Dutch tugs ("Poolzee" and "Witte Zee") with a party of Polish and Dutch runners aboard, starting on 26 Dec. 1929 from St. Nazaire, and ending on 9 Jan. 1930 at Nakskov, the ship narrowly escaping destruction in a gale off the Brittany coast. The voyage later became famous through some accounts,[citation needed] including one written by Mr T. Meissner, the ship's first mate.[citation needed]
During the following years, rebuilt and converted into training unit fitted i/a with an auxiliary Diesel engine, she was used as a training ship, receiving the nickname "White Frigate". In 1934-1935 she travelled around the world (via thePanama Canal). During that voyage, she called at many ports as the first ship ever under the Polish flag. In 1937 she became the first ship under Polish Colours to roundCape Horn. In 1938 she took part in the meeting of Baltic sail training ships atStockholm, regarded as predecessor of all post-war Operation Sail meetings, winning i. a. special respect the skipper of Norwegian sail training vesselChristian Radich.[citation needed] DuringWorld War II she was interned in Stockholm. After the war, she was brought toCommunist Poland and used as a training ship again.[1]
In 1967 she made a 'second debut', calling atMontreal, Canada, during theExpo-Fair. In the 1970s she took part in severalOperation Sail andCutty Sark Tall Ships' Races, winning her first race in 1972, taking 3rd place in 1973, 4th in 1974[citation needed] and 1st place in theCutty Sark Trophy in 1980.[1] In 1976, during the Operation Sail '76 in the US, her retiring skipper Kazimierz Jurkiewicz was officially greeted by Mr Kjell Thorsen, skipper of the Norwegian "Christian Radich". The "Dar Pomorza" is one of several Blohm & Voss-built tall ships. Her importance to the world's maritime heritage is her origin - she is the younger sister of the (still existing)Grossherzogin Elisabeth, the world's first purpose-built sail training ship. She is the first ship to carry the Polish Colours around the world in one voyage (1934–35).[citation needed]
On 15 September 1981 she undertook her last voyage to the Finnish harbour ofKotka, finishing it 13 days later. On 4 August 1982 she was decommissioned and festively replaced as a training ship by theDar Młodzieży.[citation needed]
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Since 27 May 1983 she has been amuseum ship inGdynia (next to theBłyskawica). She is part of theGdańsk National Maritime Museum collection. In October 2009 theDar Pomorza celebrated her 100th birthday, including a second christening by Mrs Barbara Szczurek, wife of the Mayor of Gdynia.
Her speed under sail averaged 5 knots, with a 17 knots maximum. Her auxiliary engine was of the type used in German U-boats, and her horn, installed after the war, was from the German battleshipGneisenau, scuttled on 27/28 March 1945 at one of Gdynia's harbour entrances.
Dar Pomorza's three sister ships survive:
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54°31′10″N18°33′10″E / 54.5194°N 18.5529°E /54.5194; 18.5529