''Statsraad Lehmkuhl'' is 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 ...
rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a
school ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...
for the
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
(using RNoN's prefix "HNoMS").

It was built in 1914 by
Joh. C. Tecklenborg ship yard in
Geestemünde
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 th ...
as a school training ship for the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
merchant marine under the name ''Grossherzog Friedrich August''. After the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
the ship was taken as a prize by the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
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
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, when she was captured and under the name of ''Westwärts'' used by German forces, the ship belonged to
Bergens Skoleskib
''Trolls'' is a 2016 American computer-animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox, based on the Good Luck Trolls dolls created by Thomas Dam. The film was directed by Mike Mitch ...
from 1921 until donated to the Foundation in 1978.
In 2000, she was chartered by the
German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified '' Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mar ...
while their ''
Gorch Fock'' was overhauled.
In 2019 the ship was upgraded from diesel to hybrid power by
Kongsberg
Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud, Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. K ...
(Rolls-Royce Commercial Marine), 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, reducing the need to rely on the ship's diesel engine. The batteries are also used to provide energy for the ship's instruments, lights and galley.
In 2021, the ship featured in an
NRK
NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...
slow TV
Slow television, or slow TV ( no, sakte-TV), is a term used for a genre of "marathon" television coverage of an ordinary event in its complete length. Its name is derived both from the long endurance of the broadcast as well as from the natural sl ...
feature from 6 July to 15 August, sailing from
Nordkapp
), North Cape, Norway, other uses, North Cape (disambiguation)
Nordkapp ( en, North Cape; sme, Davvinjárga or ; fkv, Kappa or ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of ...
to
Arendal
Arendal () is a municipality in Agder county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Arendal (which is also the seat of Agder county). Some of the not ...
calling at ports along the Norwegian coastline.
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, and served as a platform for students from the 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
The ''Dar Pomorza'' ( en, Gift of Pomerania) is a Polish full-rigged sailing ship built in 1909 which is preserved in Gdynia as a museum ship. She has served as a sail training ship in Germany, France, and Poland. ''Dar Pomorza'' won the Cutty ...
'' (originally ''Prinzess Eitel Friedrich'')
*''
Duchesse Anne'' (originally ''Großherzogin Elisabeth'')
*''
Schulschiff Deutschland
''Schulschiff Deutschland'' ("''School Ship Germany''") is a German full-rigged sail training ship, maintained as a historical monument and museum ship. She was employed as a school ship for the merchant marine beginning in 1927. The ship is moo ...
''
See also
*
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 ...
*
List of tall ships
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 ...
References
External links
The Statsraad Lehmkuhl FoundationThe Royal Norwegian Navy's homepage of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl.(in
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
).
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 1972-73Statsraad Lehmkuhl winning the Tall Ships Races 2016, Antwerp-LisbonOne Ocean Expedition, the Mauritius - Mozambique leg
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
Barques
History of Bergen
Individual sailing vessels
Training ships of the Royal Norwegian Navy
Ships built in Bremen (state)
Tall ships of Germany
Tall ships of Norway
1914 ships
Naval ships of Norway captured by Germany during World War II