left, Work in the rig, 2007 ''Thor Heyerdahl'' (named after Thor Heyerdahl), originally named ''Tinka'', later ''Marga Henning'', ''Silke'', and ''Minnow'', was built as a freight carrying motor ship with auxiliary sails at the

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

Smit & Zoon in Westerbroek, Netherlands, in 1930. Her original homeport being

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, Germany, she was used for the next 50 years as a freighter. Eventually sailing under the

flag A flag is a piece of textile, fabric (most often rectangular) with distinctive colours and design. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design employed, and fla ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

as ''Minnow'' and then awaiting further use in Germany, she was bought in 1979 by two sailing enthusiasts, who turned the now run-down ship into a topsail schooner to use it for sail training, especially for teenagers and young adults. One of the two original owners was Detlef Soitzek, who had sailed with the Norwegian

anthropologist An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, ethnologist and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl on his ''Tigris'' expedition in 1977/1978, and suggested naming the ship after the famous researcher and adventurer. The ownership of the ship was subsequently turned over to an association. From spring to fall, ''Thor Heyerdahl'' sails mainly the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

and participates in international sail training events. In winter, the ship has repeatedly crossed the Atlantic Ocean and sailed in the Caribbean, especially as ''classroom under sails'' with teenage crews.

References

External links

Website of ''Thor Heyerdahl'' (ship)
{{Authority control Individual sailing vessels Tall ships of Germany Schooners Training ships 1930 ships Ships built in the Netherlands Thor Heyerdahl