Rickmer Rickmers
Rickmer Rickmers is a historic German three-masted barque built in 1896 and preserved as a permanently moored museum ship in Hamburg.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Rickmer Rickmers is a historic three-masted barque whose identity has been shaped by commercial sailing, wartime service, naval training, and maritime preservation. Built in 1896 at the Rickmers shipyard in Bremerhaven, the vessel originally entered service on the Hong Kong route, carrying cargoes including rice and bamboo. It represents the late nineteenth-century transition period when large sailing ships remained commercially important even as steam-powered shipping was expanding. The ship underwent several changes of ownership and name during its working life. In 1912, Carl Christian Krabbenhöft acquired the vessel, renamed it Max, and placed it on the Hamburg–Chile route. During the First World War, while the ship was in Horta in the Azores, it was captured by the Portuguese government and loaned to the United Kingdom for wartime use. In British service it sailed under the name Flores. After the war, the vessel returned to Portuguese control and entered the Portuguese Navy as a training ship under the name NRP Sagres, becoming the second Portuguese naval vessel to bear that name. The ship’s naval-training period gave it a second life beyond commercial cargo transport. In 1958, Sagres II participated in and won the Tall Ships’ Race. In the early 1960s, Portugal obtained another training vessel from Brazil, the former German ship Albert Leo Schlageter, which was commissioned as Sagres III. The older Sagres II was consequently renamed Santo André and converted to depot-ship duties. It remained moored at the Lisbon Naval Base until being decommissioned in 1975. In 1983, an organisation called Windjammer für Hamburg e.V. acquired the vessel. It was restored and returned to its original name, Rickmer Rickmers. The ship was subsequently established as a floating museum in Hamburg, where it remains permanently moored near the museum ship Cap San Diego. Its present role is cultural and educational rather than commercial: the vessel interprets Germany’s maritime history, the international sailing-cargo trade, naval training, and the changing uses of historic ships. The name therefore functions less as a conventional consumer brand than as the identity of a preserved maritime landmark and visitor attraction. The ship is also associated with the wider Rickmers maritime legacy. The Rickmers family and shipyard were important to Bremerhaven’s shipbuilding history, while the name Rickmer Rickmers is separately associated with maritime and exploration figures, including the shipbuilder Rickmer Clasen Rickmers and explorer Willi Rickmer Rickmers. The museum vessel itself, however, is the subject represented here. Its principal public value lies in authenticity, historical continuity, and its visible presence in Hamburg’s harbor.
History
Rickmer Rickmers was constructed in 1896 by the Rickmers shipyard in Bremerhaven. As a three-masted barque, it belonged to the generation of large sailing vessels still used for long-distance commercial cargo routes in the late nineteenth century. Its first documented assignment was the Hong Kong route, where it carried cargoes such as rice and bamboo. In 1912, the vessel changed ownership. Carl Christian Krabbenhöft acquired it, renamed it Max, and transferred it to the Hamburg–Chile route. This phase connected the ship with the broader network of German overseas trade and illustrates how sailing vessels could be moved between routes as commercial requirements changed. The First World War brought another major change. While the ship was in Horta in the Azores, the Portuguese government captured it and loaned it to the United Kingdom as wartime aid. In British service, it sailed under the name Flores. After the war, control returned to Portugal. The vessel was then incorporated into the Portuguese Navy as a training ship and given the name NRP Sagres, the second Portuguese naval vessel to carry that designation. As Sagres II, the ship served in naval education and ceremonial sailing. Its most notable competitive achievement came in 1958, when it won the Tall Ships’ Race. Its training-ship career ended in the early 1960s after Portugal acquired another vessel from Brazil for the role. That replacement had originally been launched in Germany in 1937 as Albert Leo Schlageter and was commissioned as Sagres III. The older ship was renamed Santo André and reclassified as a depot ship. It remained moored at the Lisbon Naval Base until its decommissioning in 1975. In 1983, Windjammer für Hamburg e.V. purchased the former naval vessel. The organisation restored it and renamed it Rickmer Rickmers, reviving the ship’s original identity. It was then brought into Hamburg’s harbor as a permanently moored museum ship, located near the Cap San Diego. In this role, the vessel became a public heritage institution rather than an operating cargo or naval ship. Today, Rickmer Rickmers is interpreted as a tangible record of several maritime eras. Its hull and rig evoke the international sailing trade; its wartime and Portuguese chapters demonstrate how ships could be appropriated and reassigned; and its museum use reflects the modern preservation movement that has turned historic vessels into educational attractions. The ship is particularly important to Hamburg’s maritime image because it remains visibly integrated into the city’s harbor environment. Its name also recalls the Rickmers shipbuilding and seafaring tradition associated with Bremerhaven, although the museum ship should not be confused with other people or enterprises bearing the Rickmers name.
- 1983
Preserved in Hamburg
[1]Windjammer für Hamburg e.V. acquired the vessel, restored its original name, and established it as a floating museum in Hamburg.
- 1975
Decommissioned
[1]Santo André was decommissioned after remaining moored at the Lisbon Naval Base.
- 1962
Renamed Santo André
[1]After Portugal acquired a replacement training ship, Sagres II became Santo André and was reassigned as a depot ship.
- 1958
Tall Ships’ Race victory
[1]As Sagres II, the ship won the Tall Ships’ Race.
- 1919
Enters Portuguese naval service
[1]After the war, the vessel returned to Portugal and became the Portuguese Navy training ship NRP Sagres, later known as Sagres II.
- 1914
Captured and placed in British service
[1]Portugal captured the vessel at Horta during the First World War and loaned it to Britain, where it operated as Flores.
- 1912
Renamed Max
[1]Carl Christian Krabbenhöft acquired the ship, renamed it Max, and moved it to the Hamburg–Chile route.
- 1896
Construction in Bremerhaven
[1]The Rickmers shipyard built the three-masted barque for long-distance commercial sailing.
Products and positioning
A preserved maritime heritage landmark that presents the history of nineteenth-century commercial sailing, wartime service, Portuguese naval training, and Hamburg’s seafaring culture.
Museum ship · 1896
Rickmer Rickmers
A three-masted barque built in 1896 at the Rickmers shipyard in Bremerhaven. After commercial sailing, wartime service, Portuguese naval training, and depot-ship use, it was restored and permanently moored in Hamburg in 1983. The vessel now functions as a maritime museum and heritage attraction, presenting its own history and the wider development of sailing ships, naval training, and harbor culture.
Brand decisions
1983
Conversion from retired vessel to museum shipStrategyBackground
After decades of commercial, wartime, naval, and depot-ship service, the vessel had been decommissioned and was no longer serving an operational transport or military role.
Action taken
Windjammer für Hamburg e.V. purchased the ship, restored the Rickmer Rickmers name, and established it as a permanently moored museum in Hamburg.
Aftermath
The vessel gained a continuing public and educational role as a preserved maritime landmark near Hamburg’s Cap San Diego museum ship.
Recent events
- 1983
Return to the Rickmer Rickmers name and conversion to museum ship[1]
Other
Windjammer für Hamburg e.V. purchased the vessel, restored its original name, and brought it to Hamburg for preservation as a floating museum.
- 1958
The ship wins the Tall Ships’ Race[1]
Other
While serving as the Portuguese naval training ship Sagres II, the vessel won the Tall Ships’ Race.
- 1914
Wartime capture and British service as Flores[1]
Other
During the First World War, Portugal took control of the ship in Horta and loaned it to Britain, where it operated under the name Flores.
- 1912
Vessel renamed Max for the Hamburg–Chile route[1]
Other
After acquisition by Carl Christian Krabbenhöft, the ship was renamed Max and reassigned to the Hamburg–Chile trade.
- 1896
Rickmer Rickmers enters commercial service on the Hong Kong route[1]
Other
The newly built three-masted barque began its working life carrying cargo, including rice and bamboo, between Europe and Hong Kong.
Sources2 sources
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