Dublin will become the final port of call for The Tall Ships Races 2012 presented by Szczecin and orgnaised by Sail Training International, a charity established to harness sail training to develop and educate young people, regardless of nationality, culture, religion, gender or social background.
Cllr. Maria Parodi, Dublin City's Deputy Lord Mayor, who will officially welcome Captain Marcus A. Seidl and his crew to Dublin tomorrow, Friday 19th August said "I am delighted to welcome S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl and its crew to Dublin. The first Norwegian vessels to sail into Dublin did so many centuries ago and certainly made an impact. We hope the crew will enjoy their short time in Dublin and we hope to welcome them all back here with The Tall Ships Races next August".
Norwegan Tall Ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl sails into Dublin Bay. Photo: Andres Poveda Photography
Members of the public hoping to get an insight in to life on board a Tall Ship can visit S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl on Friday 19th August from 12:00 – 16:30 and on Saturday the 20th August from 10:00 – 12:00.
The three masted barque S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl is one of the world's largest and most beautiful sailing ships. Having served in two World Wars, S/S Statsraad Lehmkuhl, is now in active use as a sail training vessel.
Preparations are under way to ensure a warm welcome is extended to Tall Ships participating in the Tall Ships Race 2012.
From the 23rd to the 26th of August 2012, Dublin will host four days of festival events.
Statsraad Lehmkuhl, a 3-masted steel barque, was built in 1914 as a training ship for the German Merchant Marine. During most of World War I Statsraad Lehmkuhl was used as a stationary training ship in Germany, and after the war was seized as a war prize by England.
The Norwegian government purchased the ship from England in 1921 and she was put into service as a sail training vessel until 1967 except for the period 1940 - 1945, when the Germans confiscated the ship during World War II.
Now owned and operated by a charitable foundation, Statsraad Lehmkuhl has been rented to schools, clubs, companies and other organizations who have used the ship for sail training cruises and shorter trips.
The foundation has facilitated and financed a massive restoration and maintainance program to ensure the preservation of Statsraad Lehmkuhl by active use. She is the oldest and largest square rigged ship in Norway today.
Statsraad Lehmkuhl has a gross tonnage of 1.516 tons and has a sail area of 2.026 square meters distributed between 22 sails. The ship has a diesel engine for propulsion that develops 1125 HP, which gives the ship a speed of up to 11 knots.
Under sail, the ship has gained a speed of more than 18 knots.
