Cap San Diego

MS Cap San Diego is a general cargo ship, situated as a museum ship in Hamburg, Germany. Notable for Her elegant silhouette, She was the last of a series of six ships known as the white swans of the South Atlantic, and marked the apex of German-built general cargo ships before the advent of the container ship and the decline of Germany's heavy industry.

Cap San Diego at St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, Hamburg (2011)
History
Germany
Name: Cap San Diego
Owner: Hamburg Süd
Route: Germany-South America
Builder: Deutsche Werft
Launched: December 15, 1961
Maiden voyage: March 29, 1962
Homeport: Hamburg
Identification: IMO number: 5060794
Nickname(s): White Swan of the South Atlantic
Spain
Name: Sangria
Owner: Ybarra
Acquired: 1981
Identification: IMO number: 5060794
Notes: Sold for scrap; city of Hamburg stepped and purchased her for preservation.
Germany
Name: Cap San Diego
Owner: Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Acquired: 1986
Identification: IMO number: 5060794
Fate: Turned over to Hamburger Admiralität foundation for preservation.
Germany
Owner: Hamburger Admiralität
Operator: Cap San Diego Betriebsgesellschaft mbH
Acquired: 1987
Identification:
Status: Museum Ship
General characteristics
Type: Freighter
Tonnage: 9,998 GRT, 5,728 NRT
Displacement: 17,470 tons fully loaded
Length: 159.40 m (523.0 ft)
Beam: 21.47 m (70.4 ft)
Installed power: 11,600 hp (8,700 kW)
Propulsion: MAN two-stroke 9 cylinder diesel engine
Speed: 20.3 knots (37.6 km/h; 23.4 mph)
Capacity: 10,000 dwt
Cap San Diego
Location of the Cap San Diego
Cap San Diego (Germany)
Coordinates53.5431°N 9.9763°E / 53.5431; 9.9763

History

The Cap San Diego was built and launched by Deutsche Werft in 1961 for Hamburg Süd as the last of a series of six ships. The 159 m, 10000 dwt ship ran a regular schedule between Germany and South America, completing 120 round trips until 1981. After being sold and running under different names and under Spanish flag and also flags of convenience as a tramp trader, the run-down ship was scheduled for scrapping in 1986, when She was bought by the city of Hamburg.

Museum ship

The ship was restored mainly by the labour of enthusiasts and laid-off dock workers, and is kept operational to date. Most of the time, the Cap San Diego is moored at the port of Hamburg, where visitors can access virtually all areas of the ship from the bridge to the engine. One of the cargo holds hosts temporary exhibitions. Passenger cabins can be booked for overnight stays. Several times a year, the ship leaves the harbour for trips on Her own power, mostly on the river Elbe or to Cuxhaven. In 2001, the ship was awarded the Maritime Heritage Award by the World Ship Trust, and in 2003 She was declared a protected item of cultural heritage by Hamburg law.

The ship participates in Hamburg's Long Night of Museums.[1]

Sister ships

The Cap San Diego had five sisterships:

  • Cap San Nicolas
  • Cap San Marco
  • Cap San Lorenzo
  • Cap San Augustin
  • Cap San Antonio
  • Cap San Diego at Port of Hamburg, 2014
  • Aerial view of the museum ship "Cap San Diego" in Hamburg
  • Cap San Diego on Kiel Canal, July 18, 2010

References
  1. "Cap San Diego" (in German). Lange Nacht der Museen Hamburg. Archived from the original on 2010-02-05. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
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