A century-old tall ship from Norway is docking in Brooklyn Bridge Park next week and is offering a chance to tour it before it sails out again.
The square-rigged tall ship, the 107-year-old Statsraad Lehmkuhl, is on a journey to circumnavigate the globe stopping at more than 30 ports between August 2021 and April 2023 as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
The tall ship, which is now a state-of-the-art floating ocean research laboratory, was built in 1914 by Joh. C. Tecklenborg as a training ship for the German merchant marine under the name Grossherzog Friedrich August, according to its website. It was taken as a prize after WWI by the U.K. and in 1921, it was bought by former cabinet minister Kristofer Lehmkuhl—hence the name. She was briefly captured by German forces in WWII, but it was donated to the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation in 1978. Today, it is Norway’s largest and oldest square-rigged sailing ship and also the oldest amongst the large square-riggers in operation.
On this trip around the world, its goal is to draw attention to and share knowledge about the crucial role of the ocean for sustainable development in a global perspective and brings students on at different legs of the trip.
You can tour the ship between December 19 and 27, from 11:30am to 4:45pm for free—just register for timed tickets ahead of time. On the ship, you'll meet scientists, researchers and technologists from the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research, Norwegian Polar Institute, Kongsberg Maritime, University of Bergen, Bergen Aquarium, Norwegian Seafood Council, among others. You can also enjoy hot fish soup on board, experience sound art and interviews from Norwegian artists and researchers, and admire the tall ship from the deck with a Manhattan skyline view.
