The Flying-P-Liner, built in 1911, was one of the fastest cargo ships in the world. Today the four-masted barque "Passat" is in Travemünde - as a witness of a bygone era.
She is a maritime legend - although she has not sailed the seas for more than half a century:the "Passat". Alongside the "Peking", which will return to its home port of Hamburg in early September 2020 after extensive refurbishment, the four-masted barque is one of two remaining Flying-P liners in Germany. This is the legendary series of freighters from the Hamburg shipping company F. Laeisz, whose names all begin with a "P" and which are built primarily for the grain and saltpeter trade with South America. Ships built at the beginning of the 19th century are famous all over the world for their speed and reliability.
The "Passat" on its maiden voyage around Cape Horn
On September 20, 1911, the "Passat" was launched at the Hamburg shipyard Blohm + Voss. Three months later, on Christmas Eve, the four-masted barque started on its maiden voyage from Hamburg around Cape Horn to Valparaiso in Chile. She proves to be a fast sailor, able to compete with the increasing steam navigation with speeds of up to 18 knots.
With the outbreak of the First World War, the four-masted barque was stranded in the port of Iquique in Chile. It did not return to Europe until 1921 and was taken over by France as reparations. The French state has no use for the sailing ship, so the shipping company F. Laeisz buys back their ship and uses it again in the saltpeter trade.
The years 1928 and 1929 were dramatic:on August 28, 1928, the "Passat" collided with a French steamer on the English Channel, and only eight months later with a British steamer again. She survives both accidents with damage, but can set sail again after minor repairs in Rotterdam.
The Flying P Liners
The sailing ships of the renowned Hamburg shipping company Ferdinand Laeisz were famous for their speed and reliability. All Laeisz ships had names beginning with "P" and were painted in the shipping company's colors of black, white and red.
The last eight Laeisz sailors were also called the eight sisters. They were all built as four-masted barques for saltpeter voyages to South America. Four of the Flying-P liners are preserved today:the "Pommern", the "Peking", the "Passat" and the "Padua" (today "Kruzenshtern").
Sailing ship sailing under the Finnish flag from 1932
It was even worse for the Reederi Laeisz:the ongoing economic crisis forced the company to sell part of its famous Flying-P-Liner. In 1932, the "Passat" became the property of the Finnish shipowner Gustaf Erikson and from then on transported wheat from Australia to Europe. From 1944 she was anchored in Stockholm as a granary, and a last voyage under the Finnish flag took the ship to Australia and back in 1947. The "Passat" then serves as a storage room like her sister ship "Pamir".
In December 1950, the two P-Liners are to be scrapped in Antwerp. But the German captain Helmut Grubbe, who once worked on the "Passat" himself, is committed to converting the two ships into sail training ships and convinces the German shipowner Heinz Schliewen of his idea.
The second life of the "Passat"
And so the "Passat" was rebuilt and modernized from 1951, and it also got a diesel auxiliary engine. In February 1952 she set sail as a cargo-carrying sail training ship with 54 cadets on board on her first voyage, which took her to South America. But in December 1952, after the second voyage, it was all over:The Schliewen shipping company went bankrupt, the "Passat" was laid up in Kiel and put up for auction in 1954.
Sinking of the "Pamir" and near disaster on the "Passat"
A foundation takes over the two sister ships. The "Passat" undertook five more voyages to Argentina and Uruguay in the following years. Then came the big shock in 1957:the "Pamir" sank in a heavy storm, killing 80 of the 86 crew members. Just a few weeks later, the "Passat" narrowly escaped a catastrophe when the load slipped in a hurricane. With a list of 50 degrees, the ship calls at Lisbon as a port of refuge and can sail on to Hamburg after reloading. There she is finally retired - the time of the freight sailing ships is over.
Travemünde's landmark
The "Passat" was one of the fastest tall ships in the world. Today it is a magnet for visitors to the Baltic Sea resort of Travemünde.In 1959 the Hanseatic City of Lübeck bought the ship. In 1960, the "Passat" finally anchored on the Priwallufer in Travemünde, and the sails were sold. Today it is the floating landmark of the Osteebad and serves as a museum ship, youth hostel and maritime backdrop for weddings.
Maintenance is funded by donations
The "Passat" has only left its berth once since 1960:in 1997 it was renovated in Lübeck's Flender shipyard for around 3.7 million euros. A year later, tugboats pull her back to Travemünde, tens of thousands line the shore and greet the aging ship. The maintenance of the 115 meter long windjammer costs around 350,000 euros a year, an amount that is financed by donations and by the city of Lübeck.