Historical story

Cap San Diego:Hamburg's floating landmark

With its elegant white and red body, the "Cap San Diego" is more reminiscent of a huge yacht. The express freighter was launched in Finkenwerder 60 years ago. It has been a museum ship in Hamburg since the late 1980s and has shaped the panorama.

The "Cap San Diego" is a true Hamburger:The general cargo ship was built in the Deutsche Werft on behalf of the Hamburg Süd shipping company and was launched on December 15, 1961 in Hamburg-Finkenwerder.

"South Atlantic White Swan"

She is the last ship in a series of general cargo ships for the South American trade, the so-called Cap San class. Because of their elegant shape, the ships are also nicknamed the "White Swans of the South Atlantic". Its special feature:the architect and ship designer Caesar Pinnau "hid" the chimneys in the two narrow masts. This makes the ships look sleek and elegant and more reminiscent of yachts than sedentary freighters.

"Cap San Diego" transports coffee, oil and passengers

From Hamburg, the "Cap San Diego" transports cars and machines to South America, among other things, and on the return trip she loaded coffee, oils, beef and textiles. For loading and unloading the freight, the ship is equipped with a total of sixteen derricks, two shipboard cranes and one heavy lift boom. It has five holds, two of which are cold stores. Two more smaller cold rooms will be added later. There are also six heatable cargo tanks for transporting sweet oils such as palm oil.

The freighter also takes passengers on board - in the 1960s and 1970s, intercontinental flights were not a matter of course. Up to twelve guests can enjoy the luxury on board that is unusual for cargo ships - from air-conditioned cabins and a separate dining room to the swimming pool with pool bar on deck.

Cap San Diego becomes Sangria

From 1962 to 1981 the freighter operated regularly between Europe and South America. With the triumph of container shipping, however, the general cargo carriers are becoming less important - the "Cap San Diego" is also feeling the effects. In 1981 the ship was sold to a Spanish shipping company and initially sailed under the Panamanian flag, later as "Sangria" under the flag of the Caribbean islands of St. Vincent &Grenadine.

Shortly before the planned scrapping in August 1986, the city of Hamburg bought the dilapidated ship. Parts of the superstructure and the cargo gear are damaged and the ship's inventory is incomplete. The city has the freighter overhauled and converted into a museum ship. However, one important piece of inventory is missing:the original ship's bell. It disappeared from the storage room in 1986 and can only be secured by the police and returned to the ship in 2014.

The museum ship still sails regularly

Today the "Cap San Diego" is the largest civil seaworthy museum ship in the world and has a permanent berth at the Überseebrücke. Visitors can view the ship from the engine room to the command bridge and gain interesting insights into cargo shipping. Several times a year, the old freighter - a maritime monument since 2003 - also sets sail as a floating hotel for museum trips.

Exhibits on board the "Cap San Diego"

Special exhibitions and events on maritime topics also take place regularly on the "Cap San Diego". A special experience is an overnight stay on board in one of the single and double cabins or in the spacious captain's saloon. The overnight price includes a direct view of the Elbe as well as the gently rocking waves to fall asleep to.

In the context of the corona pandemic, information from the organizers on possible restrictions on the "Cap San Diego" website must be observed.

Ship details of the "Cap San Diego"

Year of construction :1961
Ship Type :general cargo ship
Total length :159.40 meters
Greatest width :21.47 meters
dead weight :6,700 tons
lifting capacity :10,700 tons
crew :35 men with 12 passengers
Main engine :11,650 HP two-stroke engine with 9 cylinders
Shipyard :Deutsche Werft Hamburg
Nation :Germany
Homeport :Hamburg
Owner :Hamburg Admiralty Foundation