The 293 foot barque Gorch Fock II was ordered by the German Federal Navy from Blohm & Voss in Hamburg Germany and she was built, launched and commissioned in 1958. This was a year after the tragic sinking of the German four-masted barque Pamir and the final retirement of the Passat.

The Gorch Fock II is an excellent example of a traditional design. She still spends more time under sail, as opposed to under power, than most other school ships. Her cadets still sleep in hammocks, although she is equipped with up to date equipment, including a modern cafeteria. Since 1989 some of her cadets are female. She trains midshipmen from the Naval Academy at Kiel which is her base port and where she winters. Her complement is 80 crew and 160 cadets. In normal years she runs three cruises ( the first is a short one in home waters, the second is sailing to foreign destinations in the Baltic or North Sea, while the third is a long voyage often to the Caribbean and North America ).

She is a regular participant in the Tall Ship Races and related windjammer gatherings. She sailed around the world in 1987-1988 stopping in Honolulu, Samoa, Auckland, Sydney ( during the Bicentennial Parade of Sail ) Melbourne, then back to Kiel via Suez. She took part in Tall Ship gatherings in 1989 at London, Rouen, and Hamburg, then took part in the 1990 Tall Ships Race as well as the Columbus Regatta in 1992.