The "Gorch Fock" has a new commander

Today, Thursday 25 July, the commander of the Mürwik Naval Academy, Flotilla Admiral Jens Nemeyer, transferred command of the German Navy's sail training ship from Captain Andreas-Peter Graf von Kielmansegg to Frigate Captain Elmar Bornkessel.

After a good two years in command of the German sail training ship, Graf von Kielmansegg is leaving the ship: "After my predecessor successfully brought the ship out of the shipyard and back into service, it was an exciting task to continue on this path." The aim was to promote the confidence of the regular crew and to resume the training of officer candidates. "If I was able to make a contribution to this, then I would be delighted. I look back on my time in command of the 'Gorch Fock' with this joy and with gratitude to the crew, on whom I was always able to rely," he summarised. Count von Kielmansegg will take up his next post at the naval command in Rostock.

The new commander is frigate captain Elmar Bornkessel, born in 76, a native of northern Hesse and former deck, sailing and division officer on board the "Gorch Fock". From 2014 to 2016, he was first officer and deputy commander. From 2018 to 2021 he was commander of the Crew F 125 DELTA and commanded the frigates "Sachsen-Anhalt" and "Nordrhein-Westfalen". Now he is swapping a shore command on the The new command of the Naval Operations School Bremerhaven is one of the most attractive, but also most challenging positions the navy has to fill. Frigate Captain Bornkessel is looking forward to his new task with great anticipation: "First and foremost, I am looking forward to taking command of the 'Gorch Fock'. On the one hand, it is a great honour, combined with anticipation, but I certainly also have respect for the task I have been given," says the new commander of the sail training ship.

Since its commissioning in December 1958, around 16,000 officer and non-commissioned officer candidates have been trained on the planks of the "Gorch Fock". In the course of her training voyages, she has visited around 400 harbours in almost 60 countries on five continents, covering more than 770,000 nautical miles, the equivalent of 35 circumnavigations of the globe.