Visit the Peking Ship at Hamburg Port Museum

The four-masted barque Peking is now accessible to visitors in Hamburg, serving as the flagship for the new German Port Museum. The vessel, which has returned to its home port after decades of absence, is located in the emerging Grasbrook district of the city.

Access to the ship is provided through the German Port Museum, an institution dedicated to the commercial and economic history of Germany’s largest port. The museum’s presence in the Grasbrook district integrates the ship into a broader maritime landscape that includes the historical ensemble of quay sheds under preservation order.

Maritime History and the Flying P-Liners

The Peking was completed in 1911 at the Blohm + Voss shipyard for the F. Laeisz shipping company. The vessel was a prominent member of the Flying P-Liner fleet, a well-known group of sailing ships operated by the traditional Hamburg shipping firm.

During its tenure as a freight sailing vessel, the Peking operated primarily on routes to South America, sailing to Chile for many years. As part of these round trips, the ship navigated the passage around Cape Horn a total of 34 times, a route recognized as one of the most dangerous in the world.

Transition to Museum Ship

The Peking ended its service as a freighter in 1932. Following this period, the vessel was converted into a stationary training ship located on the east coast of England.

The ship was later transported to New York to mark the 200th anniversary of American independence. In Manhattan, the Peking maintained a prominent berth for several decades, serving as a landmark of maritime history in the United States.

In 2015, a decision was made to return the vessel to its home port of Hamburg. The ship arrived back in the port on September 7, 2020, an event documented in the museum exhibition Rolling Home, which features film clips and photographs of the return.

Restoration and Current Status

Because the vessel was no longer navigable, it underwent an extensive restoration process. The Peters-Werft shipyard in Wewelsfleth was responsible for the restoration of the ailing ship, ensuring it could be safely accessed by the public.

The Peking now stands as the fourth large museum ship in Hamburg’s port on the Elbe, joining the Rickmer Rickmers, the Cap San Diego, and the MS Bleichen. The vessel’s sister ship, the Passat, is berthed a few kilometers away in Travemünde.

For those unable to visit the ship in person, the German Port Museum, in cooperation with Google Arts & Culture, has provided virtual tours of the four-masted barque. These tours allow users to navigate the decks and the hold of the vessel digitally.

The broader museum complex also features other maritime exhibits, including the suction dredger SAUGER IV and the floating steam crane SAATSEE, both of which are accessible via a pontoon system. The historical freighter MS Bleichen is moored at the Bremen quay, where restoration work continues to preserve the ship.

The German Port Museum’s facilities include the 50s Sheds, specifically Shed 50A, which preserves the atmosphere of the former free port. The open-air grounds at the Bremen Quay also display early large-scale handling equipment from the initial era of container shipping.