Cap San Diego

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Static Passenger Ships

Former freighter Cap San Diego. Sailed from 1962 until 1982 on regular line voyages to South America. Renamed Sangria in 1986. Rescued from the breakers yard that same year by the city of Hamburg. Presently in use as a floating museum and hotel/ party centre.

CAP SAN DIEGO

After a relatively short building period of five months, yard number 785 was launched by Mrs. Ruth Delius at Deutschen Werft AG in Hamburg. Cap San Diego as she was named, cost 16 million DM and was ordered by the Hamburg-Amerikanische Gesellschaft, more often called Hamburg-Sud.

In March 1962, Cap San Diego was taken out to sea to run her trials during which she behaved perfectly and reached a top speed of over 20 knots. Immediately afterwards, she set out on her maiden voyage from Cuxhaven to Montreal, Baltimore, New York, Recife, Rio de Janeiro , Buenos Aires, Santos, Antwerpen, Rotterdam and back to Bremen, Germany. Cap San Diego had capacity for 12 passengers.

In 1963, hold number 2 was rebuilt. Apart from carrying bulk cargo, Cap San Diego could be used as a reefer.

Until 1981, Cap San Diego made an impressive 120 round trips from Germany to South America. Each roundtrip, depending on which ports were called at, took 50 to 70 days to complete.

Then in 1981, Cap San Diego was sold to Spanish ship owners Ybarra. Chartered for a year by her

Leaflet museum Cap San Diego

former owners Hamburg-Sud, she remained on her familiar route, but was reflagged to Panama.

In 1982 she was renamed San Diego. Four years later, in 1986, she was renamed again to Sangria after being sold to Multistrade Shipping from Monrovia. This firm specialised in operating ships which have only months left before their certificate of seaworthiness expires. Without any maintenace whatsoever, and running on the cheapest low quality fuel available, these ships are literally run into the ground before being delivered to the breakers yard. An easy way to make money....

Happily, just before she would be broken up, the city of Hamburg bought the Sangria and in October 1986, she returned to Cuxhaven. Two days later she was officially handed over to the ownership of the city of Hamburg. Immediately, she was renamed Cap San Diego, her original name.

One of the White Swans, a nickname of Cap San Diego and her five sister vessels given to them because of their graceful lines, was back home again October 31st when she docked at the Uberseebrucke, Hamburg.

From this moment on, she has been in use as a floating museum, hotel and party centre. Once a year, she makes a nostalgic roundtrip to Cuxhaven, where it all began after ending her seatrials.....

Summer 2003 and spring 2005, we spent some very memorable time on board, staying on board in one of her luxury, roomy cabins. Being on the bridge I imagined her lines being cast off, and sailing outward bound on yet another roundtrip to South America...... She still is in remarkably good shape thanks to many volunteers, and as a museum is well worth a visit.

For more information, please visit the Cap San Diego website: www.capsandiego.de