Alexander von Humboldt

laid down in Bremen in 1906 as the first of a series of 4 sisterships, as the light ship "Reserve Sonderburg".

during her time in service as a replacement light ship she moved around stations mostly in the Baltic and was often renamed, in 1920 she became the "Reserve Holtenau" and in 1945 she arrived at her own station as the light ship "Kiel".

1957 rammed and heavyly damaged by a Finnish freighter, towed to lower waters where she laid on ground, she returned to her station after repairs and modernising in 1959.

1967 she was replaced by a lighthouse and once again moved around stations, mainly in the North Sea, but now keeping the name "Kiel".

decommissioned in 1986 when her station was taken over by an automated light buoy, laid up in Wilhelmshaven, suffered collision damage but was repaired before towed to Bremerhaven under the name "Confidentia".

converted into a windjammer for young people on the initiative of Capt. M. Hövener, supported by the Beck brewery from Bremen, and the merchant Harms; since her commisioning on May 30, 1988 she has been the flag-ship of the Sail Training Association Germany (STAG) and the foundation "Deutsche Stiftung Sail Training (DSST)", renamed the "Alexander von Humboldt" to honour the German explorer, geographer and naturalist (1769-1859).

has taken part in sailing events/regattas, such as the 1992 Columbus Grand Regatta and Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race in 1995, the 1996 Baltic Sail, the 1997 Aberdeen-Trondheim-Stavanger-Göteborg regatta, and the 1998 Kieler Woche.

1998/99 she undertook a world voyage pursuing the trail of Alexander v. Humboldt; during the 204 days the windjammer covered 14 870 sm, crossing the Equator for the first time.

participated the Sail Bremerhaven 2000.

voyage to South America in 2005/2006, circumnavigation of the Cape Horn.

when the DSST commissioned the "Alexander v. Humboldt 2" in 2011 she was for sale, sold to a German businessman who offered daysailing trips on board starting in Freeport, Grand Bahama; the project failed.

in May 2013 return to Bremerhaven, inspections in a shipyard, since April 2015 to October 2016 further use as a hotel ship in the Europa Habour of Bremen, GER; moved to the Schlachte (Weser) in Bremen then.