The general cargo ship Cap San Diego (1961). Her magnificent yard model on a scale of 1:100 is part of our special exhibition „Hamburg Süd – 150 years on the world´s oceans“, which can be seen on deck 1 of the museum until September the 11th 2022.
On 15 December 1961, the „Cap San Diego“ was the last of six sisters of the Hamburg Süd shipping company’s Cap San class to be launched at the Deutsche Werft shipyard in Hamburg. The ships were destined for the route between Europe and South America, their particularly elegant lines designed by architect Caesar Pinnau (1906-1988) earning them the nickname „White Swans of the South Atlantic“. In addition to their beauty, they represented the technical perfection in shipbuilding of their time. The complex system of cargo booms and derricks on deck made it possible to work independently of the conditions of different ports. They could even load heavy cargo by themselves. Their holds were flexible in use, so that they could safely carry almost any type of goods up to refrigerated cargo or liquids. The ships also offered luxurious travelling conditions for up to 12 passengers. But containerization made the general cargo freighters obsolete. Hamburg Süd therefore sold the „Cap San Diego“ in 1981, and she was later renamed „San Diego“ and „Sangria“ by new owners. In 1986, she was finally to be scrapped.
But the ship was the last of her kind and a monument to the maritime history of our city. A Hamburg initiative saved the ship from being scrapped and after years of hard work the „Cap San Diego“ was opened to visitors in 1989. Since then, she has been a museum ship in the Port of Hamburg.
Her magnificent yard model on a scale of 1:100 is part of our special exhibition „Hamburg Süd – 150 years on the world´s oceans“, which can be seen on deck 1 of the museum until 11 September 2022.