World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseAlbert Leo Schlageter was a Gorch Fock-class barque was commissioned into German Navy service under the command of Bernhard Rogge in 1937 as a training ship. She had a steel hull and had three masts. After a number of training voyages, she was deactivated and served as a staionary office ship similar to her sister ships. In 1944, she was reactivated into service. On 14 Nov 1944, sailing in rough waters near Rügen, Germany, she struck a Soviet naval mine and suffered serious damage to her bow on the starboard side. Her sister ship Horst Wessel took her in a stern tow to prevent her from sinking; on the following day, larger ships arrived to low her to Swinemünde, Germany for repairs. At the end of the war, she was taken over by the Allies at Flensburg, Germany.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, Albert Leo Schlageter was taken by the United States as reparation. In 1948, she sold to the Brazilian Navy at the price of USD$5,000. She was towed to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and served as a training ship under the name of Guanabara. In 1961, she was sold to the Portuguese Navy. Renamed Sagres (not to be confused with the other German-built Portuguese ship which was also named Sagres, later renamed Rickmer Rickmers), she served as a training ship, and remains in that role at the time of this writing in 2021.

Barque Albert Leo Schlageter Interactive Map

Albert Leo Schlageter Operational Timeline