Displacement: 396 metric tons
Length: 62.55 m (205.2 ft)
Beam: 8.02 m (26.3 ft)
Complement: 60 (25 crew + 35 trainees)
Sail area: 1035.6 m²

The Alexander von Humboldt was built in 1906 as a reserve lightvessel under the name Reserve Sonderburg . 1945 was it installed permanent as an replace of the light vessel Kiel . Spring 1957 was the Ship rammed by a Swedish freighter and sank, was raised and after a two-year overhaul returned to service in 1959.
Her original job get the ship back 1967 as the position get upgraded to an lighthouse .
Later was the ship bought by the Deutsche Stiftung Sail Training or DSST [German Sail Training Foundation] , who transformed her into a tall ship based on her sailing ship hull. The Ship got named after the Alexander von Humboldt after the celebrated German explorer. In a historical reference to the sailing ships of the Rickmers shipping company of Bremen, her hull was painted green. Green sails were installed as a marketing tool for advertising campaigns by the ship's sponsor, the German brewer Beck's .