Both ships are named in honour of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym "Gorch Fock" and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916.

The 1933 Gorch Fock had already been designed to be a very safe ship: she had a righting moment large enough to bring her back into the upright position even when heeling over to nearly 90°.

Nevertheless some last-minute changes to the design were made in response to the Pamir disaster in 1957, especially concerning the strength of the body and the bulkheads as well as the lifesaving equipment, including the lifeboats.

The interior has also been modified multiple times; technological advances made it possible to reduce the size of the galley and enlarge the crew quarters.

In November 2015 the ship was brought to the German shipyard Elsflether Werft at Bremerhaven because of hull problems with a first cost estimate of 9.6 million euro.

[2] In 2017 it was determined that the amount of work required was much greater; this included the almost complete replacement of the hull plating, renewal of decks and refurbishment of the engine with a cost estimated at 135 million euro.

[1] In January 2018 repairs were stopped while a review was carried out by the Ministry of Defence, including consideration of replacing Gorch Fock with a new vessel.

[8] The Gorch Fock participates in sailing parades and Tall Ships' Races, where she is in amicable rivalry with the Italian vessel Amerigo Vespucci.

[9] In the aftermath of the latest accident, naval cadets refused to climb the rigging (the highest position on the main mast being 45 metres or 148 feet), and four of them were subsequently accused of "inciting rebellion".

According to a 19 November 2010 statement issued by the German Fleet Command, the officer candidates then on board were to be flown back to Germany to continue their training[9] while the ship was docked in Ushuaia, Argentina.