STS Young Endeavour is an Australian tall ship. Built by Brooke Marine, Young Endeavour was given to Australia by the British government in 1988, as a gift to celebrate Australian Bicentenary. Although operated and maintained by the Royal Australian Navy, Young Endeavour delivers up to twenty youth development sail training voyages to young Australians aged 16 – 23 each year. Navy personnel staff the ship and the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme coordinate the voyage program. During each voyage the ship embarks up to 24 young Australians who learn the skills required to sail a square-rigged tall ship; including how to navigate, keep watch, cook in the galley, take the helm and climb the 30 metre mast to work aloft, setting and furling sails. They are encouraged to pursue personal and team goals and challenges in an unfamiliar environment as they learn to sail a square-rigged tall ship. Near the end of the voyage, youth crew elect a command team who take full responsibility for Young Endeavour for 24 hours, sailing the ship along the Australian coast. On their last day at sea, the youth crew host a local group of youth with special needs, sharing their new found knowledge and experience.
Design and construction
Young Endeavour has a displacement of 239 tonnes. The ship is in length overall and in waterline length, has a beam of, and a draught of. The vessel is brigantine rigged, with a tall mainmast, and ten sails with a total area of. Auxiliary propulsion is provided by two Perkins V8 M200 TI diesel engines, providing each. Young Endeavour can achieve speeds of under sail, or running on the diesels. The vessel is a sister ship to Tunas Samudera, a Malaysian Navysail training ship. The ship was ordered by the British government as a gift to Australia in recognition of Australian Bicentenary. Designed by naval architect Colin Mudie, Young Endeavour was laid down by Brooke Marine in May 1986, and was launched on 2 June 1987. On 3 August, Young Endeavour sailed from Lowestoft in England to Australia, via Rio de Janeiro, Tristan da Cunha, and the waters of Antarctica. On 25 January 1988, Young Endeavour was handed over to the Australian Government. The ship's motto is carpe diem, Latin for "Seize the day".
Young Endeavour Youth Scheme
Although the Australian government decided that Young Endeavour would be operated and maintained by the Royal Australian Navy, the vessel would be used to provide sail training to Australian youth. The "Young Endeavour Youth Scheme" was established in 1988 as a not-for-profit organisation, with a civilian management and administration team based in Sydney, the ship's homeport. The scheme's aims are to develop teamwork and leadership skills in Australian youth, while increasing participants' self-awareness and sense of community spirit. Under the scheme, 24 to 30 "youth crew" join a voyage to supplement the 9 or 10 naval personnel from the Mine Warfare, Hydrographic and Patrol Boat Force, which Young Endeavour is attached to. Over 500 youth crew per year participate in the scheme, and are selected for the voyages by a biannual ballot. Each voyage typically lasts ten to eleven days, during which the youth crew rotate through most roles aboard the ship, stand watches, and help with Young Endeavours operation. Near the end of the voyage, the crew undergoes "command day": a 24-hour period in which the ship is entirely under control of the youth crew. As part of most voyages, the combined crew takes a group of special needs youth on a half-day sail. Between the scheme's inception in 1988 and mid-2018, over 13,500 youth have participated in voyages, while another 11,500 special needs youth have been involved in half-day sails. The vessel is at sea for approximately 240 days per year.
Operational history
Young Endeavour left Australian waters for the first time in 1990, when she sailed to New Zealand for celebrations of the sesquicentennial of the Treaty of Waitangi's signing and the opening of the 1990 Commonwealth Games. During 1992, the ship circumnavigated the world and participated in 500th anniversary celebrations of Christopher Columbus' round-the-world voyage. In 1995, Young Endeavour circumnavigated Australia, and visited Indonesia for the nation's 50th anniversary of independence. During 2001, as part of Centenary of Federation celebrations, the tall ship circumnavigated Australia. In 2006, Young Endeavour visited New Zealand. Young Endeavour participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney. At the end of 2014, the ship departed Sydney for a round-the-world trip. The trip consists of eight separate voyages, each with a separate youth crew embarked: to Rio de Janeiro, Cadiz, Çanakkale, Southampton, Amsterdam, back to Rio, and Cape Town, before concluding in Fremantle. The trip is due to conclude in late December 2015.
