STS Young Endeavour Making Farewell Visit To Freo

STS Young Endeavour, Australia’s national STS or sail training ship, is nearing the end of an era and will soon be replaced by a new ship.

Before then, she is due to arrive in Fremantle Port this Tuesday, 5 August 2025, at around 9am, on her current farewell circumnavigation tour of Australia.

STS Young Endeavour

Young Endeavour embarked on her farewell tour in April this year, her first circumnavigation of the country in almost 10 years. The multi-leg voyage began in Brisbane and has included port calls in northern and remote regions like Thursday Island, Darwin, Broome and Exmouth. After leaving Fremantle on 24 August, she will visit Albany before concluding in Sydney in October.

In Freo, Young Endeavour will be berthed at B Shed, where the STS Leeuwin used to be. You will have an opportunity to visit her next Saturday, 9 August, before she continues her circumnavigation and sails into the sunset.

After almost 40 years of seafaring voyages shaping young Australians, STS Young Endeavour is entering the final phase of her service and will be replaced by STS Young Endeavour II at the end of the year.

The original brigantine was commissioned in January 1988 as a bicentenary gift from the United Kingdom. Since then, the ship has welcomed over 15,000 young Australians on board and sailed more than 500,000 nautical miles. A voyage on Young Endeavour is a challenging and transformative sail training adventure for youth aged 16-23 years.

Operated by a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) crew of about 10, each voyage embarks around 24 youth, guiding them through hands-on lessons in navigation, sail handling and teamwork over typically 11-day trips. It’s a unique opportunity for young people to develop teamwork and leadership skills through an internationally recognised youth development program.

Sketch of STS Young Endeavour II

STS Young Endeavour II has been designed to respond to the increasing demands of youth development voyages. The project began in 2022, and the new larger vessel is a modern barquentine rig capable of carrying up to a 42 youth crew. She will continue a legacy of growth, leadership and sea-borne adventure for generations to come.

If you are wondering what will happen to Young Endeavour when she is replaced, so are many others. While there’s no official word yet on her final fate, retirement from active service seems certain. Possibilities for the future include:
• Preservation as a museum ship, given her legacy.
• Sale or donation to a maritime training institution or heritage group.
• Decommissioning and dismantling, though one assumes that would be a last resort given her iconic status.

So, come on down to Fremantle’s Victoria Quay next Saturday to explore the tall ship Young Endeavour, meet the Royal Australian Navy staff crew, and chat with youth sailors.

You might also like to ask how to apply for your own voyage!

Where and when you can visit Young Endeavour:
Free event
9 August 2025
11am – 3pm
Victoria Quay, Fremantle.
(Remember to wear closed in shoes)

* Story by Jean Hudson @jeansodyssey.

Jean Hudson is our Shipping and Sailing Correspondent and also a regular feature writer and photographer here on the Shipping News. You may also like to follow up her informative Places I Love stories, as well as other feature stories and Freo Today photographs, right here.

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