Mircea was built at the Blohm and Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany for the Romanian Navy in 1938. During World War II, the vessel was captured by the USSR and kept as a war reparation, before being returned to Romania in 1946. Mircea is a barque – three masts, with square sails on the fore and main masts and fore and aft sails on the mizzen (aft most) mast. The barque sails as the official vessel of the Romanian Navy and has participated in numerous sail training festivals and races throughout the world. The Mircea is the sister ship of USCG Eagle (USA), Sagres (Portugal), and Gorch Fock (Germany).