The “Schulschiff Deutschland” left its berth at the Havenwelten in Bremerhaven this morning.
The almost 100-year-old ship will be drained for two weeks at Bredo Dry Docks in Kaiserhafen, among other things to clean the hull.
The full-rigged ship “Schulschiff Deutschland” has left its berth for a necessary examination of the underwater hull to obtain a certificate of buoyancy. Around 20 volunteers and club members on board helped to make the ship “seaworthy” for the short journey. Countless onlookers watched the maneuver from the shore.
Early in the morning, two tugs maneuvered the 98-year-old tall ship from its berth in the New Harbour across the bascule bridge in Schleusenstraße to the Bredo Dry Docks shipyard in Kaiserhafen. The “Schulschiff Deutschland” will be drained for two weeks in the floating dock there. The ship’s hull will be cleaned and the steel thickness will then be measured using ultrasound. In addition, minor riveting and painting work will be carried out and the sacrificial anodes will be replaced.
Around €100,000 for work on “Schulschiff Deutschland”
The Schulschiff Deutschland association is assuming costs of around €100,000 if no further damage is discovered, which will then be repaired immediately. According to current plans, the sailing ship will remain in the floating dock at Bredo Dry Docks until March 21.
The sailing ship, which was built at the Tecklenburg shipyard in Bremerhaven, was last overhauled in 1994 as part of a major overhaul in the dock, at that time still at Bremer Vulkan, at a cost of DM 5.5 million.
Parallel to the current shipyard period, preparations are also underway to determine the cost of renewing the rigging, i.e. the entire mast and rigging. The estimated costs are currently around € 2.5 million, and the association is hoping for support from public funds.
The “Schulschiff Deutschland” is the last German full-rigged ship. She was put into service in 1927. After practical on-board training was no longer required at the beginning of the 1970s, the sailing ship was used as a boarding school and training workshop in Bremen-Woltmershausen. In 1994, the “Schulschiff Deutschland” was placed under a preservation order. It is a monument of national importance.
From 1996, the “Schulschiff Deutschland” had its permanent berth at the mouth of the Lesum into the Weser in Vegesack. This is a location with a long tradition. Until spring 2002, trainees in the boarding school for the profession of ship mechanic who were trained in Vegesack lived on board. When this training was discontinued in Bremen, the chapter of the Bremen Seamen’s School was closed. In 2021, the training ship was brought back from Vegesack to Bremerhaven, the city where it was built in 1927.
Today, only the “Schulschiff Deutschland” is maintained and preserved by the Deutscher Schulschiff-Verein e.V. at its permanent berth in Bremerhaven. However, its tasks have changed. Today, the aim is to preserve the last remaining full-rigged ship as a maritime cultural monument for posterity. It can be visited, used as a hotel and for conferences, seminars, exhibitions and celebrations. Civil wedding ceremonies are also held on board and overnight stays are available all year round in 30 double cabins and in the captain’s suite. (CE)
