The engineering firm Detlef Löll spent around one and a half days analysing the former sailor's training boat. North wind at the Neue Jadewerft shipyard in the last week of February and determined the need for repairs. The preliminary result allows the museum crew to breathe a sigh of relief, as the basic condition of the boat is passable and the necessary restoration measures are still within manageable limits. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to be done to maintain the boat itself and the travelling ability of the North wind The keel, for example, needs to be replaced, which represents a not inconsiderable cost factor. Based on the detailed list of shipyards provided by the engineering firm Löll, which will accompany the project throughout, a shipyard is now being sought by means of a tendering process that can finalise the restoration this year. This ambitious undertaking is made even more difficult by the fact that there are relatively few shipyards specialising in wooden ships that also have a sufficient supply of wood. Nonetheless, Detlev Löll believes that this is feasible - and he should know, as he has already completed many projects of this type or even on a much larger scale. In addition to the Gorch Fock I two ships moored in Hamburg, such as the Rickmer Rickmers or most recently the Beijing called.
This restoration project is being made possible by funds from the Corona economic stimulus package, which MP Siemtje Möller (SPD) campaigned for in August last year. With the receipt of the official notification of funding of 1.5 million euros at the end of January, the project could now get underway. The project is thus part of the museum's new concept, which was initiated at the end of 2018 and will be realised by 2027 at the latest and includes the renovation of the quays, the redesign of the exhibition and the museum harbour, a new building for special exhibitions and events and the construction of a museum depot.
The North wind has been part of the museum fleet of the German Naval Museum since the end of 2008 and started sailing again in the 2009 season. Since then, between May and October, the former sailor's training boat has been used for day trips with up to 35 guests and longer trips with a maximum of ten people in eight fixed berths and two combined seating and sleeping areas along the German North Sea and Baltic coasts. The boat has around 70 days at sea a year and offers passengers the opportunity to actively participate in the operation of the boat under supervision. The North wind used as an exclusive event platform at the museum pier or during cruises at major maritime events in the respective harbours. The sailing ship already had a long history before it joined the museum fleet and is one of the units with the longest service life in the German Navy. The hull of the traditional sailing ship was built during the Second World War as a wartime fishing cutter and then converted into a Bermuda ketch with two masts as British war booty. The North wind was then handed over to the Federal Border Guard Sea, until from 1956 to 2006 it served generations of officer candidates for maritime training at the Mürwik Naval School - and is still occasionally loaned out by the Naval School for this purpose.
Text: Dr Stephan Huck; Photos: DMM
0 Kommentare