ELBE
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Historic pilot schooner first time under sail again since sinking in 2019
On Sep 25, the 'No. 5 Elbe' set sail again for the first time since 2019. The initial sea trials were primarily intended to thoroughly test everything and find out what still needed to be adjusted or optimised. Because the ship was still far from finished, in the coming months, work was to be continued on the ship, which sank on the Elbe on June 8, 2019. The pilot schooner had only just returned to Hamburg after spending several months in dry dock at Hvide Sande. A refit with new outer planks, a new stern, a meticulously restored hull structure had cost 1.5 million euros. There were 43 people on board as the ship was sailing on the Lower Elbe. At 1.54 p.m., near Stadersand, two headsails came loose. Whilst the crew were busy dealing with this, the ship was, according to the subsequent investigation report. on the wrong side of the fairway. The oncoming container ship 'Astrosprinter' was unable to change course, and a collision occurred. The badly damaged 'No. 5 Elbe' still managed to reach the mouth of the Schwinge, ran aground just before the pier and sank. The accident was followed by the salvage operation, then a return to the shipyard in Hvide Sande. The keel was broken, several frames had to be replaced, around 130 metres of hull planking renewed and the port bulwark repaired. According to the Friends of the Pilot Schooner No. 5 Elbe association, the total cost of the salvage and restoration amounted to over two million euros, funded in part by the federal government, a grant from the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and private donations. Since then, volunteer members of the Friends’ Association have reconstructed the interior fittings, the rigging and the ship’s engineering systems. Whilst the report of the Federal Maritime Accident Investigation Bureau set out the sequence of events leading up to the accident in detail, the question of liability has not yet been conclusively resolved. Built in 1883 by H. C. Stülcken’s widow in Hamburg, the gaff schooner served for three decades as a pilot tender in the Elbe estuary and the German Bight. After being decommissioned in 1924, the ship passed through several owners before coming into American hands, where it was renamed the 'Wander Bird'. Skipper Warwick M. Tompkins crossed the Atlantic 13 times with the ship and rounded Cape Horn in 1936–37. His children, Ann and Warwick, aged four and six, were part of the crew. In 2002, the Hamburg Maritim Foundation brought the schooner back to Hamburg from Seattle; in 2016, it was added to Hamburg’s list of listed buildings. The NDR documentary ‘Phoenix from the Elbe – The Seven Lives of the Hamburg Pilot Schooner’ From the series “Die Nordstory” has been available since Oct 9, 2026. It traces both the eventful history of this historic ship and the long process of reconstruction following the accident. Reports with photos: https://lotsenschoner.de/aktuell/zum-ersten-mal-wieder-unter-segeln-seit-2019/ https://www.yacht.de/en/yachts/classics/a-comeback-on-the-elbe-the-pilot-schooner-no-5-elbe-is-back-under-sail/ https://www.yacht.de/en/distress-at-sea/pilot-schooner-no-5-elbe-investigation-report-published/
Completion of repairs postponed to 2027
The "No. 5 Elbe" will set sail again later than previously planned following the collision with the container m/v 'Astrosprinter' (IMO: 9462615) on June 8, 2019. Instead of the summer 2026, work on the vessel was now expected to be completed only in 2027 by the Hamburg Maritime Foundation announced. The reason for the delay were ongoing restoration work, increased costs, and coordination with various tradespeople, The planned restart this summer had been deemed too ambitious. Currently, the repointing of the wooden deck was a pressing priority. The hull damage was repaired at the Hvide Sande Shipyard, and the now seaworthy hull was towed back to Hamburg across the North Sea on Oct 6, 2020, where the schooner has since been undergoing further repairs. Since returning to Hamburg, the rigging has been reconstructed, the interior refurbished, and the technical systems were modernised at the Bremer Quay in the Hansa Port. Over the past six years, volunteers and experts have contributed more than 13,600 hours of work. Approximately 800 meters of deck joints still needed to be renewed to permanently seal the ship against rain and seawater. The foundation estimated the cost at €60,000 and is appealing for donations. This work was one of the last major steps before the ship was to be recommissioned.
Damaged schooner loaded onto Rix Spring
On Oct 23, the 'No. 5 Elbe' was loaded onto the cargo m/v 'Rix Sping' (IMO: 9137296) by two sheerlegs of the HHLA with a lifting capacity of 100 and 200 tons in the Tollerort Container Terminal in Hamburg. The operation started at 10 a.m. at the Hachmann Quay where the schooner went alongside the cargo ship which will take it to the Hvide Sande Shipyard where it will be investigated and repaired in a construction hall. At 3 p.m. the 'Rix Spring' left Hamburg after the schooner was safe inside with an ETA as of Oct 24. German report with video: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/Lotsenschoner-No-5-Elbe-huckepack-zur-Werft,lotsenschoner262.html
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