Sea Rescue Trio complete
The last in a powerful trio of state-of-the-art cruisers for Germany’s DGzRS sea rescue service was being launched in June for service in one of the world’s busiest shipping regions – the North Sea Elbe Estuary.
The 27.9m long and 6.2m wide cruiser was provisionally tagged SK 37/TB 41 but is scheduled for official naming in Cuxhaven on the North Sea on June 10th. It replaces the 32 year old Hermann Helms – one of a previous series of six 27.5m sea cruisers built by Lürssen Werft in Bremen and introduced between 1985 and 1993.
The previous boat in the new Class 28m series, Berlin, and its tender Steppke, went into service in the Kiel Fiord early this year. Series prototype Ernst Meier-Hedde and its tender Lotte have served out of the German North Sea island of Amrum since May 2015.
The boats draw 2m and are propelled by two Schaffran propellers driven by two MTU 16V 2000 M72 engines each of 1,440kW and together weighing 7.6 tons. They provide 24 knots over ZF BR 5000D reverse gears with slow running capability. They also have 75kW bow thrusters and Deutz Type 1013 Diesel auxiliaries. Their single-prop 8.2m long and 2.9m wide tenders have Steyr Diesels Type SE 236 E40 of 170kW providing a top speed of 19 knots.
The new 28m Class design also features comprehensive medical first aid facilities and equipment, a water cannon with remote controlled monitor for fire combat at sea and a closed bridge with all-round vision. Like many of its fellow DGzRS boats, it is of aluminium and self-rights within seconds. It has a range of 800 sea miles.
Completion of the new 28m Class trio at Fassmer is just one highlight in a busy boat-building year for the Bremen-based DGzRS.
Hans Dittmer, the first of a new series of ten10.1m rescue boats – also from Fassmer – went into service in April. Three more are for delivery this year. They are modified versions of an earlier 8.5m series and are for service out of Germany’s East Frisian islands in the North Sea. A further three will be delivered by mid next year and the final three in 2020.
The DGzRS also has two slightly modified 20m Class boats plus tenders on order at Fassmer. The first will see service this year and the second mid next year. New on both boats is an RBB from Finland’s Arctic Airboats with 30 km maneuverability capability. The DGzRS said they were more robust, roomy and required less maintenance than RIBs.
The DGzRS maintains about 60 rescue boats and cruisers at 54 standby locations along the German North Sea and Baltic between Holland in the west and Poland in the east.
By Tom Todd
