Launch of new rescue cruiser delayed by Covid

Ralf Baur, a spokesman for the German Maritime Search and Rescue Association (DGzRS) in Bremen, told Maritime Journal: “We have postponed naming indefinitely due to the Coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions associated with that. At the moment we do not know when it will take place”.

In the meantime SK41 – the latest state-of-the-art SAR cruiser to join the DGzRS – has gone into operation in the Baltic out of Grömitz on the Bay of Lübeck, where it arrived at the end of January from Weser builders Fassmer Werft.

The SK41 launching delay mirrors that of another rescue cruiser launch hit by the Covid pandemic nearly a year ago. The DGzRS had to scrap a lavish official naming ceremony and concert for the SAR cruiser SK40-Hamburg in 2020 because of Covid.

Like SK41, SK40 went straight into rescue service and saw impressive action before being officially named in a small ceremony in Bremen in July. The same now appears to be happening with the 27.9m long and 6.2m wide SK41, the most modern 28m Class SAR cruiser ever for the DGzRS.

Since floating out last October, it has undergone extensive sea trials including full throttle engine tests and course changing at top speed. It has also impressively demonstrated its pulling power by towing the biggest ship in the DGzRS fleet – the tough, 45.6m, 400 ton, Hermann Marwede – based on Heligoland in the German Bight.

According to Ralf Baur, many of the components in SK41 have already proved themselves well in tough service on previous DGzRS boats. “As a result, apart from marginal changes, they have also been installed in the latest cruiser”, he said.

Drawing 1.95m and displacing 120 tons, SK41 is equipped with two MTU 16-cylinder Series 2000 M72 engines each of 1,440kw. They operate over ZF 5000 reverse gearings with Geislinger couplings and Shaffran shafts onto fixed propellers.

MTU said the engines had been developed for extreme weather operation and provided 24 knots. It also said they were designed to keep running during heavy listing or 360° righting and noted that the 2000 M72s boasted a special ‘rough kit’. That includes an extra-deep oil pan with special purpose bulkheads, a modified crankcase breather system and specially adapted engine control.

SK41’s auxiliary power plant comprises a Type BF 1013 M auxiliary from Deutz, a Leror Somer LSAM 44.2 generator and a Sauer-Sundstrand 90 Hydraulic pump as well as a Whisperpower SQ 27 generator. Baur said the Deutz supplies the power for SK41’s hydraulic 75kW Jastram bow thruster and its Jöhstadt NP400 fire extinguishing pump.

Communications equipment delivered and installed by Alphatron includes three 6000 Series Sailor VHF radios, a Furuno FS1575 SSB transceiver, ATIS voice recorder and Schnoor SARCOM, as well as ICOM M73 handheld VHF units and a Rhoteta RT 500-M radio direction finder.

Furuno nautical and electronic gear includes two FAR-22×8 BB Radar units each with TimeZero plotter and Furuno-Chart Backup, an FE800 Echolot/Graph, GP 170 DGPS, FA 170 AIS, NX 700 Navtex and a WS 200 Weatherstation mit RD33 Display and FLIR M-618 C S warm picture camera – both the latter system-integrated.

Raytheon Anschütz supplied the boat’s STD30MF gyro, repeater compass 360/10, rudder-Indicator und Pilotstar NX autosteering as well as three FU Tillers. Other equipment includes a Zöllner Zetfon 400/310 Typhon and Signal generator and two Virgo S450 remote controlled searchlights and two SS190 searchlights with special bow search light.

Like its predecessors, the multi-functional SK41 carries a crew of four and is self-righting. It also has state-of- the-art firefighting and medical equipment.

The cruiser’s 8.2m stern-launched tender has an automatic launch system. Also built by Fassmer the SK41 tender is driven by a 170kW Steyr SE 236 E40 marine diesel over ZF 220V gears. It also houses Sailor VHF radios, Raymarine Quantum-radar, Echolot and Axiom Pro 16 MFDs as well as Dose searchlights.

The current series of DGzRs 28m Class cruisers ends in autumn with SK42 – also being built at Fassmer. Curiously, and like SK40 Hamburg, its name is already known: Nis Randers.