Peters Revamps Most-rammed Light-ship

During her years of service in the Elbe Estuary she earned the dubious title of being the country’s ‘most rammed’ light vessel.

The 57.3m long and 9.55m wide vessel, which has a side height of 6.05m and draws 4.72m, was dry-docked mid April. The work carried out on the bright red vessel included cleaning and pressure washing of below-water hull areas and anti-fouling treatment.

Peters spokesman Mark Dethlefs told MJ a range of steel work and small repairs were also carried out and rudder and propeller plant checked.

Elbe 1 displaces 1,000 tons and is of 641grt. She was ordered in 1939 at Meyer Werft in Papenburg and launched in 1943. But it was after WW2 in 1948 before her trials were held and she went into 40 years of service in the Elbe Estuary.

During that time, according to the records, she was rammed by more than 50 ships!

When she went into operation in 1948 she was driven by a 500hp, 368kW unidentified main engine. This was replaced in 1970 by an MTU/MAN four-stroke piston engine equipped with an exhaust turbo supercharger.

In 1988 manned light-ship service ended in the Elbe Estuary with the withdrawal of the Burgermeister O’Swald , the last vessel of her type.

In 1990 she was opened as a museum ship in Cuxhaven and has been maintained and operated since then by the Feuershiff-Verein Elbe 1 . She sailed from Cuxhaven to Peters Schiffbau under her own steam and reports said she would be going back there again in Autumn of next year for classification work which will keep her in full operation for five more years.