German Maritime Search and Rescue Service

The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (German: Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger - DGzRS; lit. German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons) is responsible for Search and Rescue in German territorial waters in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone.

Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger
Racing stripe
DGzRS logo
Formation29 May 1865
Legal statusCharity
PurposeSaving lives at sea
HeadquartersBremen
Region served
North Sea
Baltic Sea
Staff
185
Volunteers
800
Websitedgzrs.de

The headquarters and the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of the Society are located in Bremen. It was founded in Kiel on 29 May 1865. It owns 59 lifeboats at 55 stations which are operated by 185 employed crew members and 800 volunteers. The society has about 2000 engagements every year. Up to 2019, it rescued approximately 85,000 persons. In 2019 it saved 81 lives, rescued 270 persons from critical situations and carried out 373 medical transports. The DGzRS is entirely financed by membership fees, private donations and legacies.

Writer and honorary member Nikolai von Michalewsky has immortalized the DGzRS in his series of science fiction novels by taking it as the model for his "Independent Society for Saving Spacewrecked".

Fleet

The DGzRS operates 59 vessels on 55 stations in the North Sea and Baltic. 20 of which are seagoing cruisers (German: Seenotrettungskreuzer) between 20 m and 46 m of length and 39 vessels are classified as inshore lifeboats (German: Seenotrettungsboote). A feature of the cruisers is that all but the 20-m class carry a fully equipped small lifeboat on deck which can quickly be released through a gate in the aft for conducting operations in shallow waters. This principle was developed by DGzRS in the 1950s.[1] The 20-m class uses a rigid-hulled inflatable boat instead.[2]

Lifeboats
Name Station Remarks
46-m class
Length 46,0m – Beam 10,66m – Draught 2,80m – Displacement 404t – 3 Engines Σ 9.250hp (6.803kW) – Speed. 25knots
Hermann Marwede Heligoland biggest ship of the DGzRS
36.5-m class
Length 36,5m – Beam 7,8 – Draught 2,70m – Displacement 236 t – 3 Engines Σ 6.508hp (4.785kW) – Speed. 25 knots
Harro Koebke Sassnitz
28-m class
Length 27,9 – Beam 6,2m – Draught 1,95m – Displacement 120t – 2 Engines Σ 3.916hp (2.880kW) – Speed. 24 knots
Ernst Meier-Hedde Amrum
Berlin Laboe
Anneliese Kramer Cuxhaven
Hamburg Borkum
27.5-m class
Length 27,5m – Beam 6,5m – Draught 2,1m – Displacement 103t – 3 Engines Σ 3.282hp (2.420kW) – Speed. 23 knots
Arkona Warnemünde
Bremen Großenbrode
23.3-m class
Length 23,3m – Beam 5,5m – Draught 2,0m – Displacement 66t – 2 Engines Σ 1.944hp (1.430kW) – Speed 25 knots
Vormann Jantzen Reliefboat
23.1-m class
Length 23,1m – Beam 6,0m – Draught 1,6m – Displacement 80t – 2 Engines Σ 2.700hp (1.986kW) – Speed 25 knots
Hermann Rudolf Meyer Bremerhaven
Hans Hackmack Grömitz
Theo Fischer Darßer Ort
Bernhard Gruben Hooksiel
20-m class
Length 19,91 – Beam 5,0m – Draught 1,3m – Displacement 40t – 1 Engine 1.630hp (1.232kW) – Speed 25 knots
Eiswette Nordstrand
Eugen Norderney
Theodor Storm Büsum
Pidder Lüng List/Sylt
Fritz Knack Maasholm
Berthold Beitz Greifswalder Oie

Voluntary Lifeboats
Name Station Remarks
10,1m class
Paul Neisse Eiderdamm
Eckernförde Eckernförde
Elli Hoffmann-Röser Baltrum
Kurt Hoffmann Glowe
Horst Heiner Kneten Hörnum
Nausikaa Vitte-Hiddensee
Konrad Otto Kühlungsborn
Henrich Wuppesahl Neustadt in Holstein
Secretarius Langeoog
Fritz Thieme Wangerooge
Nimanoa Damp
Wolfgang Wiese Timmendorf
Ursula Dettmann Gelting
Mervi Neustadt in Holstein SAR-School
Gerhard Elsner Schilksee
Peter Habig Wilhelmshaven
Wolfgang Paul Lorenz Puttgarden
Romy Frank Horumersiel
9,5m class
Wilma Sikorski Norddeich
Gillis Gillbranson Brunsbüttel
Werner Kuntze Langballigau
Heinz Orth Freest
Hertha Jeep Stralsund
Hans Ingwersen Travemünde
Emil Zimmermann Fedderwardersiel
Neuharlingersiel Neuharlingersiel
Heiligenhafen Heiligenhafen
Casper Otten Lauterbach
Woltera Lippe
Walter Rose Neustadt in Holstein SAR-School
  • SK John T. Essberger, one of the large 44m-class cruisers of the DGzRS
  • SK Hermann Marwede, the only one of the large 46m-class cruisers of the DGzRS
  • The Marwede at sea
  • SK Harro Koebke the large 36,5m-class for the Baltic Sea in Sassnitz
  • SK Anneliese Kramer the new 28m-class for Cuxhaven
  • SK Theodor Storm a 20m-class criuser
  • SK Berlin, a 27m-class cruiser of the DGzRS, and a SeaKing helicopter of the German Navy
  • SK Herman Helms, a cruiser of the 27m-class
  • SK Vormann Jantzen
  • S&R boat Eltje
  • SK Minden in the port of Sylt island
  • SK Bernhard Gruben with daughter boat during an exercise in the North Sea off Juist island
  • Commemorative stamp honoring the DGzRS's 100th anniversary (issued in 1965)

See also

References
  1. "Vor 50 Jahren: Erster Seenotkreuzer der DGzRS feierlich getauft". Seglermagazin (in German). Zellwerk GmbH & Co. KG. 12 February 2007.
  2. "Flotte" (in German). DGzRS.
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