Photos: Hamburg's Oldest Wooden Ship Collides with Container Feeder

Seven people were injured on Saturday when Hamburg's oldest wooden ship collided with a container feeder ship on the Elbe River in Germany.

The 1883 built and recently restored pilot saver No.5 Elbe collided with a container feeder ship, the Cyprus-flagged Astrosprinter. All 43 passengers were rescued with the help of the German Life Saving Society (DLRG) and the fire brigade. 

DLRG said that it was lucky they were attending a minor incident nearby and could reach the vessel quickly. Pumps were bought on board to try and keep the vessel afloat, but they were not sufficient and the vessel sank.

It has been reported that the sailing ship steered directly into the container ship’s path after a failed tack. The Hamburg Water Protection Police are leading the investigation, and the Hamburg Waterways and Shipping Authority is coordinated the salvage work.

The 37-meter-long two-master is the oldest ship owned by the Hamburg Maritime Foundation which released a statement saying: “With great sadness we regret the collision and feel very much with the passengers and members of the ship's crew who have come to harm. We hope the injuries can be cured quickly.

“We sincerely thank the auxiliary crews of DLRG and the fire brigade for their courageous and skilled intervention in rescuing passengers and the ship's crew.”

Video source: Hamburg Maritime Foundation, published in May 2019.

In the 1920s the No. 5 Elbe was sold to an owner in the U.S. The Hamburg Maritime Foundation brought the ship back to Hamburg in 2002 and restored it. Over the winter of 2018/2019, the pilot's saver was again extensively restored. The ship has modern navigation and safety equipment.

Images courtesy of DLRG.