19th-Century Schooner Runs Up on the Rocks Near Cuxhaven

A historic schooner grounded off the port of Cuxhaven, Germany over the weekend, forcing an urgent evacuation of the vessel.

At about 1215 hours on Saturday afternoon, the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) rescue center received notice of a large sailing vessel grounded on the outer stretches of the Elbe River, just north of Cuxhaven's harbor and about 1.5 nautical miles offshore. The center's staff dispatched a rescue boat out of Cuxhaven to attend the scene. They found that the schooner Ethel von Brixham had grounded on a rock revetment on the west side of the Elbe shipping channel, and was wedged up on the rocks. An initial attempt at nudging the schooner off was unsuccessful, and the responders opted to wait for a refloat attempt at the next high tide.

At about 2100, three hours before high tide, the crew of the Ethel von Brixham reported flooding. They turned on their bilge pumps in an attempt to counteract it, and continued to wait for higher water. The DGzRS response boat loitered on scene, ready to assist as needed.

Shortly after, the response vessel Neuwerk got under way to assist at the scene. Neuwerk's RIB boat was launched, and the crew rescued one person and one dog from the Brixham.

The situation aboard the wooden schooner continued to deteriorate, even though conditions were mild for the North Sea in winter. Under the forces of the grounding, the hull showed signs of deformation and potential failure, the skipper reported. Soon after, a bilge pump failed, making further efforts on board untenable. The remaining crewmembers evacuated onto Neuwerk's RIB, and they were safely delivered to shore.

The vessel's salvage or wreck removal is still in planning, according to DGzRS.

Ethel von Brixham is a 95-foot wooden schooner built in 1890 at the J&W Upham yard in Brixham, UK. Originally designed as a fishing vessel and named Lily & Ethel, she served in the fisheries in the UK, Sweden and Norway through both world wars, according to National Historic Ships UK. Since the 1980s she has reportedly been in the tourist trade. On screen, she has appeared in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024), among other productions. Her ownership changed hands in December, according to the agency.