Schiff Classic article

Schiff Classic edition Nov/Dec 2024 came out with an article about Anny von Hamburg, I have below translated the article for those whose German might be a bit rusty. 

Front page

Pages 4-5 (Click on pictures to zoom in).

"No way old"
The Anny von Hamburg has everything a ship needs: above all charm and timeless glamour.

SEARCHING FOR TRACES - 

Page 24 - Anny von Hamburg, a very special eye-catcher for over 100 years.

Pages 24-25

Page 24:

ADVENTURE ANNY VON HAMBURG

Timeless glamour

Anyone who sees her falls for her. That was the case over 109 years ago - and people still succumb to her elegant charm today. At least that is what her impressive biography proves.

Text by: Peer Schmidt-Walther

Picture of Anny under sail: IT CAN'T GET ANY MORE BEAUTIFUL: Schooner Anny from Hamburg under full sail in the Baltic Sea. All photos: Peer Schmidt-Walther.

The ship was built in 1914 at the renowned C. Lühring shipyard in Hammelwarden on the Lower Weser. Seven more sister ships followed. The steel cargo sailing ship's first major voyage went to St. Petersburg and ended there. When the First World War broke out, "Anny" was promptly confiscated by the Russians and served from then on as a barge for the Tsar's naval cadets.

It was not until 1925 that she returned to Germany as a barge hulk and the schooner changed owners several times and eventually even mutated into a motor ship. The ship received a smaller rigging and a two-stroke engine from the Hanseatic Works in Bergedorf with 120 hp. In 1936, the Glückstadt shipowner Max Both bought the motor schooner and renamed it "Kurt Both". The ship's home port remained Hamburg, and she was used for tramping to Scandinavia. 

Sand and gravel transport

In 1940, the three-master was converted back into a cargo ship and renamed "Hanna", a half-master with a new, 150 hp four-stroke engine from the Deutsche Works in Kiel.

During the Second World War, the sailing ship transported cement from Bremen to Heligoland, as the North Sea island was being converted into a fortress during these years. In 1950, the "Kurt Both" was extended by eight meters at the Fritz Frank shipyard in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. After the bowsprit was removed in 1952 at Hugo Peters in Wewelsfleth/ Stör, the schooner finally became a motor ship. Five years later, after almost 32 years, the ship was deleted from the Hamburg ship register. It was sold for 230,000 German marks to Oscar Abrahamsson & Sons in Sweden, for whom it sailed as "Ringö". In 1963, the Finn Paul Grönquist bought the ship, who then operated her for another 16 years as a coaster for sand and gravel transport on the Finnish coast between Helsinki and Porvoo. 

"Before a true-to-original restoration could be considered, the first step was to reflag it - to England and Antigua, through the Aegean and Mediterranean, around the Canary Islands and through the Caribbean."

In 1980, Jörn Deistler, managing director of Germania Schiffahrt, Hamburg, discovered the former gaff schooner in the port of Karlskrona. She was partially burnt out and looked completely different. A true-to-original restoration was attempted using old construction plans from the Lühring shipyard. But first, the first step was to reflag her. After Britain (1985) and Antigua (1989), the ship was a cruiser in the Aegean and Mediterranean in the summer and around the Canary Islands and the Caribbean in the winter. She was also always present at the Kiel Week and the Hanse Sail as a Sail Training Ship (STS). 

Scrap and rust 

In 1997/98, she was finally completely overhauled in Wilhelmshaven and from then on sailed for the Thien & Heyenga company under the Portuguese flag with Madeira as her home port until 2004. The Hanse-Koggewerft e.V. association then took over the helm. And so the schooner reappeared in the Hamburg ship register.

Page 25:

Picture of Juha & Jan: SEAWATER IN THE VEINS: The two sailing ship enthusiasts and new owners Juha Pokka and Jan Rautawaara (from left).

Picture of coaster: PAST TIMES: As coaster Kurt Both in the timbertrade.

Picture of sign: Original shipyard signs are today sought-after collector's items.

She was left to sit in the Leer marina for around eight years after shipowner Hermann Buss transferred her to Leer (East Frisia) in 2007. In September 2018, the 119-year-old three-masted schooner was taken over by the entrepreneur and billionaire Hans Georg Näder. He wanted to repair her again and then have her operated by the shipping company project "Timbercoast", which he supported and which had made it their mission to transport cargo in a climate-friendly way using sailing ships. The cargo sailing ship Avontuur was the shipping company's only ship at the time. Näder now wanted to use the "Anny" as a cargo sailing ship again. To do this, the ship's hull had to be examined very closely. An initial ultrasound examination of the ship's hull revealed that it was in very poor condition, as did the rigging, which urgently needed to be overhauled. The foremast was just scrap metal and everything under the teak deck was rusting away. A complete renovation would have cost at least between two to three million euros alone. Like all previous owners, Näder wanted to save the gem from decay. The interior and the saloon alone were magnificent - every sailor would be impressed about her. Converting her back to a freighter would have been a shame. But maybe the former cargo sailing ship could still become a passenger ship under sail? In view of the avalanche of costs, however, all those involved gave up. After all, we know from the German sailing training ship Gorch Fock how something like that can turn out...

The dream ship

But then rescue was at hand. "Anny" had already been lying in Hamburg-Finkenwerder for months when it was once again Finns who fell for the sailing beauty: the captains Jan Rautawaara and Juha Pokka, both reserve officers in the Finnish Navy. The purchase price has been kept secret: "First of all, all reserves are gone," is all they say. After the daunting history, now two crazy people? Jan laughs: "Not at all, because we have a clear economic concept." The two sailors, friends of mine, have known each other for 30 years and are also the owners of the 53-year-old coaster, motor vessel Jeanny, which is used for grain transport between Fehmarn, Rostock and Hamburg and is currently being overhauled at a shipyard in Harburg.

Neither of them are dreamers with unrealistic ideas, but businessmen. 

TECHNICAL DATA

Anny von Hamburg

Type.................Schooner

Rigging............Gaff rigging

Dimensions .....Length (LOA): 38.0m

.........................Width: 6.95 m 

.........................Draft (max.): 2.65m 

Propulsion........Drive Deutz engine by C. Lühring.

Power ..............280 hp (206 kW) 

Masts............... 3 (wooden) 

Sail area.......... 520 m2 

Shipyard.......... C. Lühring, Hammelwarden 

Built................ 1914

Owner..............Diedrich Hasseldieck, Nordenham

Names.............Anny (1914-1925), Hanna (1925-1936), Kurt Both (1936-1957, Swedish flag 1957-1963), Ringö (1963-1980, until 1979 as coaster under Finnish flag), laid up in Karlskrona, Anny von Hamburg (since 1980)

Sister ships.......7

Hull..................Steel

Use...................Passenger yacht

 

Page 26

Page 26:

Picture of crew at railing: EVERYONE HAS TO DO IT: Anchoring maneuvers in the archipelago

Picture of the bowsprit: EVERYTHING ON IT, EVERYTHING ON IT: View from the jib boom to the rear.

Picture of saloon: UNDER DECK: Cozy ambience in the maritime salon.

They bring decades of sea experience, craftsmanship and knowledge of old, small ships. "We do a lot of things ourselves," explains Jan, who usually stands on the bridge of a billionaire's yacht, but like his friend Juha, has also has managed all kinds of large and small ships, whether freighters, sailing ships or cruise ships.

"The two captains bring everything that is needed: decades of experience at sea, craftsmanship, knowledge of old, small ships - and, of course, a lot of passion"

In 1997, for example, Jan was captain on charter trips with guests along the North Sea coast and until 2022 captain on the 20,000 GT expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor, the last ship of the Stralsund Volkswerft. But he was drawn back to the German North Sea coast - also for emotional reasons. His "dream ship", which he had admired as a youngster in Finland, was constantly on his mind. 

Classic yachting 

The final phase of the rescue has begun since the purchase for the two ship lovers. Their motto: "Sailing is not just a destination, but also a journey." 

In February 2023, they had moved the sailing ship "with great potential" on its own keel to the museum harbor in Wischhafen, because it's cheaper than Hamburg." Some work was carried out there in order to set course for a shipyard in Mariehamn on the Aaland Islands with the Deutz diesel at the beginning of May. There, the ship's hull will be overhauled and the ship's class renewed. The home port will be Ekenäs/ Tammisaari in southern Finland, where woodwork expert Juha will also set the three 24-meter-high masts made of Finnish pine. From Helsinki and Mariehamn, day charter trips with up to 30 guests will initially be undertaken through the archipelago waters from 2024 - the first step into passenger travel. 

Their goal is to create "a Sea Cloud in miniature as an expedition sailor with a unique private yacht atmosphere and high-class service". However, Jan would also like to "have command of one big, old  lady for a day". 

Other sailing areas for the somewhat different sailing ship will be Norway, Svalbard, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, "emission-free, of course," says Jan. "We want our guests to experience the timeless glamour of classic yachting."