Ethel von Brixham
Ethel von Brixham in Cuxhaven | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |
| Name | Ethel von Brixham |
| Namesake | Brixham |
| Builder | J. W. & A. Upham, Brixham, Devon, England |
| Launched | 1890 |
| Renamed |
|
| Home port | Kiel, Germany (1986–2024) |
| Identification | Callsign: DJTA |
| Status | Broken up after grounding and salvage failure in 2026 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type |
|
| Tons burthen | 49 gross tons |
| Length | 95.14 ft (29.00 m) overall |
| Beam | 16.40 ft (5.00 m) |
| Draft | 2.90 m (9.5 ft) |
| Depth | 6.56 ft (2.00 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Sail plan | two-masted schooner |
Ethel von Brixham was an 1890 Brixham trawler built in Brixham, Devon, England, and later rebuilt and operated in Germany as a traditional sailing vessel. After long service in British, Scandinavian, and German hands, she was sold in 2025 for planned restoration in the United Kingdom. During that return journey, she ran aground off Cuxhaven on 31 January 2026 and subsequently broke in two during salvage operations in February 2026.[1][2][3]
History
The vessel was built in 1890 at the shipyard of J. W. & A. Upham in Brixham, originally under the name Lily & Ethel.[1] She was constructed as a wooden sailing trawler of the Brixham type, one of the distinctive deep-sea fishing vessels associated with the port of Brixham in south Devon.[1]
For her first years she worked from Lowestoft in the North Sea fisheries.[1] In 1906 she was sold to Sweden and later operated in Norway, where she was used for fishing and, subsequently, as a cargo vessel under a series of names including Salvøy.[1] By 1927 she had been acquired by the Sævlandsvik Partrederi of Kopervik, Norway, and continued in Norwegian service for decades.[1]
By 1981 the vessel had arrived in Germany, where owners Eckhard Clemens and Annette Pipahl began converting her from a motor vessel into an oceangoing staysail schooner.[1] Registered in Kiel from 1986 to 2024, she was used in the Baltic for day trips, weekend voyages, and longer sail-training and charter cruises.[1] German tall-ship directories listed her as about 30 m (98 ft) overall, with a sail area of about 400 m2 (4,300 sq ft).[4][5]
In 2011 the rig was altered to resemble more closely that of an original Brixham trawler. The high mainsail was retained, while the fisherman and staysail between the masts were replaced by a gaff sail, and the jib was reduced in size and set as a boom jib.[1]
Ethel von Brixham also appeared in film productions. National Historic Ships UK records her appearance in the German-language adaptation of Günter Grass's The Rat and, later, in Guy Ritchie's 2024 film The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.[1][6]
After her German safety certificate expired in September 2024, her owners offered the ship for sale, stating that they could not afford the cost of modifications required under new safety regulations.[1][7] She was sold in 2025 and then sold again in November 2025 to a British owner who intended to bring her back to the United Kingdom for full restoration.[1]
On 31 January 2026, while on passage from Brunsbüttel to Den Helder, Ethel von Brixham ran aground on a breakwater near buoy 29 off Cuxhaven, about 1.4 nautical miles from the Kugelbake.[2] Rescue attempts were unsuccessful, and the crew had to be taken off the vessel after water ingress was reported.[2][8] In mid-February 2026 she was lifted by floating crane during a wreck-removal operation, but the wooden hull broke in two, ending any realistic prospect of restoration.[3][1]
Legacy
Ethel von Brixham was one of the small number of surviving historic Brixham trawlers known into the 21st century.[1] During her decades in Germany she became a familiar traditional vessel in Kiel and on the Baltic charter circuit, and her loss in 2026 was widely lamented in the maritime heritage community.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Ethel von Brixham". National Historic Ships UK. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "Traditional sailing ship "Ethel von Brixham" wrecks off Cuxhaven – crew rescued in dramatic action". Yacht. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "The "Ethel of Brixham" breaks up during salvage". Yacht. 16 February 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Ethel von Brixham". Historische Hafen Berlin. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Ethel von Brixham". Hanse Sail Rostock. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Segler "Ethel von Brixham" aus Kiel spielt in Film von Guy Ritchie mit". Kieler Nachrichten. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Update 2025: Last Chance to Save: 1890 Brixham Trawler Ethel von Brixham". Brixham Shipbuilding. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "19th-Century Schooner Runs Up on the Rocks Near Cuxhaven". The Maritime Executive. 2 February 2026. Retrieved 15 March 2026.