The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service ( - DGzRS, ; lit. German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked Persons) is a membership organisation in Germany. It is responsible for Search and Rescue in German territorial waters in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, including the Exclusive Economic Zone.

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 60 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".

A different organisation is the German Life Saving Association which primarily wants to prevent swimmers from drowning. It gives swimming lessons and provides lifesavers for the coast and inland waters. The DGzRS concentrates on maritime emergencies that usually involve shipwrecking or other maritime incidents.

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. The 20-m class uses a rigid-hulled inflatable boat instead.

All DGzRS vessels are self-righting, i.e. if they capsize, they right themselves again.

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, biggest SAR ship worldwide, biggest self-righting ship worldwide 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 Felix Sand Grömitz Nis Randers Darßer Ort 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 23.1-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 Bernhard Gruben Hooksiel Hans Hackmack Reliefboat Theo Fischer Reliefboat 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 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 HolsteinSAR-School Gerhard Elsner Schilksee Peter Habig Wilhelmshaven Wolfgang Paul Lorenz Puttgarden Romy Frank Horumersiel Erich Koschubs Travemünde Otto Diersch Norddeich 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 HolsteinSAR-School Eckernförde Eckernförde Elli Hoffmann-Röser Baltrum

Gallery

See also German Federal Coast Guard

References

External links

Official English language website Men in Red - Hermann Helms