Lightvessel No. XVII Gedser Rev (
Danish: Fyrskib XVII Gedser Rev) is a decommissioned
lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...
built in 1895, now serving as a
museum ship in
Helsingør,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, having formerly been stationed in the
Nyhavn Canal in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. It is owned by the
National Museum and takes its name after
Gedser Rev south of
Falster where it was stationed most of its working life.
History
Denmark's first
lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, t ...
was built at
Jacob Holm's shipyard at
Christianshavn in 1829.
Built at N.F. Hansen's shipyard in
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 20 ...
in 1895, the Gedser Rev was number seventeen in the line of Danish lightvessels. It was first stationed at Lappegrund in shallow waters at the entrance to the
Øresund. It was powered by two
steam engines which were replaced by a 16-
hp kerosene engine in 1918.
In 1921, a new three-cylinder Voelund 135-hp propulsion engine was installed and the ship was moved to a position at
Gedser Rev, south of
Falster, itself the southernmost point of Denmark.
In 1940, when Denmark was occupied by
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the German occupying forces confiscated the ship and placed it near
Kalundborg, but it returned to its old position in 1945 after the war had ended.
The ship was involved in a number of collisions during her years in operation. The most serious of these occurred in 1954 when she sank within a few minutes. The seaman on duty was thrown overboard and drowned while the rest of the crew were saved.
During the
Cold War and after the building of the
Berlin Wall in 1961, many East Germans chose to escape by water, heading North to Denmark. Although most failed and many died in the attempt, at least 50 were rescued by the Gedser Rev. As the southernmost limit of Danish territory and as an obviously recognisable target, many aimed for the lightship. One notable escapee was Manfred Burmeister in 1969, who escaped by aid of a petrol-driven submersible scooter.
[See Aqua scooter for a similar escape in 1967, by Bernd Boettger.]
Image:Fyrskib XVII, 1896.jpg, Lightvessel No. XVII at Lappegrund in 1896
Image:Fyrskib XVII Gedser Rev, c. 1948.jpg, Lightvessel No. XVII at Gedser Rev in c. 1948
Museum ship
Lightvessel No. XVII was decommissioned in 1972 and put up for sale at the lightship warehouse at
Holmen in Copenhagen. A donation from the A. P. Møller Foundation enabled the
National Museum to purchase it. The A. P. Møller Foundation also sponsored the ship's restoration which was carried out at Hvide Sande Shipyard from January 2001 until November 2003.
[
The lightvessel's regular home for several years has been the Nyhavn Canal in ]Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
where was open to the public Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm from June through August. It was maintained by a group of volunteers.
On 9 May 2018 it was towed from Nyhavn to dock 2 in Helsingør harbor, to be exhibited there for five years.
Coin
On 27 May 2009 Bank of Denmark issued a new 20 krone coin with lightvessel XVII, as depicted by the artist Karin Lorentzen, on its reverse.[
]
See also
* List of lighthouses and lightvessels in Denmark
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gedser Rev
Ships of the National Museum of Denmark
Museum ships in Copenhagen
Lightships
1895 establishments in Denmark
1972 disestablishments in Denmark
1895 ships