S/V ''Noorderlicht'' (''Northern Light'' or ''

Aurora Borealis An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

'') is a two-masted schooner built in 1910 as a light sailing vessel for the German Navy. Since the 1990s, she has served as one of the expedition cruise vessels for Oceanwide Expeditions, sailing to some of the most remote locations in the Arctic, particularly the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard.

History

''Noorderlicht'' is a steel two-masted schooner built in 1910 in Flensburg, Germany, by

Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company trades as ''Flensburger'' and is commonly abbreviated ''FSG''. History ''Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft'' was founded in 1872 by a group of ...

for the

Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Kaise ...

. The ship was originally named Fs ''Kalkgrund II'', rigged as a three-masted schooner, and used as a light vessel (''Feuerschiff'') on the Kalkgrund station off the Flensburg Firth. It also functioned as a weather ship and pilot station. The middle mast was taken out to improve stability during World War II, when the vessel was in the service of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's '' Kriegsmarine'' and named ''Flensburg''. An anti-aircraft gun was also fitted to it. After the war, the vessel continued to serve as a light ship until it was retired in 1963. Between 1963 and 1992, the vessel had a number of owners. It was used as a workers' hostel for a time, and from 1967 to 1986, as a clubhouse for the sailing association ''Möltenorter Seglerkameradschaft'' at Heikendorf. Afterward, it was sold to the Netherlands. In 1991, the vessel was found in

Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; fy, Ljouwert, longname=yes /; Stadsfries dialects, Town Frisian: ''Liwwadden''; Leeuwarder dialect: ''Leewarden'') is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Fri ...

, Netherlands, by the current owners, Ted van Broeckhuysen and Gert Ritzema. They had the ship re-rigged, restored, and equipped with an auxiliary engine. After renaming it ''Noorderlicht'', the ship entered service as an expedition cruise vessel. Since 2011, it has been operated in Svalbard by Oceanwide Expeditions, based in

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river ...

, Netherlands. On 31 May 2016, ''Noorderlicht'' ran aground on the north coast of

Vlieland Vlieland (; fry, Flylân) is a municipality and island in the northern Netherlands. The municipality of Vlieland is the second most sparsely populated municipality in the Netherlands, after Schiermonnikoog. Vlieland is one of the West Frisia ...

. The 28 children on board were taken off by a KNRM rescue boat. On 18 September, she ran aground again at Trygghamna, Norway. She was re-floated with assistance from a tug deployed by the Norwegian tug .

Cruise vessel

''Noorderlicht''s schedule is based at Longyearbyen, Svalbard. It runs voyages in the archipelago, the

Lofoten Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolv� ...

islands, and to mainland locations within the polar regions. Ten cabins provide accommodation for up to 20 passengers, and two

rigid-hulled inflatable boat A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are i ...

s are carried to enable close-up viewing of wildlife and landscapes in otherwise inaccessible areas. Between 2002 and 2015, ''Noorderlicht'' was intentionally ice-locked at Tempelfjorden, Svalbard, during the winter months to provide base-camp accommodation for Arctic journeys.

References

Bibliography

External links

History of ''Noorderlicht''
at Noorderlicht.nu
S/V ''Noorderlicht''
at Oceanwide Expeditions
S/V ''Noorderlicht''
at Marinetraffic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Noorderlicht 1910 ships Noorderlicht Ships built in Flensburg Lightships Auxiliary ships of the Imperial German Navy Auxiliary ships of the Kriegsmarine Merchant ships of the Netherlands Sailing ships of the Netherlands Expedition cruising Maritime incidents in 2016