The icebreakers of Germany include one large

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

, used for International polar research and dozens of smaller icebreakers that clear navigation channels of ice in Germany's territorial waters. {, class="wikitable sortable" ! name , , IMO / ENI number , , launched , , notes , - , ''Polarstern'' , , IMO 8013132 , , 1982 , , a German research icebreaker of the

Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (German: ''Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung'') is located in Bremerhaven, Germany, and a member of the Helmholtz Association ...

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

. , - , ''Mellum'' , , IMO 8301981 , , 1983 , , Multi-purpose vessel with icebreaking capabilities , - , ''Neuwerk'' , , IMO 9143984 , , 1997 , , Multi-purpose vessel with icebreaking capabilities , - , ''Arkona'' , , , , 2004 , , Multi-purpose vessel with icebreaking capabilities , - , ''Görmitz'' , , IMO 9339363 , , 2004 , , in 2010 she assisted in the northern

Peenestrom The Peenestrom is a strait in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, which separates the mainland from the island of Usedom. It is long and is the westernmost connection between the Szczecin Lagoon and the Baltic Sea (together with the Świna and D ...

, in the fairway to

Hiddensee Hiddensee () is a Auto-free zone, car-free island in the Baltic Sea, located west of Germany's largest island, Rügen, on the Germany, German coast. The island has about 1,000 inhabitants. It was a holiday destination for East Germany, East Germ ...

and Ost- and Landtief , - , ''Schwedt'' , , ENI 05041960 , , 2010 , , Breaks ice on the

River Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

, - , ''Stettin'' , , , , 1933 , ,

Steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

, now a museum ship , - , '' Eisbrecher I'' , , , , 1871 , , One of the first European icebreakers , - , '' Eisbrecher II'' , , , , 1877 , , , - , ''

Eisbrecher III ; ) is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band founded by Alexander Wesselsky and Noel Pix after their departure from Megaherz, with the founders describing their music style as "modern, electronic trip-rock". The band consists primarily of Alexand ...

'' , , , , 1892 , , , - , ''Eisvogel'' , , , , 1960 , , a 500-ton naval icebreaker, since 2010 Italian tugboat , - , ''Eisbär'' , , , , 1961 , , a 500-ton naval icebreaker, scrapped in late 1990s , - , '' Kienitz'' , , ENI 05027290 , , 1958 , , Breaks ice on the

, - , ''Hanse'' , , , , 1965 , , Built in Finland, paid off in 1998 and lost after major fire , - , ''Stephan Jantzen'' , , , , 1967 , , ''Dobrynya Nikitich''-class icebreaker built in Russia for

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, replaced by the ''Arkona'' in 2004 , - , ''Max Waldeck'' , , , , 1967 , , subjected to an experimental conversion in 1983 , - , ''Hindenburg'' , , , , 1915 , , sunk by a mine 1918. , - , '' Kietz'' , , ENI 05041970 , , 2010 , , Breaks ice on the

, - , - , ''

Keiler ''Keiler'' is a river icebreaker commissioned in December 2011 to serve as the flagship of Lauenburg's Water and Shipping Authority fleet of ten icebreakers, on the Elbe River. The vessel is long and wide. She has a crew of four, and has sle ...

'' , , , , 2011 , , Operated by the

Wasser und Schifffahrtsamt A Wasserstraßen- und Schifffahrtsamt (''waterways and shipping authority''; abbreviated ''WSA'') is a German federal agency, responsible for the administration of federal navigable waters and for the regulation of vessel traffic. The seventeen ...

, - , ''

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

'' , , ENI 05039960 , , 2002 , , constructed by

Hitzler Werft Hitzler Werft is a shipyard in Lauenberg, Germany, just outside Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List ...

for icebreaking duties on the

Elbe River The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Germany and flo ...

Oder River The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through west ...

, and canals in the former

, operated by the

, - , '' Steinbock'' , , , , 1935 , , Operated by the

, - , '' Widder'' , , , , 1949 , , Operated by the

, - , '' Stier'' , , , , 1951 , , Operated by the

, - , ''Freiburg'' , , ENI 05042180 , , 2012 , , Operated by the

on the

Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...

; working vessel. {{cite news , url = http://www.badische-zeitung.de/breisach/das-neue-motorschiff-der-aussenstelle-breisach-des-wasser-und-schifffahrtsamtes-heisst-freiburg--60622935.html , title = Das neue Motorschiff der Außenstelle Breisach des Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamtes heißt "Freiburg" , trans-title=The motor ship of the new branch of Breisach called the Waterways and Shipping Office "Freiburg" , publisher =

Badische Zeitung The ''Badische Zeitung'' (''Baden Newspaper'') is a German newspaper based in Freiburg im Breisgau, covering the South Western part of Germany and the Black Forest region. It has a circulation of 145,825 and a readership of 409,000. The paper was ...

, date = 2012-06-14 , accessdate = 2012-06-17 , quote = Zum Aufgabengebiet des Bootes gehören die Uferunterhaltung, die Überwachung der Fahrrinnentiefe und das Auslegen, Einholen und Warten von Schifffahrtszeichen. Ausgerüstet mit Linienecholot und Seitensichtsonar, kann die MS "Freiburg" Hindernisse in der Fahrrinne aufspüren. Es verfügt über eine Schubbühne und ist auch als Eisbrecher einsetzbar, was an seinem Breisacher Standort wohl kaum notwendig werden dürfte. , url-status = dead , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120618081639/http://www.badische-zeitung.de/breisach/das-neue-motorschiff-der-aussenstelle-breisach-des-wasser-und-schifffahrtsamtes-heisst-freiburg--60622935.html , archivedate = 2012-06-18 , - , ''Eisvogel'' , , 1942 , Operated by the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

and later

Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...

. Decommissioned in 1972. , - , ''

Eisbär "Eisbär" (German for "polar bear"; ) is a 1980 song by the Swiss Neue Deutsche Welle band Grauzone. A cult hit, it first appeared on the 1980 compilation album ''Swiss Wave – The Album''. The shorter single version was later collected on the ...

'' , , 1942 , Operated by the

and later

. Decommissioned in 1979. , - , ''

Castor Castor most commonly refers to: *Castor (star), a star in the Gemini constellation *Castor, one of the Dioscuri/Gemini twins Castor and Pollux in Greco-Roman mythology Castor or CASTOR may also refer to: Science and technology *Castor (rocket s ...

'' , , 1941 , Operated by the

. Sunk in 1945 but later raised by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. , - , '' Pollux'' , , 1943 , Operated by the

. Sunk in 1945.

See also

References