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 sma ...

, 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 o ...

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the R ...

. , - , ''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 river in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is 20 kilometres long and is the westernmost connection of the Szczecin Lagoon (together with the Świna and the Dziwna) with the Baltic Sea. It is therefore also one of the ...

, in the fairway to

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

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

River Oder The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows t ...

, - , ''Stettin'' , , , , 1933 , , Steamship, now a museum ship , - , '' Eisbrecher I'' , , , , 1871 , , One of the first European icebreakers , - , ''

Eisbrecher II Eisbrecher (; German for "icebreaker") are a German Neue Deutsche Härte band that consists primarily of Alexander Wesselsky (vocals) and Noel Pix (lead guitar/ programming), with live support from Jürgen Plangger (guitar), Rupert Keplinger ( ...

'' , , , , 1877 , , , - , '' Eisbrecher III'' , , , , 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 , , Project 97P icebreaker built in Russia for

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, 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 The ''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 ...

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

Wasser und Schifffahrtsamt A Wasser- und Schifffahrtsamt (WSA - ''Waterways and Shipping Office'') is a federal German agency, responsible for the administration of federal navigable waters and for the regulation of vessel traffic. The thirty-nine offices are supervised by ...

, - , ''

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...

'' , , ENI 05039960 , , 2002 , , constructed by Hitzler Werft for icebreaking duties on the

Elbe River The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) 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 Repub ...

Oder River The Oder ( , ; Czech, Lower Sorbian and ; ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river in total length and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flow ...

, 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 ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

; 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 The Black Forest (german: Schwarzwald ) is a large forested mountain range in ...

, 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 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 branches, along with th ...

and later Soviet Navy. Decommissioned in 1972. , - , ''

Eisbär "Eisbär" (; ) is a 1980 cult hit composed by the Swiss Neue Deutsche Welle band Grauzone. It first appeared on the 1980 compilation album ''Swiss Wave - The Album''. The shorter single version was later collected on the Grauzone album ''Die Sun ...

'' , , 1942 , Operated by the

and later Soviet Navy. Decommissioned in 1979. , - , '' Castor'' , , 1941 , Operated by the

. Sunk in 1945 but later raised by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

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

. Sunk in 1945.

See also

References