Overview
- Two Dutch men were saved from a leaking former pilot boat on the Außenweser near the uninhabited island of Mellum after a Mayday reported rising water and a faulty pump.
- The Bremerhaven-based rescue cruiser Hermann Rudolf Meyer arrived in about 45 minutes, found roughly half a meter of water onboard, deployed its own pump, plugged the hull breach, and towed the boat to Bremerhaven under continuous dewatering.
- In a separate incident, an approximately 30‑meter, 1890-built schooner grounded on the Leitdamm near Cuxhaven around 12:15, and an initial refloat attempt was postponed until high tide.
- After nightfall the schooner began flooding, a pump failed, and responders noted possible keel deformation, leading the WSA vessel Neuwerk’s workboat to evacuate four crew and a dog with DGzRS standing by.
- All people reached safety, and the damaged traditionsschiff’s salvage or removal is now a matter for the owner and authorities; conditions included southeasterly winds up to Beaufort 5 with air near −3 °C and water about 1–2 °C.