Eisvogel-class icebreaker explained

The Eisvogel class icebreakers (Type 721) was a two ship class built for the German Navy by the Hitzler Werft shipyard of Lauenburg/Elbe.

The Eisvogel was in service for the Naval Base Command Kiel and sold to private owners after decommissioning. Since 2010 she is operated as a civil tugboat in Trieste.^[1]

The Eisbär was based along the German North Sea coast. After decommissioning she was laid up in Wilhelmshaven later sold to the Netherlands.

List of Ships

Pennant number	Name	Call sign	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate/Base
A 1401	Eisvogel		April 28, 1960	March 11, 1961	March 3, 2006	Sold to Italy
A 1402	Eisbär		June 9, 1969	November 1, 1961	October 30, 1997	Sold to the Netherlands

The ships are named after the European kingfisher (Eisvogel) and polar bear (Eisbär), both names contain the German word for ice.

See also

• Icebreaker Eisvogel—an unrelated vessel
• Eisvogel (1942 icebreaker)

External links

• Special Vessels - Hitzler Werft's webpage about special ships built by them, including the Eisvogel class

Further reading

• Gerhard Koop/Siegfried Breyer: Die Schiffe, Fahrzeuge und Flugzeuge der deutschen Marine von 1956 bis heute, Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn 1996, (German)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ship of the day: Eisvogel. 6 September 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110708063112/http://shipoftheday.blogspot.com/2010/09/eisvogel.html. 2011-07-08. live. The Eisvogel (IMO: 8736198, Port of Registry: Trieste) is a 1961 built icebreaker of 35 meters long, almost 10 meters wide. She was built for the German navy by Hitzler Werft, Germany and is propelled by two Maybach MD 655 engines delivering a total output of 1765 kW at 1400 rpm which gives the vessel a 20 tons bollard pull and a maximum speed of 14 knots. Nowadays the vessel is operated as a standard tug by Lucatelli Towing & Salvage, Trieste, Italy..