On February 23, 1967, an accident in the German Bight caused a worldwide sensation. In the "Xanthia" hurricane, the rescue cruiser "Adolph Bermpohl" loses its entire crew during a rescue attempt off Heligoland.
Seven meter high waves, wind, unpredictable sea, four degrees water temperature:The gusts of the hurricane "Xanthia" swept through the German Bight on February 23, 1967 at up to 140 kilometers per hour. A cutter is in distress - eight nautical miles north of Heligoland. Three Dutch fishermen on the "Burgemeester van Kampen" urgently need help because of water ingress. The ship threatens to sink, there is an immediate danger to life - the crew radios "Mayday". The sea rescue cruiser "Adolph Bermpohl" is sailing.
Rescue of fishermen initially goes according to plan
The captain of the "Adolph Bermpohl", Paul Johann Denker, lost his life during the operation, as did three other rescuers and three fishermen.At that time, Hinnerk Pick was the helmsman of the "Atlantis", the supply boat for the island of Helgoland, which then sailed between the offshore island and Cuxhaven. He is friends with the sea rescuers north of the "Bermpohl" - and on this stormy Thursday himself on the North Sea. As the storm intensified, he was able to save himself with a risky maneuver with the "Atlantis" in the south port of Heligoland.
From there he follows the rescue operation of his friends on the "Bermpohl" and actually has a good feeling:"That was the newest cruiser that the DGzRS had," Pick told NDR in 2017 Plan:When the "Bermpohl" reaches the fishermen, the rescuers can bring the three men onto the daughter boat. The helpers report the successful rescue of the fishermen and cancel the distress call.
The radio traffic breaks off
The tragedy happened shortly after. The crew probably wants to bring the hypothermic rescued to the rescue cruiser as quickly as possible in order to be able to take better care of them there. Then a house-high wave must have rolled over the "Bermpohl", possibly burying the daughter boat under it. Radio traffic breaks down. The four sea rescuers and three fishermen "stay at sea", as it is called in the maritime language. They are washed overboard and lose their lives in hurricane "Xanthia".
"Adolph Bermpohl" is floating without a crew
One day after the "Atlantis" accident, Hinnerk Pick went in search of his friends. On the way back to Cuxhaven, he finds the "Adolph Bermpol" - drifting south of Helgoland, with the engine running, but without a crew. "Driving next to the 'Bermpohl' and not knowing whether anyone was alive or not, that's the worst memory I have," said Pick five years ago.
"Here nature was mightier than man"
A freighter finds the daughter boat "Vegesack" floating keel up. This ship too:deserted. Five sailors are later found dead in the North Sea. The accident caused a worldwide sensation at the time. In the mid-1960s, the "Adolph Bermpohl" was considered the most seaworthy ship in the fleet, and the crew consisted of experienced seamen. A hearing later dealt with the question of how it could happen that the sailors who had actually been rescued died. The result:the sea rescuers and fishermen would not have had a chance. According to the maritime court, only one conclusion remains:"Here nature was mightier than man."
Accompanying circumstances remain unexplained
The circumstances surrounding the catastrophe in February 1967 have not been clarified to this day. Documented radio traffic states that the three fishermen were rescued and that the crew is on its way to Helgoland complete and alive. Only the fishing boat had to be left behind. The lighthouse keeper even claims to have observed how a ship in the north entrance to Helgoland in the waves, with the searchlight to port, was looking for the way to the island. Most likely it was the "Adolph Bermpohl". But she didn't arrive on Helgoland.