Ship profile for the sailing ship: "Grethe Witting"

Photos of the sailing ship:

Please click into a photo to see it in higher resolution.

Grethe Witting, Volker Gries, Hanse Sail Rostock 1997 , 08/1997

Source, location, date:
Volker Gries,
Hanse Sail Rostock 1997,
08/1997

Grethe Witting, Volker Gries, Hanse Sail Rostock 1997 , 08/1997

Source, location, date:
Volker Gries,
Hanse Sail Rostock 1997,
08/1997

Grethe Witting, Volker Gries, Hanse Sail Rostock 1997 , 08/1997

Source, location, date:
Volker Gries,
Hanse Sail Rostock 1997,
08/1997

Grethe Witting, Volker Gries, Hanse Sail Rostock 1997 , 08/1997

Source, location, date:
Volker Gries,
Hanse Sail Rostock 1997,
08/1997

Technical data of the sailing ship:

Name:Grethe Witting
Ex-names:Norford Suffling, Ifka, Thea Danielsen
Registered port:Groningen
Base port:Mangalia
Nation:NL
Type of rigging:KETSCH
Type of ship:Lowestoft Logger, (Stream Drifter)
Year built:1914
Yard:Colby Brothers, Lowestoft, UK
Overall length:38.00 m
Length (hull):30.00 m
Breadth:5.80 m
Draught:3.20 m
Sail area:437 m2
Ship's hull:Holz / Wood
Power:350 PS
Engine:Scania DS14LB01

Portrait of the sailing ship:

Last update: 26 Dec 2010

  • between 1874 and about 1920, about 1,000 timber sea-going vessels were built in Lowestoft/England, of which there are only a few ships still in existence today, these ships used to sail the seas as fishing ships
  • built in 1914 at the shipyard Colby Brothers in Oulton Broad as a steam drifter, first name was "Norford Suffling", until 1923 based in Yarmouth, then registered in Lowestoft until 1946
  • 1946 sold to Norway, but was technically lost on passage on 7th March salvaged and sold to Denmark
  • she was named the "Ifka" in 1947, homeported in Odense
  • 1948-69 owned by Jens Otto Jensen, Grenå/DK, new name "Grethe Witting", used as a freighter
  • perhaps in this time the rigging was modelled in accordance with the English wooden sailing smacks, she got a Dandy rig
  • 1969-71 owned by an Iranian but she remains in Denmark where she was sold again in 1971 to owners from Harderslev/DK
  • 1974 general overhaul at a shipyard in Hobro
  • 1980-88 owned by the Det Danske Sejlskibsrederi from Hobro and Humlebæk/DK
  • since 1989 used as a youth sailing ship
  • 1992 sold to the Dutch owner Wim Ruiter, who registered her in Copenhagen first, 1994-99 registered in Kampen/NL
  • galeas has maintained her originality despite the modern comforts and equipment on board; she is distinguished by her typically rustic and historical atmosphere on board, providing everything needed for enjoying an active and relaxing holiday; her comfortable rooms offer many social possibilities and even include a library
  • took part in the Hanse Sail in Rostock and the Baltic Sail Karlskrona-Rostock-Gdansk-Helsing”r race and sailed the Hiorten Regatta from Karlskrona to Rostock
  • she has been registered as a German veteran sailing ship with Rostock as home port since spring 2000
  • sold in autumn 2007 to Dutch owners who plan to transfer her to the Black Sea for sail training and passenger sailing, in winter 2008 brought to Groningen, NL; change of the engine in March 2008, sailed to Mangalia, ROM, sailing trips with guests along the Romanian and Bulgarian coast.
  • sunk in Oktober 2009 in Mangalia, ROM at the quay, after month under water she was raised again, heavyly damaged, short after this raising she sunk again in dead waters.

Literature for further reading:

We recommend the following references for your further research of the ship. The references marked with have been included in the generation of the ship profile on this page.

"Faszination Segelschiffe"
Ein interaktives Informationssystem auf CD-ROM 1998
(2. überarbeitete Auflage)
Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data Quelle with contact

Otmar Schäuffelen
"Die letzten grossen Segelschiffe"
Delius Klasing Verlag 2002 ISBN: 3-7688-0483-6
(10. aktualisierte und erweiterte Auflage)
Page: 98 Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data

Peter Rath
"Hanse Sail Rostock - Wo man sich begegnet"
Hanse Sail Verein Rostock e.V. 2005
(http://www.hansesail.com/)
Page: 97 Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data

Klaus Schrage
"Die Segelschiffe"
Pro Business 2004 ISBN: 3-937343-48-2
(Brigantine Phoenix, Gaffelketsch Grethe Witting u.a.)
Page: 72-127 Source with picture Source with history Source with technical data
(mit Detailzeichnungen)