Photo: Bodo Marks/dpa via AP
A newly renovated ship originally built in 1883 crashed just days after setting sail again.
The Elbe No. 5 collided with another vessel on the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday, a fire departmentofficial toldCNN. The 121-foot wooden ship ran into the Astrosprinter, a 466-foot cargo ship, according to the outlet.
“If we hadn’t been in the vicinity, there could have been fatalities,” fire services official Wilfried Sprekels said to a local newspaper, according toThe Guardian.
The Elbe No. 5 was initially used to guide larger vessels into port, and was sold in the 1920s to the American Warwick Tompkins, who used the ship as a house boat.
Elbe No. 5.
The ship was sold to the Hamburg Maritime Foundation in 2002 and was brought back to Hamburg from Seattle, according to the Foundation’swebsite.
Elbe No. 5.Bodo Marks/picture alliance via Getty
The renovation project was announced in September of last year, and the Foundation tweeted that the Elbe No. 5 was “finally back in home port” on May 29.
The ship was being used for tourism, and could accommodate 35 guests for day trips and 12 guests for multi-day trips, according to the Foundation’s website. The Foundation did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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A member of the renovation team, Wolfgang Bentz, told a local radio station that the vessel could still set sail yet again,The Guardianreported.
“It’s made of wood and had some damage before,” he said. “Let’s see what further damage is added in the rescue effort.”
source: people.com
