Georg Breusing

The Georg Breusing is a 26-metre rescue cruiser built in 1963 by Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder. It served at the Borkum lifeboat station from 1963 until 1988, saving 1,672 people under commanders Wilhelm Eilers and Karl-Friedrich Brückner. After its active years it became the first ship of its class to be preserved as a museum vessel.

The vessel was named after Georg Breusing, the Emden customs inspector who founded the first East Frisian rescue association in 1861. His great-granddaughter christened the ship in Bremen-Vegesack on his 98th birthday. A small daughter boat called Engelke up de Muer, named after a figure in Emden’s coat of arms, accompanied the cruiser throughout its service.

Today the Georg Breusing lies in Emden’s Ratsdelft, still fully operational and occasionally putting to sea for special events. Visitors can board the ship and inspect its rescue deck, engine room and radio cabin. The vessel’s working lights and lifeboats remain in place, showing how rescues were carried out. The nearby Emder Förderkreis organises guided tours and maintains the ship in original condition.