Stahlratte, Bremen, ex Johanna Maria SCH 419, Scheveningen. Keel was laid for sailing lugger Johanna Maria on February 3rd in 1903 at shipyard A.Vuijk & Zonen in Capelle at the Ijssel in the Netherlands. It was already registered in the ship register on 27.03.1903, with Simon van Leeuwen Bzn, Scheveningen as owner. It was build for fishing. Dimensions are 24.41 x 6.55 x 2.80 meters and the measurement amounts 99.2 BRT or 75.0 NRT. S.v.Leeuwens widow becomes the owner of the vessel and is registered at the ship register in February 1915, followed by her beneficiary B.v.Leeuwen, Scheveningen, in July 1926.
The lugger is discharged from the dutch ship register in Mai 1931 due to the sale to Didrik Vea and torres Didrikson from Kopervik, Norway. The new owners renamed it to VEA, home port is Kopervik at Karmoy island located between Stavanger and Haugesund. VEA got the fishing vessels identification no. R131A and continues to serve as a sailing fishing vessel.
In 1937 the first engine was built in, a 2-cylinder-De Forenede from Bergen, Norway. In 1956 it was substituted by a 3-cylinder engine of the same make, 210 horse powers. Another substitution of the engine happened in 1963. In that year a 1955 made, 280 horse powers 4-cylinder VOLUND engine was finally installed which is still in use today…
D.Vea and T. Didriksen sold the vessel in 1968 to Sigurd Sandoy P/R from Kristiansand, who renames it in Sandy Senior, home port Kristiansund, Norway. Its name is changed once more in 1978 by the new owner Herman Silden P/R from Kristiansund in Sildaskjaer. The home port is changed as well to Maloy, north of Bergen, Norway.
After 80 years of serving as a fishing vessel the non-profit „Verein zur Foerderung der Segelschiffahrt e.V.“ (Association for Advancement of Sailing Navigation) from Bremerhaven, Germany buys the lugger in 1984. Here starts the long story of the transformation to the 2-mast-schooner Stahlratte, home port Bremerhaven, Germany…
Between 1986 and the big reconstruction in 2000/2001 was a time of varied adventures in the Mediterranean, North Sea and Caribbean with several Atlantic crossings…
After the reconstruction in Hamburg and Bremerhaven there was an extended first trip to Cuba and in the Baltic Sea, the rebuilding of the upper deck and a few trips to Helgoland before we started our „World Circumnavigation“ in 2004 (which didn’t really work out…;).
Since 2005 we did tours in the Panama/Colombia area and around Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico…
In June 2021 Stahlratte was taken over by another group of people with a different concept…
After the new guys realized they are getting seasick, as of March 2022 they are looking for „a new owner who is taking care of her“. 🤪