Hoheluft

The steel steam trawler Hoheluft was launched from the Rustringen yard of Deutsche Werke AG, Rustringen in 1921. She measured 125.3′ x 22.6′ x 9.2′ and her tonnage was 215 gross tons, 83 net tons.  She was built for Hamburghische Hochseefischeri AG Hamburg.

Christmas Day 1925 should have been a day of quiet celebration for the crew as they made their way home from a long trip to Scotland. They had spent the days prior to Christmas at Tarbet, Loch Fyne, buying herring from the local fishing boats for sale on the German market by her owners, the Hamburg Wholesale Fishery Company. Having filled her holds, Captain Geiss set off on the homeward journey, intending to pass down the west coast of Ireland before heading east along the English Channel to the port of Altona in Germany. As they passed the Mull of Kintyre the sea became rough and they battled on through the waves pounding against the port bow of the trawler. They did not know but they were gradually going badly off course and heading towards the rocks beneath the towering cliffs of the Mull of Oa on Islay.

Friedrich Geiger, a member of the crew, was in his bunk when, around 11pm there was a shuddering crash as the ship ran aground on rocks some thirty yards from the Islay shore. He rushed on deck to find his shipmates hanging to the rigging as waves lashed the ship. They did not try to launch the ship’s boat as, although they were only a short way from the shore, there were too many rocks between them and the shore for a boat to have any chance of making it. In a very short time the Hoheluft was completely overwhelmed and the crew lost, except for Friedrich Geiger who was fortuitously washed off the deck of the doomed vessel onto a nearby rock. He managed to cling on to it all night before making his way ashore to safety. The Hoheluft became a total wreck. She was heavily salvaged in subsequent years although a few small bits of wreckage still exist where she went aground. The remains of a large boiler on the beach in position 55 °34.885′ N, 006° 14.749′ W are almost certainly from the Hoheluft.