The Maritime museum had dedicated an exhibition to the "Feuerland" for years. Reports about the ship can be found there:
It was launched in Büsum in 1927: the expedition cutter of aviation pioneer Gunther Plüschow. The naval officer had become famous during the First World War as the "Aviator of Tsingtau". After retiring from military service, the popular aviator turned his attention to his place of longing, the sparsely mapped mountain world at the southern tip of South America. Plüschow and his colleague Ernst Dreblow flew over Tierra del Fuego and neighbouring Patagonia in a biplane. Thanks to this pioneering achievement, the impassable terrain could be mapped for the first time using the resulting aerial photographs.
From expedition ship to sheep transporter
The sailing cutter FEUERLAND, built especially for this expedition, served as a floating base of operations. While Plüschow and Dreblow were killed in an aeroplane crash in 1931, the cutter survived in the rough seas of South America. Changing owners adapted the robust cutter to their needs. The former expedition ship has had an eventful career as a sheep transporter and supply ship, even playing a decisive role in the Falklands War of 1982.
Return as a monument
Fifteen years ago, a group of interested parties succeeded in bringing the ship back to Germany. Soon after, it was recognised as a "movable cultural monument" by the Monuments Office. The cutter has now been moored at the Flensburg museum shipyard since May 2018. Here, the famous ship is to be refurbished for its future use as a traditional ship.
End of a dream
But that remained a dream. The "Feuerland" is now being scrapped.
