An ingenious shipbuilder
In 1877 the grandfather of Hermann Schaedla, president of the company until 22nd June 2009, was born in Svendborg on the Danish Isle of Fyn. His name was Henry Rasmussen and he had a dream of designing, drawing and building ships. Stemming from a boatbuilding family[ds_preview] he had gained a comprehensive expertise from his grandfather. With this experience he went to the Hansen Shipyard in Odense which at that time enjoyed a reputable name in shipbuilding, before he decided to study engineering in Copenhagen. Thereafter, in 1892, Rasmussen moved to the »Vulkan« yard in Bremen, the German city that was a significant place of shipbuilding at the time.
A number of large and famous ocean liners were constructed and built in Bremen. The young man still used to design a »six-sail-length« yacht in his after-work time, which was built at Lürssen shipyard in 1903. As yard manager of the Nordsee-Werke in Emden, his next working position, he continued to design yachts and dinghies when he started up his own company in 1907. Together with his friend and partner, the mechanical engineer Georg Abeking, he founded the »Yacht- und Bootswerft Abeking & Rasmussen« in Vegesack-Lemwerder on the south bank of the river Weser.
By the beginning of WW I the yard had already built almost 500 boats for wealthy customers. Apart from many sailing boats, including those of the international R class, A&R had built several cruisers and the famous 12-metre yacht »Skeaf«. In order to secure the future of the shipyard Henry Rasmussen built ships for the German Navy during the war. After the war, he resumed building boats of great elegance, speed and quality not only for German customers but also for Scandinavian and even overseas clients. After having sold fourteen 10-metre R yachts to New York Rasmussen ships gained a cult status with American yachtsmen that helped him to further expand the shipyard’s activities and to sustain the good name of the company within the sailing community.
After 1945 A&R was recognized as one of the best shipyards in terms of quality of its speciasl ships which were praised by sailing professionals and international celebrities. Famous boats and yachts were launched like dinghies for the Olympic classes or the »Germania« I to VI, which belonged to people such as Alfred Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach. A series of 99 yawls for the American market proved the A&R quality brand and many of those boats can still be seen today.
A successor by accident
Unfortunately, Henry Rasmussen died in 1959 from injuries he had suffered in a car crash. His then 24-year-old grandson Hermann Schaedla took over the company with it the sudden responsibility for 600 employees. Schaedla, the son of Rasmussen’s daughter Anna-Ragnhild, had been raised in California but had left the sunny state in the USA in order to join his grandfather’s shipyard in Germany for a new challenge. He intensively worked in the yard during daytime and studied shipbuilding at night. Initially he had only planned a three months trip to Europe which eventually led to a life in northern Germany, dedicated to shipbuilding and a very successful engagement at his shipyard until today. In June 2009 he handed over his position as CEO to his son, Hans Michael Schaedla, the great-grandson of the company’s original founder.
The last yacht designed by Henry Rasmussen was the »Sintra«. This 33-metre mega-yacht launched in 1959 is used today for top-level management training courses and is still admired owing to her elegant silhouette, the high standard of comfort and her outstanding sailing performance approved in many sailing regattas. As from 1958 the 12-metre R yachts took part in the prestigious America’s Cup and had become top sellers with an increased popularity over the years.
A&R means innovations
The philosophy of the company is »to discover new things, make others more attractive, better and more efficient«. Innovation has permanently accompanied the yard during its over 100 years in business with developments of new material or even beyond the limits of shipbuilding. A&R develops – in addition to the design and the construction of classic yachts – the product lines of commercial ships for authorities and navies.
In recent years a certain trend can be observed: the improvement of yachts’ behaviour in heavy seas. The interior design and the general comfort on a mega-yacht have already been highly developed by reducing the noise and the vibration for general comfort.
In its own laboratories the world’s largest wind turbine blade of 40-metre size has been developed and manufactured. In 1963 A&R introduced with the »Germania IV« the first fully welded aluminium boat. Although this method of shipbuilding was initailly received rather sceptically the shipyard proved this new mode when the 22-metre yawl won several regattas in Europe and in America. Another example of A&R’s efficiency was the 1973 commissioned »Kalamoun« for a customer in the Middle East. At the time she was the fastest yacht in the world with a top speed of 46 knots generated by her 2,775 hp propulsion plant.
»Elandess« is the name of the 60 m motor yacht that was delivered to her owner in mid-August 2009. The naval architecture comes from A&R, the exterior styling is by Donald Starkey Designs, while the interior was developed by Bannenberg & Rowell Design. The motor yacht features a king-size double cabin of 90 sqm for her owners on the main deck and four guest cabins on the lower deck, with the possibility of connecting two rooms to a suite. A spacious main salon, a homely sky lounge and plenty of outside deck space ensure the guests’ comfort. Up to 14 crew live forward of the lower deck, the captain sleeps right behind the large fully integrated bridge. Her Caterpillar diesel engines performing 1,400 kW each are responsible of her range of more than 4,000 nautical miles. The two tender boats are launched by the proven Abeking & Rasmussen stern launching system.
SWATH@A&R®
More than 16 vessels construced or ordered within the last ten years have gained the yard considerable expericence in the field of semi-submersible or »SWATH« boats.
In 1997, the shipyard took a new challenge by agreeing the contract for the first European SWATH (Small Waterplane Twin Hull). The second pilot station ship »Elbe« was launched in 2009 and will be commissioned by the German Pilot Association early in 2010. She is able to remain very stable even in rough seas due to her two torpedo-shaped displacement bodies. The ship has been chosen as »Ship of the year 2009« by HANSA because she is a unique and innovative development by the shipyard that built an extraordinary new type of vessel of this size.
A & R becomes a stock company
As of June 22, 2009, Abeking & Rasmussen has changed its corporate form from a limited partnership to a stock company with the following name: ABEKING & RASMUSSEN Schiffs- und Yachtwerft Aktiengesellschaft.
After almost 50 years, Hermann Schaedla assigned his son Hans Michael Schaedla as the new CEO while moving to the supervisory board himself. The new Executive Board consists of the former Managing Directors Hans Michael Schaedla (CEO) accompanied by the Managing Board Members Dr. Erich Bischoff and Dr. Klaas Spethmann. Members of the newly formed Supervisory Board are Hermann Schaedla (Chairman), Wilhelm Ammermann and Fritz Lütke-Uhlenbrock. By changing from a limited partnership into a stock company Abeking & Rasmussen now has a strong base for all future challenges and developments. Furthermore, the company widens its public focus and establishes a better transparency towards all stakeholders.
