S/V Noorderlicht

S/V Noorderlicht (Northern Light or Aurora Borealis) is a two-masted schooner, built in 1910 as a sailing light vessel for the German navy. Since the 1990s she has been operated as an expedition cruise vessel in the more remote locations in the Arctic region, particularly the Norwegian islands of Svalbard.

History
Noorderlicht is a steel two-masted schooner and was built in 1910 in Flensburg, Germany by Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft for the Imperial German Navy. The ship was originally named Fs Kalkgrund II, rigged as a three-masted schooner and used as a light vessel (Feuerschiff) on the Kalkgrund station, off the Flensburg Firth, as well as functioning as a weather ship and pilot station.

During World War II, by then in service of the Kriegsmarine and renamed Flensburg, the middle mast was taken out to improve stability. An anti-aircraft gun was also fitted. After the war the ship continued in service as a light ship until retired in 1963 on commissioning of a new lighthouse.

Between 1963 and 1992, the ship had a number of owners, being used as a workers' hostel and, from 1967 until 1986, as a clubhouse for the sailing association Möltenorter Seglerkameradschaft at Heikendorf, then sold to the Netherlands. In 1991 Flensburg was found in Leeuwarden, Netherlands by the current owners, Ted van Broeckhuysen and Gert Ritzema and they had the ship re-rigged, restored and equipped with an auxiliary engine. After renaming as Noorderlicht, the ship entered service as an adventure cruise vessel and since 2011 has been operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, Vlissingen and Basecamp Spitsbergen, Longyearbyen.

Cruise Vessel
Noorderlicht's schedule is based at Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen with voyages within the Svalbard archipelago, the Lofoten Islands and to mainland locations, all within polar regions. 10 cabins provide accommodation for up to 20 passengers, and two rigid-hulled inflatable boats are carried to enable the viewing of wildlife in otherwise inaccessible places.

In winter Noorderlicht is intentionally frozen-in at Tempelfjorden, Spitsbergen to provide base-camp accommodation for arctic journeys.