# Scharhörn

Scharhörn is an uninhabited island in the North Sea belonging to the city of Hamburg, Germany. The once most important daymark on the North Sea coast, the Scharhörnbake, was maintained here by the City of Hamburg from 1440 to 1979.

## Geography

Scharhörn lies by the mouth of the Elbe, approximately 15 km (9 mi) northwest of Cuxhaven and 6 km (4 mi) northwest of the nearby island of Neuwerk. It is a part of Zone 1 of the Hamburg Wadden Sea National Park. Aside from a nature reserve warden, the island has no permanent residents.
Together with the artificial island of Nigehörn the island lies on a large sandbank. Historically the whole area including the reef was called Scharhörn and the sandbank Scharhörnplate. After the human supported formation of the island in the 1920s and finally with the creation of Nigehörn on the same sandbank, the name Scharhörn was only used for the island. Though Scharhörn is generally flood-safe, the 6-metre-high (20 ft) banks of the island are not protected, so the island faces permanent loss of land on the western side as storm floods gradually shift the sandbank eastward.
The sandbank on which Scharhörn and Nigehörn lie is a European Union Natura 2000-designated bird sanctuary, tended to by the environmental group Verein Jordsand. The area, known as Scharhörnplate, is around 2.8 km (1.7 mi) long and 1.5 km (0.93 mi) wide with an area of approximately 500 hectares (1,200 acres). Public access to the island is forbidden, except on official tours or by prior arrangement with the warden.

## History

In 1937, the island became part of the Prussian Province of Hanover as a result of the Greater Hamburg Act. The island changed hands again in 1947, when it became part of the newly-drawn state of Lower Saxony, and again in 1969, when it was returned under a treaty to the control of Hamburg for the purpose of constructing a proposed deepwater port on Scharhörn and nearby Neuwerk. The plans foresaw the construction of a 6,000 ha (15,000-acre) mound of land built from dredged sand, which was to be safe from the storm floods of the North Sea and connected to the mainland via a causeway from Scharhörn to Neuwerk to Cuxhaven. The plan was never realised, plagued by protests, high costs, and low levels of public support, but nevertheless remains included in the land use plan of Hamburg.

## Shipwrecks

The Elbe has been one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world for many centuries, and the waters around Scharhörn were very dangerous until the late 20th century. This has made the reefs a ship graveyard for hundreds of ships, their crews, passengers or cargo. For the people of Neuwerk and the nearby coastal villages, this was an important source of income, sometimes even legally acquired for rescue and salvage operations. But picking up cargo and freight from the coast and from the tidal flats was also common until not long ago.
Shipwrecks near Scharhörn (see also near Neuwerk) :
| Date | Vessel and description |
| 1802 | Anna Catherina was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Gibraltar. |
| July 1806 | Vrow Rebecca was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. |
| 23 November 1815 | Lisbon was wrecked on the Scharhörn Sand. Her crew were rescued. |
| 27 September 1815 | Borsenhalle was driven ashore and later refloated. |
| 28 February 1817 | Drie Gesusters was driven ashore on Scharhörn and was abandoned by her crew. She was on a voyage from London, United Kingdom to Amsterdam, North Holland. She was later taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 14 August 1819 | The transport ship Tods was driven ashore and damaged on Scharhörn. |
| 1 December 1821 | Carthagena was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn with the loss of all hands. |
| 2 December 1821 | Catherine or Catharina was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn with the loss of all hands. |
| December 1821 | James & Ellen was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Jersey to Hamburg. James & Ellen was later refloated. |
| 29 April 1823 | Fremling was wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Cette, Hérault, France, to Hamburg. |
| 19 December 1823 | Twee Gebroders was driven ashore near Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hull, Yorkshire to Bremen. Twee Gebroders was refloated on 18 December and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 24 September 1824 | Ann was wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Rostock to Hamburg. |
| 29 March 1825 | Brunswick ran aground on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hull, Yorkshire, United Kingdom to Hamburg. Brunswick was refloated on 31 March and taken in to Hamburg. |
| 20 August 1826 | Hope was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from London to Hamburg. Hope was later refloated and taken in to Hamburg. |
| October 1829 | Romulus was wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from New York, United States to Hamburg. |
| 12 December 1829 | Lowe was driven ashore and abandoned on 28 December. |
| 24 August 1830 | Unternehmung was lost |
| November 1831 | Vrow Angelina was driven ashore before 22 November. She was refloated but was subsequently wrecked on the Whitt Sand with the loss of all but one of her crew. |
| 5 April 1833 | Palm was driven ashore and damaged. Her crew were rescued. Palm was refloated on 10 April and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| January 1834 | Wharf was driven ashore. She was on a voyage from Goole, Yorkshire to Hamburg. |
| 6 January 1837 | Fortuna was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany to Hamburg. |
| February 1837 | Water Witch was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Hamburg. Water Witch was refloated on 17 February and put in to Hamburg. |
| 20 September 1837 | Liverpool sank at Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Hamburg. She was later refloated and resumed her voyage. |
| 9 December 1837 | Anna Maria was wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Copenhagen to Altona. |
| 23 March 1838 | Peril was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was refloated but consequently beached in the Weser, where she became a wreck. Her crew were rescued. |
| 10 May 1838 | Johanna was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Genoa, Kingdom of Sardinia. |
| 23 January 1839 | The brig Patience was abandoned 13 January 1839 off the Willibank, in the North Sea. Her crew were rescued by Bramham ( United Kingdom). Patience was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Sunderland, County Durham. She was driven ashore on Scharhörn on 23 January, where she was wrecked. |
| 7 March 1841 | Nicholas was wrecked on Scharhörn with the loss of a crew member. Survivors were rescued by the steamship Neptune (flag unknown). Nicholas was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland to Hamburg. |
| 19 December 1841 | Caroline was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Málaga, Spain to Hamburg. |
| 4 June 1842 | Trio was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Gothenburg to Hamburg. |
| 2 October 1843 | Amalie was wrecked of Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire to Stettin. |
| 26 February 1844 | George was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from La Guaira, Venezuela to Hamburg. She was refloated on 1 March and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 7 December 1844 | Gerda was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Bordeaux, Gironde, France to Hamburg. She was later refloated. |
| 19 December 1844 | The schooner Clarita or Charita was driven ashore and capsized on Scharhörn. Her eleven crew survived. She was on a voyage from Málaga to Hamburg. |
| 3 March 1845 | Adolphe was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Valparaíso, Chile to Hamburg. She was refloated on 20 March and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 29 August 1845 | Christine Mathilde was wrecked off Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom. |
| 12 October 1846 | The schooner George was driven ashore on Scharhörn and was abandoned by her crew. She was on a voyage from Grangemouth, Stirlingshire to Rotterdam, South Holland, Netherlands. She was refloated and taken in to Glückstadt, Duchy of Schleswig. |
| 30 March 1847 | The brig Emma was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies to Hamburg. She was refloated the next day and taken in to Cuxhaven in a leaky condition. |
| 29 June 1847 | The schooner Agnes was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Genoa, Kingdom of Sardinia to Hamburg. |
| 23 October 1847 | The brig Staindrop was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 22 December 1847 | Varel was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom to Hamburg. She was refloated on 25 December and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 9 August 1848 | Zion ran aground on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Hartlepool, County Durham. She was refloated and taken in to Hamburg in a leaky condition. |
| 19 October 1848 | Reindeer was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 12 November 1848 | The ewer Maria was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hull, Yorkshire, United Kingdom to Copenhagen, Denmark. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 13 December 1848 | Anna Meta was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, County Durham, United Kingdom to Hamburg. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 8 January 1849 | The schooner Zwey Gebruder was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. |
| 15 August 1849 | The brig Friendship ran aground off Scharhörn and sank. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Hamburg. |
| 8 November 1849 | The schooner Rival was driven ashore on Scharhörn and was abandoned by her crew, who were subsequently rescued by Countess of Lonsdale ( United Kingdom). |
| 9 November 1849 | Louise was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 6 December 1849 | Clausine was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. |
| 9 March 1850 | The brig Vertumno was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Messina, Sicily to Hamburg. She was refloated with assistance from the steamship Elbe ( Hamburg) and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 21 March 1850 | Liberty ran aground off Scharhörn and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Seaham, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 21 March 1850 | Romulus ran aground off Scharhörn and was wrecked. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 8 November 1850 | Camilla ran aground off Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued by a Dutch koff. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 27 October 1851 | The schooner Stella ran aground and capsized on Scharhörn and was abandoned. Her crew were rescued by the steamship North Star ( United Kingdom). Stella floated off and was subsequently wrecked on Neuwark. She was on a voyage from Hammerfest to Cuxhaven. |
| 5 November 1851 | The schooner Sally was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Liverpool, Lancashire to Husum, Duchy of Holstein. |
| 20 November 1851 | Twendre Brodre ran aground off Scharhörn. She was refloated and put in to Cuxhaven in a leaky condition. |
| February 1852 | Charles Kerr was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from South Shields, County Durham to the East Indies. She was refloated on 8 February and assisted in to Cuxhaven in a sinking condition. |
| 2 May 1852 | Emanuel was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Drontheim, Norway to Altona. |
| 2 March 1853 | Christine Marie was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, United Kingdom to Hamburg. She was refloated on 4 March and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 20 September 1853 | Ada was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Newport, Monmouthshire to Harburg. |
| 8 November 1853 | Lawson ran aground off Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Leith, Lothian to Hamburg. She was refloated the next day and taken in to the Elbe. |
| 7 April 1854 | Friendship was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from an English port to Hamburg. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 1 January 1855 | George Canning was wrecked on Scharhörn/Großer Vogelsand with the loss of all 164 people on board - her crew and 135 passengers. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to New York. |
| 25 April 1855 | The brig Aberdeenshire ran aground off Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, County Durham to Hamburg. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 8 November 1856 | Spring was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Middlesbrough, Yorkshire to Altona. |
| 12 March 1857 | The collier Atlas ran aground on Scharhörn. Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 27 November 1857 | Carl was wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from London, United Kingdom to Königsberg. |
| 14 January 1858 | The barque Henrietta Brewis ran aground on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Madras, India to Bremen. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven in a leaky condition. |
| 10 November 1858 | The brig Henry Bell was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was a total loss. |
| 21 March 1859 | Anacreon was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. |
| 18 April 1859 | Tjaretz Misr was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Caldera to Hamburg. |
| 19 April 1859 | The brig Midsummer was driven ashore on Scharhörn. Her crew survived. she was on a voyage from Cuxhaven to Sunderland, County Durham. |
| 4 January 1860 | The koff Thecla was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom to Hamburg. |
| 26 April 1861 | The schooner Mary was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Portmadoc, Caernarfonshire to Hamburg. |
| 12 April 1862 | The barque Integrity ran aground on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Hamburg. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven in a sinking condition. |
| 20 April 1862 | The koff Armegina was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from London, United Kingdom to Glückstadt, Duchy of Schleswig. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven in a sinking condition. |
| 5 April 1863 | Virago was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Hartlepool, County Durham to Hamburg. She was refloated and later towed in to Hamburg in a leaky condition. |
| 26 April 1863 | An unnamed brig was driven ashore on Scharhörn. |
| 5 October 1863 | The barque Neptune was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 3 April 1865 | The brig Conrad was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Middlesbrough, Yorkshire to Hamburg. She was refloated. |
| 11 July 1868 | The brig Hylton Maid ran aground on Scharhörn and was wrecked. Her crew survived. She was on a voyage from Seaham, County Durham to Hamburg. The wreck was refloated on 18 July and towed in to Cuxhaven. |
| 29 July 1869 | The schooner Nicholaus was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from an English port to Cuxhaven. She was refloated with assistance from the steamship Hercules and towed in to Cuxhaven. |
| 25 July 1870 | The barque Ben Muick Dhui ran aground and sank on Scharhörn. Her crew survived. |
| 5 October 1870 | Progress was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States to Hamburg. |
| 15 October 1870 | The barque Regina was driven ashore on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from New York to Hamburg. |
| 1 November 1870 | The steamship Lanoma ran aground and was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Hamburg. |
| 6 December 1870 | The full-rigged ship Eastern Belle was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was refloated and towed in to Cuxhaven. |
| 27 December 1870 | Paul and Marie was wrecked on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Sunderland, County Durham to Stettin. |
| December 1870 | John Gustav Cordis was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Newcastle upon Tyne to Hamburg. |
| 30 January 1871 | The steamship Commodore was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Grimsby, Lincolnshire to Glückstadt, Germany. |
| April 1871 | Albert was driven ashore on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage form Cuxhaven to Lagos, Africa. She was refloated. |
| 25 September 1871 | The schooner Catharinawas wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic to Hamburg. She was later refloated and taken in to Hamburg. |
| 8 December 1871 | The barque Esmeralda was driven ashore on Scharhörn, Germany by ice. She was refloated and taken in to Cuxhaven. |
| 15 April 1873 | The barque Isabelita was driven ashore on Scharhörn. |
| October 1877 | The brig Saldanho was driven ashore on Scharhörn and capsized. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Hamburg to Laga. |
| 24 September 1878 | The brigantine Mercur ran aground off Scharhörn. She was on a voyyage from Hamburg, Germany to Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands. She was refloated. |
| 16 May 1879 | The barque Scythia ran aground on Scharhörn. She was refloated with assistance and taken in to Cuxhaven, Germany. |
| October 1882 | Robert was driven ashore and wrecked on Scharhörn. She was on a voyage from Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire to Harburg, Prussia. |
| 1 September 1883 | The steamship Europa was wrecked on the Wittsand, in the North Sea off Scharhörn. |
| April 1888 | The steamship Thetford was driven ashore on Scharhörn, Germany. She was later refloated and resumed her voyage. |
| December 1888 | The barque Giorgio Washington was driven ashore on Scharhörn. Her crew were rescued. She was on a voyage from Buenos Aires to Hamburg. |
| 21 April 1903 | The steamer Freia was wrecked near Scharhörn on her passage from Kristiana to Harlingen, Friesland, Netherlands. |
| 9 November 1915 | The S90-class torpedo boat SMS S129 ran aground and sank in the North Sea near the island of Scharhörn with no casualties. |
| 21 October 1931 | Peder Most ran aground and was refloated on 24 October. |
| 29 March 1939 | The cargo ship Adele Ohlrogge ran aground at Scharhörn in the Wadden Sea. Refloated the next day. |
| 29 December 1940 | The cargo ship PLM-23 (5,417 or 5,642 GRT, 1921) ran aground and was wrecked. |
| 8 June 1942 | Sperrbrecher 15 Taronga (7,003 or 7,064 GRT, 1934) was severely damaged off Scharhörn by Allied aircraft. She put into Hamburg where she was declared a constructive total loss and decommissioned. |
| 4 January 1954 | Traunstein ran aground. Traunstein was refloated on the same day but Leros was almost lost in many damaging attempts to save the coast from a huge oil spill. She was pulled off the reef and towed into Cuxhaven on early morning of Saturday 10 January. |
| 4 January 1954 | The tanker Leros ran aground. She was pulled off the reef and towed into Cuxhaven on early morning 10 January, after many failed attempts and heavy damage. |
| 17 January 1955 | The tanker Gerd Mærsk ran aground on Scharhörn, in the mouth of the Elbe, West Germany Gerd Mærsk, loaded with crude oil, leaked on the Scharhörn reef during a heavy snowstorm at hurricane force, while on a voyage to Hamburg. During the rescue operation, it was decided to pump part of the cargo overboard to keep the ship from breaking apart, releasing about 7000-8000 tons of crude oil. In the meantime, the oil slick covered an area of 1600 square kilometers and reached the islands of Amrum, Föhr, Sylt, Rømø and Fanø despite considerable attempts to combat it. As far away as Esbjerg, the spills drew widespread bird deaths. |
| 25 November 1962 | The Alstertor (2460 GRT) ran aground and could later be pulled off the reef. |
| 8 December 1967 | The freighter Emmanuel M (5400 GRT) ran aground off Scharhörn on and was looted by islanders from Neuwerk. She was salvaged in July 1970 and towed to Cuxhaven. |
| January 1969 | The freighter Njandoma broke apart on Scharhörn with toxic chemicals on board while on voyage to England. The barrels could be salvaged from the halves of the ship. |
| 28 October 1974 | The turnaround of the freighter Great Luck (4300 GRT) failed after the auxiliary diesel failed in a storm. The ship was moored at Scharhörn until its salvage on 17 November. |