The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research is located in Bremerhaven, Germany, and a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres. It conducts research in the Arctic, the Antarctic, and the high and mid latitude oceans. Additional research topics are: North Sea research, marine biological monitoring, and technical marine developments. The institute was founded in 1980 and is named after meteorologist, climatologist, and geologist Alfred Wegener.
Alexander von Humboldt is a German sailing ship originally built in 1906 by the German shipyard AG Weser at Bremen as the lightship Reserve Sonderburg. She was operated throughout the North and Baltic Seas until being retired in 1986. Subsequently, she was converted into a three masted barque by the German shipyard Motorwerke Bremerhaven and was re-launched in 1988 as Alexander von Humboldt. In 2011 the ship was taken off sail-training and sent to the Caribbean for the charter business, then she was converted to a botel.
Bremer Vulkan AG was a prominent German shipbuilding company located at the Weser river in Bremen-Vegesack. It was founded in 1893 and closed in 1997 because of financial problems and mismanagement.
Seebeckwerft A.G. was a German shipbuilding company, located in Bremerhaven at the mouth of the river Weser. Founded in 1876, it became later one of the leading shipbuilding companies in the region.
RV Atlantis was a ketch rigged research vessel for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from 1931 to 1966. The Government of Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council acquired her in 1966 and renamed her El Austral, transferring her to the Argentine Naval Prefecture in 1996 as the training and survey ship PNA Dr. Bernardo Houssay (MOV-1). In 2005 it was decided that a replacement vessel, with modern capablities and equipment was required and a new ship was built in Argentina, with a hull and rig along similar lines, and incorporating some small parts of the original. She was completed in 2009 and putt into full service in 2011, again as Dr. Bernardo Houssay.
USNS Eltanin (T-AK-270/T-AGOR-8) was an Eltanin-class cargo ship with an ice-breaking hull acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1957 and then operated by the Navy in a non-commissioned status, named after Eltanin, a star in the constellation Draco. Her designation was changed to that of an oceanographic research ship in 1962 when she operated in Antarctic waters.
Mironave was a 1,125 GRT cargo ship that was built as a passenger ship in 1938 by Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG, Wesermünde, Germany for German owners. In 1940, she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine. Seized by the Allies in 1945, she was passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Concave. In 1946, she was passed to the Norwegian Government and renamed Galtnes. She was sold into merchant service in 1947 and renamed Ila. In 1952, she was sold to Brazil and was renamed São Leopoldo. In 1965, a further sale saw her renamed Mironave. She was still in active service in 1982, when a further sale took place.
Azov was a 1,953 GRT cargo ship that was built in 1944 by Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, Germany as Deike Rickmers for Rickmers Line. In 1945, she was seized by the Allies and passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT), renamed Empire Concord. In 1946, she was passed to the Soviet Union and renamed Azov. She served until 1973 when she was scrapped.
Nordmark was a 987 GRT Coaster that was built as Faust in 1920 by Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG, Bremen, Germany for German owners. She was renamed Nordmark after a sale in 1930 and was again renamed Angeln in 1936. She was sold in 1944 and renamed Ermland. She was seized by the Allies at Lübeck in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Congerstone. In 1947, she was sold into merchant service and renamed Oakley. In 1953, she was sold to Costa Rica and renamed Lucy. She served until 1960 when she was scrapped.
Ambria was a cargo ship that was built in 1922 by Deutsche Werft, Finkenwerder for German owners. She was sold in 1934 and renamed Gumbinnen. She was sunk by a British destroyer in 1941, raised and repaired. Gumbinnen was seized by the Allies in Flensburg, in May 1945, passed to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) and renamed Empire Conleith. In 1946, she was allocated to the Norwegian Government and renamed Dragnes. She was sold into Norwegian merchant service and renamed Mimona. In 1959, she was sold and renamed Malay. She served until 1961 when she was scrapped.
ARA Puerto Deseado (Q-20) is an oceanographic survey ship in service in the Argentine Navy. She has a reinforced hull in order to operate in waters around Antarctica.
ARA Suboficial Castillo (A-6) was an Abnaki-class tug/patrol boat of the Argentine Navy. She previously served in the United States Navy as USS Takelma (ATF-113) from 1944 to 1992. The ship was acquired by Argentina in 1993 and was in service until the 2020s. In 2022, the ship was put up for sale. Suboficial Castillo was used as support ship for both the Argentine Submarine Force and during the summer campaigns in Antarctica in the Patrulla Antártica Naval Combinada with the Chilean Navy to guarantee safety to all touristic and scientific ships that are in transit within the Antarctic Peninsula.
The RV Meteor is a multidisciplinary research vessel operating mainly on the high sea. She is owned by the German state represented by its Federal Ministry of Education and Research and registered in Hamburg.
The RV Sonne is a German deep ocean research vessel. The ship became available for science in December 2014 and it operates mainly in the Pacific and the Indian Oceans. She is registered in Wilhelmshaven and replaced its predecessor of the same name.
Hermann was a Kriegsmarine weather ship that was built in 1929 as the fishing trawler J. F. Schröder. She was renamed Sachsen in 1933 and requisitioned in 1940, serving as WBS 1 Sachsen. She was renamed Hermann in 1942, serving until scuttled off the coast of Greenland in June 1943.
Senator Schröder was a German trawler used as a Vorpostenboot during the First and Second World War. Launched in 1908 as a fishing trawler, she became a research vessel in the inter-war period.
RC Rickmers was a German five-masted steel clipper barque with auxiliary engine built in 1906 by the firm Rickmers Rice Mill, Freight and Shipbuilding Company of Bremerhaven, Germany for the company's Rickmers Line. She was the largest sailing ship in the world from 1907 to 1911 and the second German five-masted barque.
Claus Bolten was a German fishing trawler which was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War for use as a vorpostenboot, serving as V 213 Claus Bolten. She was sunk in a battle in the English Channel in July 1944.
Oskar Neynaber was a German fishing trawler that was requisitioned in the Second World War by the Kriegsmarine for use as a vorpostenboot, serving as V 308 Oskar Neynaber. She was torpedoed and sunk by Soviet Navy motor torpedo boats on 23 September 1941.
Wega was a German fishing trawler that was built in 1931 as Walter Schües. She was sold and renamed Wega in 193. She was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War initially service as Schiff 7 and later as a Vorpostenboot, serving as V 317 Wega. Returned to her owners post-war, she was scrapped in 1955.
Germany 
Bremen, Germany 
Argentina 
