Ernst Nicol

Ernst Willy Nicol (born December 12, 1923 in Flensburg ) is a German shipbuilding engineer .

life and work

Ernst Nicol began his professional career with an apprenticeship as shipbuilder at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft . After the Second World War , he worked as a project engineer and designer at the Kröger brothers' shipyard in Husum until his retirement in 1987 . He designed various types of ships such as container ships, shrimp cutters, tugs, oil rig suppliers, government ships and passenger ships. Ernst Nicol designed the ships of the Flensburg Fjord shipping company , which were known for their elegant lines. In 1982 he also designed the yacht Sanssouci Star for the Danish shipowner Erik Hays Thogersen , which was built at the Husum shipyard.

Unsinkable closed lifeboat

Ernst Nicol became known nationwide for his design of an unsinkable lifeboat. He got the idea for the construction from observing a floating tin can that did not sink in the Husum harbor. Ernst Nicol received permission from the shipyard management to advance the unsinkable lifeboat project on his own account, as the shipyard had no self-interest. He therefore founded the Nicol lifeboats company with his wife .

It was clear to the shipbuilding engineer who had left the sinking ship in the event of a distress at sea , was far from being saved in the open lifeboat, because the waves, wet, cold and exhaustion could be fatal. There were always emergencies at sea in which the people who had made it into the lifeboats stayed at sea. Ernst Nicol had already found the perfect solution in 1954 with his model of an unsinkable lifeboat . He applied for patents in ten countries and found shipyards to build the boat under license. The authorities rejected the new draft. Despite all the advantages of the Nicol design, the international standard remained the open lifeboat. The powerful shipowners' associations also rejected the more expensive Nicol lifeboat for reasons of cost.

Ernst Nicol fought a long battle with national and international authorities to get his invention recognized. In 1957, the first Nicol lifeboats were installed on German ships and allowed internationally from 1960. It was not until 1983 that the closed lifeboat was prescribed as an international standard.

The Nicol lifeboat was not financially worthwhile for its inventor. Because the fees for the patent rights were too high, he let them expire after 18 years.

Honors

In 2013, Federal President Joachim Gauck awarded the Schleswig-Holstein pioneer the Federal Cross of Merit for his services to safety at sea .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Flensburger Tageblatt: Ernst Nicol: Savior of the Seamen, November 7, 2015 , accessed on November 8, 2015
2. ↑ NDR: A life-saving invention from Husum, November 8, 2015 ( Memento of May 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on November 10, 2015