MY ''Albin Köbis'' was built in 1952 by Engelbrecht-Werft in Berlin-Köpenick on order by

Wilhelm Pieck Friedrich Wilhelm Reinhold Pieck (; 3 January 1876 – 7 September 1960) was a German communist politician who served as the chairman of the Socialist Unity Party from 1946 to 1950 and as president of the German Democratic Republic from 1949 to ...

and served as the

presidential yacht Presidential yacht may refer to a vessel of a country's navy that would be specially used by the country's president. It is common for a vessel to be designated as the presidential yacht during a fleet review. Some countries (below) have vessels p ...

of the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

(GDR) until 1971 when it was replaced by MY Ostseeland. It was named in honour of Albin Köbis, a German sailor and revolutionary during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. When Fidel Castro visited the GDR, MY ''Albin Köbis'' apparently struck a bridge during a cruise on the lakes of East-Berlin. After reunification the yacht briefly served with the

Wasserschutzpolizei The ''Wasserschutzpolizei'' (WSP - literally translated "Water Protection Police" in German) is the river police that patrols the waterways, lakes and harbours of Germany around the clock. The WSP are part of the ''Landespolizei'' (State Pol ...

renamed ''Freundschaft'' (Friendship). In 1995 the ship was sold for 180.000 D-Mark in an auction and renamed ''La Belle'' (for the

discotheque A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gene ...

bombed by Libyans in 1986). In 2009, the ship was acquired by a private person and restored after having sunk in the meantime.

References

;Sources *http://www.bz-berlin.de/archiv/staatsjacht-der-ddr-schippert-wieder-article1226195.html *http://www.tagesspiegel.de/berlin/piecks-staats-yacht-wird-hausboot/753146.html *http://www.oxly.de/?p=8833 1952 ships Royal and presidential yachts Ships built in Berlin Ships built in East Germany Ships of the Volksmarine {{ship-stub