In its more than 60 year history, the MS Georg Büchner, ex-Charlesville, served in liner service between Belgium and the Belgian Congo and Angola, was a DDR training ship and for the last decade was a hotel and youth hostel in the German city of Rostock. As the Charlesville, she was one of the ships to answer the call to rescue the passengers on the burning passenger liner Laconia in 1963.
Despite protests that the ship should be saved, the Georg Büchner may soon be towed from its current berth in Rostock to a scrap yard in Lithuania. The remaining obstacle to scrapping may be the local Heritage Commission which must give its final approval. In the mean time, various proposals are being prepared to save the ship, including moving her to Belgium. Thanks to Mary Habstritt of the Lilac Preservation Project for passing along the news.