Max Oertz

Designer of HETI

Dr. Ing. h.c. Max Oertz (1871 - 1929) is still regarded today as a luminary of yacht building. The fast and high-quality Oertz yachts dominated sailing regattas in the years before the First World War. In 1907 Oertz built its first twelve-metre racing yacht for a Dutch client, who celebrated sensational success with it. This prompted the industrial magnate Friedrich Krupp to commission Oertz with the design of a fast and at the same time representative schooner yacht. The GERMANIA was built in 1908 at the Krupp shipyard in Kiel. The GERMANIA was far superior to the yacht of Kaiser Wilhelm II, the METEOR III built in the USA. After the imperial schooner yacht had been clearly beaten by the GERMANIA in a sailing regatta, Majesty ordered a new METEOR - from Max Oertz. Because his shipyard at Reiherstieg in Hamburg-Neuhof was too small, it was built in Kiel.

With the design of the impressive METEOR IV and its successor METEOR V, Max Oertz gained an international reputation as a yacht designer. However, he was also responsible for a number of important inventions for shipping and aviation and is one of the founding fathers of Hamburg Airport in Fuhlsbüttel. Nothing has survived of the Oertz shipyard and the great racing beauties. The few Oertz yachts that still exist today are scattered all over the world. Similar to automotive rarities such as old Bugattis, they are regarded as classics in high demand.