Alexandra (ship)

**Alexandra**
Ship data
flag	Germany German Empire;
Ship type	Saloon steamers
Shipyard	Janssen & Schmilinsky , Hamburg
Launch	May 1908
takeover	May 31, 1908
Ship dimensions and crew
length	36.96 m ( Lüa )
width	7.17 m
measurement	140 GRT
crew	13 people
Machine system
machine	Steam engine
Machine ; performance	420 hp (309 kW)
Top ; speed	12 kn (22 km / h)
Transport capacities
Permitted number of passengers	150

The Alexandra is a steamer launched in 1908 , which is considered the maritime landmark of the city of Flensburg and has been registered as a sailing historical ship in the Schleswig-Holstein monument book since 1990 . It is a saloon steamer and the last remaining delivery steamer. Today the Alexandra is located near the Museumshafen Flensburg and belongs to the historical port of Flensburg.

Story of Alexandra

1908 until retirement in 1975

The ship was built in Hamburg at the Janssen & Schmilinsky shipyard for the Vereinigte Flensburg-Ekensunder and Sonderburger Dampfschiffsgesellschaft ("Vereinigte" for short), and was launched in May 1908 after Princess Alexandra of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg was baptized and handed over to the shipping company on May 31, 1908. The ship was put into regular service on the Flensburg Fjord . During the First World War it served as an outpost boat from 1914 to 1918 . From 1919 to 1934 the ship did liner service again for the "Vereinigte", which was disbanded in 1934. The Alexandra was taken over by the newly founded Förde-Reederei GmbH . At the sailing competitions in the Kiel Fjord during the Olympic Games of 1936 , the ship was used as a regatta escort ship. Later, the Alexandra became a pilot transfer steamer in the Baltic Sea as well as a diving vehicle and torpedo fishing boat in the Bay of Danzig . In 1945 the Alexandra served in Gotenhafen as a feeder ship for the Wilhelm Gustloff , was involved in the evacuation of Königsberg and was used in other transports of wounded and refugees across the Baltic Sea . In the last days of the war, the ship loaded with refugees returned to Schleswig-Holstein. Between 1946 and 1975 the Alexandra was used again in regular service, especially between Flensburg and Glücksburg . At the sailing competitions of the Olympic Games in 1972 , the steamer was used again as an escort ship for the regattas. Due to unprofitability the decommissioning followed on August 31, 1975. The ship remained inaccessible in the port of Flensburg and was left to decay.

Since 1975

Between 1975 and 1979 the group "Save Alexandra " was formed. On July 1, 1979, the "Association for the Promotion of Steam-Driven Fördeschiffe e. V. ”, which later became“ Förderverein Salondampfer Alexandra e. V. “renamed. Between 1980 and 1982 the ship was repaired and took part in harbor festivals. In 1982 the Alexandra was recognized as a cultural monument by the Schleswig-Holstein State Office for Monument Preservation . On October 1, 1986, the steamer was given to the association by the shipping company in return for a complete repair. The cost of the renovation, estimated at 820,000 DM , was subsidized by the federal government, the state and the employment office with 700,000 DM, the remaining amount was to be raised by the development association. The renovation of the hull at the Peter Eberhardt shipyard in Arnis began in March 1987, and the ship returned to Flensburg on December 18, 1988. Since 1989, the Alexandra has been a regular ferry service on the Flensburg Fjord from May to September. On October 26, 1990, Alexandra was officially entered in the Schleswig-Holstein monument book. The steamer has been taking part in the Kiel Week regularly since 1991 . In 1992, under the patronage of the mayor of the city of Flensburg, the “Kuratorium Salondampfer Alexandra e. V. “founded as a fundraising association. Since 1993, Alexandra has hosted the largest regular steam meeting in Europe measured by horse power , the Flensburger Dampf Rundum .

Technical specifications

Gross tonnage : 140 (GT: 160)

Net register tonnes: 55 (NRZ 54)

Crew members: 7 nautical and technical, 6 in the restoration

Alexandra is on the bridge ready to sail
Museum ship Alexandra in the port of Flensburg
The Alexandra on her trip on the fjord, in front of the Red Castle , symbol of Mürwik (2015)
The sister ship Albatros from 1912 is now lying on the sandy beach in Damp