Bismarck (Schiff, 1914–1977)

Bismarck

The Bismarck on the Rhine near Kaub (1973)

Ship data flag  Germany Ship type Paddle steamer home port Dusseldorf Shipping company Cologne-Düsseldorf German Rhine Shipping Shipyard Sachsenberg brothers , Cologne-Deutz Build number 720 building-costs 386,000 RM Keel laying 1913 Commissioning May 20, 1914 Decommissioning 1974 Whereabouts scrapped

Ship dimensions and crew length 79.20 m ( Lüa ) width 8.25 m above wheel arches: 15.70 m Draft Max. 1.35 m

Machine system machine 2-cylinder compound machine Machine performance 720 hp (530 kW) propeller 2 side wheels ∅ 3.66 m

Transport capacities Load capacity 281 dw Permitted number of passengers 1600

The Bismarck was a side paddle steamer built in 1913/14 for the Dampfschiffahrts-Gesellschaft für die Nieder- und Mittelrhein ( DGMN ) , which was used by the Cologne-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt until 1974 in plan service. She was the first ship in the KD fleet that could be used again after the Second World War . Although the shipping company completely refurbished the ship in several stages from 1968 to 1971, it was decommissioned for economic reasons after the 1974 season due to the high fuel costs caused by the 1973 oil crisis . The Bismarck was scrapped in 1977 in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, the Netherlands .

history

Planning, construction and commissioning

The Bismarck in 1916

Since the profitability of freight transport was no longer satisfactory due to the increasing rail traffic, the Cologne-Düsseldorfer operating group decided after the construction of the Goethe to only commission ships for pure passenger transport. In 1913, the DGMN ordered the Bismarck saloon steamer from the Sachsenberg brothers' shipyard in Cologne-Deutz . After the launch took place in March 1914, test drives were carried out the following month with the ship manufactured under construction number 720. The maiden voyage on May 19, 1914 led from Königswinter via Andernach , Koblenz to Mainz . In addition to the board of directors, numerous guests of honor and the military band of the 21st Pioneer Battalion were on board. One day later, the shipping company used the Bismarck for the first time in the plan service from Mainz to Cologne. She was the second ship of the shipping company that was named after Bismarck . When the ship went into operation, the previous bearer of the name was renamed Freiherr von Stein . When it was commissioned, the Bismarck was 78.00 m long and 15.70 m wide. The coal-fired steamship was allowed to carry up to 2500 passengers.

After the First to the beginning of the Second World War

The Bismarck after modernization (1936)

After the First World War , the steamer was rented to the chief of light railways' shipping department on the instructions of the French allies . It was used on request by the Shipping Group West until August 1919, mostly for troop transports. As a result of the railroad strike, the Cologne-Düsseldorfer took over the mail and parcel transport between Xanten and Ludwigshafen in the area of ​​the Cologne Post Office . The Post set up a post office on the lower deck of the ships used. In the 1930s, the Bismarck was modernized in several stages, including new interior fittings from the Schöndorff company in Düsseldorf , and a permanent wheelhouse was also installed. In addition, the steamer received new wheel arches with a reduced number of windows and white wheel mirrors. Until September 1939, the joint venture used the Bismarck in the express service between Cologne and Mainz.

World War II and post-war years

The Bismarck as a hotel ship in Cologne in winter 1946/47

The Bismarck on the Loreley (1949)

After the renovation in 1960 at the Loreley

The Bismarck in 1973 at the Mainz pier

Rear view (1967)

At the beginning of the Second World War , it was shut down in Neuss harbor . There the ship was hit by a dud on the night of June 3rd to 4th, 1940 , which penetrated all decks and the hull. She was the first ship of the Köln-Düsseldorfer to be damaged by bombs. After the damage was repaired in the Cologne shipyard, Ewald Berninghaus , the ship was given a blue-gray camouflage . From May to October 1942, the shipping company used the ship in combined passenger and freight traffic. As of December 1943, the leased Cologne-Düsseldorf the Bismarck to the IG Farben , which they as accommodation for forced laborers in Oberwinter used. From August 1944, Union Rheinische Braunkohlen fuel AG took over the ship for the accommodation of forced laborers in Urfeld near Wesseling . Pressure differences caused by detonating aerial bombs damaged the superstructure of the ship on October 11, 1944 so badly that it was no longer operational. It was decommissioned on October 31, 1944 in the Düsseldorf harbor. To protect against further air raids, the ship was towed into a dead arm of the Rhine near Bad Honnef ("Honnefer Loch") in January 1945 . At the end of the Second World War, the ship was badly damaged, but buoyant.

Following an application to the British Allies, the shipping company received approval on September 30, 1945 to tow the Bismarck to Königswinter . There it was possible the ship with developed parts of the front of the opposite Oberwinter lower Goethe to make again ready to drive. At the beginning of December, the Bismarck was able to sail to the Düsseldorf harbor on its own for final repairs. On June 24, 1946, the Bismarck was used again in passenger traffic - it was the first ship of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer that could be used again after the Second World War. In the autumn, the shipping company set up 40 berths on the ship with materials that had been made available by the Cologne city council , so that the ship could be used as a hotel ship in Cologne in the winter months from 1946 to 1948. In the course of a general overhaul, the shipyard converted the ship back into a pure passenger ship in the spring of 1949. From April 14th, the Bismarck was used again in the express service between Cologne and Mainz. She received a permit for 2500 passengers.

From the 1950s to retirement

In cooperation with the boiler manufacturer Babcock & Wilcox which provided DGMN the firing of Bismarck in the spring of 1957 by charcoal on heavy fuel oil to the same time the passenger registration at 1750 has been reduced. In the winter of 1958/59, the Bismarck received a new forecastle 1.20 m longer with a modern bow at the Rheinwerft in Mainz-Mombach . The superstructures of the upper deck were moved to the rear so that the front area could be used as a sun deck. In addition, fixed glazed side panels were installed behind the wheel arches. At the next regular official inspection by the ship investigation commission in Cologne on April 3, 1963, the number of passengers was reduced to 1,600. On May 16, 1967, the DGMN and the Preußisch-Rheinische Dampfschiffahrtsgesellschaft merged to form the Cologne-Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG . Ownership of all ships of the two companies was transferred to the new company. The former DGMN ships remained registered with the home port of Düsseldorf.

In June 1968 the Bismarck had to be transferred to the Christof Ruthof shipyard for repairs due to a major leak in the right steam boiler . Since August 4 of that year occurred a similar defect, the steamer without repair in was Harbor Cologne-Niehl launched . Since a general overhaul of the machine and boiler systems initially seemed uneconomical to the shipping company, the Bismarck was to be finally decommissioned at the end of the 1968 season. Since the fleet strength of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer would not have been sufficient for a scheduled operation in the summer season 1969, the decision was revised. The Cologne shipyard, Ewald Berninghaus, was commissioned with the general renovation . In addition to the ailing steam boilers, the machine systems, paddle wheels and the rudder system were refurbished - in addition, the kitchen area and toilet facilities were modernized. After the work was completed, the ship could be used again from June 30, 1969. In the winter breaks of the following years, further modernization measures of the interior followed. Due to the oil crisis in autumn 1973 and the associated immense increase in fuel prices, the Cologne-Düsseldorfer decided to downsize their fleet. Due to the high operating costs , the shipping company decided to retire the Bismarck . After the 1974 summer season, the side wheel steamer was launched in Niehl harbor. After almost three years of berth, the Bismarck was transferred on August 18, 1977 in a side coupling from the push boat Braunkohle I to the Dutch ship recycling company Boss & Zoonen in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht and scrapped there.

technical description

Hull, decks and fittings

The Bismarck was a monohull ship with a pointed bow, slightly flared straight stems and a cruiser stern . The fuselage consisted of riveted steel plates on frames . Six lockable watertight transverse bulkheads were installed in the ship's hull to protect against uncontrollable water ingress in the event of leaks . Since the last renovation in 1959, the lower deck has been used for the crew and supply rooms. The staff could reach the main deck via three flights of stairs. There was a smoking salon for 74 people in the bow area, behind the entrance area, which was equipped with tables and chairs for 60 passengers. The space in the wheel arches was used for the kitchen, toilet facilities and the ship's office. In the aft ship there was a dining room for 149 guests, which was designed according to plans by the Immekeppeler interior designer Hermann Lindner. The front area of ​​the upper deck was used as a sun deck, behind it was a cafeteria for 104 passengers. In front of an open shaft in the middle of the ship, which allowed a view of the steam engine, was a kiosk, the side areas were designed as a veranda and offered space for 72 passengers. Another cafeteria with 152 seats was located on the aft section, which was secured with a railing.

Drive and control

The Bismarck was driven by an inclined two-cylinder composite steam engine with valve control from the Sachsenberg Roßlau brothers with an output of 720  hp via two 3.66 m high paddle wheels , each with eight paddles, controlled by push rods and eccentrics . The steam required was generated with two flame tube cylinder boilers , each with a heating surface of 124.5 m² . The vapor pressure was 9.0  kgf / cm³. Heavy oil has been used as fuel since the boiler system was converted . The ship was steered by a steam-powered steering gear with a single-surface rudder.

literature

• Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004 . Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, ISBN 3-00-016046-9 .
• AF Napp-Zinn: 100 years of Cologne-Düsseldorf Rhine steam shipping, in particular destruction and reconstruction 1939–1953 . M. DuMont Schauberg, Cologne 1953.
• Stephan Nuding: 175 years of Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG . Schardt Oldenburg 2001, ISBN 3-89841-035-8 .

Web links

Commons : Bismarck  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004 , self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 499 and 500.
2. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 500 and 501.
3. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 501.
4. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 502.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 503.
6. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 504.
7. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 499.