Helena Sloman
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The Helena Sloman was the first German steamship to go on an overseas voyage. In 1850 it ran regularly between Hamburg and New York .
history
Against the background of a poor economic situation, the largest wave of emigration of the 19th century occurred between 1845 and 1855 . The main destination of the emigrants was the United States of America . Since only the sea route was open, handling was initially mainly in Bremen , later also in Hamburg . The mass emigration resulted in high sales, especially for shipping companies such as the Robert M. Sloman shipping company and Hapag . However, the circumstances of the mass accommodation of passengers on the narrow and unsanitary tween decks of the ships were often unreasonable. Epidemics broke out that cost many emigrants their lives.
At that time, the Hamburg shipowner Robert Miles Sloman , owner of the Sloman Neptun Schiffahrts AG shipping company , commissioned the British shipyard T. & W. Pimm in Hull to build a steamship for regular overseas shipping between Germany and the USA for 400,000 Marks Banco . He baptized the ship in the name of his daughter Helena. On May 29, 1850, Helena Sloman went on her maiden voyage from Hamburg to New York. The ship was equipped with an Archimedean propeller, powered by two 180 hp steam engines . The Helena Sloman had auxiliary sails and was rigged as a barquentine . The sails served on the one hand to support the engine, on the other hand it was possible to sail in the event of engine failure or lack of coal. The first cabin of the ship had 42 beds, the second cabin another 32. There was space for 236 people in the intermediate deck, so that a total of 310 passengers could be transported.
The advantage of the steamer compared to the sailing ships that were mainly in service at the time was the time it gained. Sailing ships usually needed around 50 days for a one-way trip from Hamburg to New York. The Helena Sloman only needed 31 days on the outward voyage from May 29 to June 29, 1850, and this only because of an engine failure on the way. The return journey took only 18 days, which meant a time saving of around 32 days compared to the conventional sailing ships of the time and a reduction in travel time of more than half.
The third voyage of the Helena Sloman to New York was also her last: In November 1850, the ship got into distress off Newfoundland in a heavy storm and the steamer leaked. After several hours, the passengers, who had to continuously pump out the penetrating water, were rescued. For the first German steamship with regular overseas voyages, however, there was no rescue, it sank.
swell
- Ernst Christian Schütt u. a .: Chronicle of Hamburg. 2nd updated edition. Bertelsmann Lexikon Verlag, Gütersloh / Munich 1997, ISBN 3-577-14443-2 .