Kerkschip St. Jozef
The nave Kerkschip St. Jozef ( Ship's Church of St. Josef ) is a floating inland shipping community center in Antwerp . It was built in Rotterdam between 1942 and 1944 .
history
Which today serves as a floating nave was during World War II on behalf of the then German government by the Parisian company La Maison Saintrap Brice et in Rotterdam dry dock as a tanker of concrete built. The tanker was supposed to supply the German submarines with fuel, drinking water and provisions. In early 1944, it was towed to Antwerp to be completed with engines, pumps, plumbing, accommodation and nautical equipment.
When Antwerp was liberated in September 1944, the Belgian government took over the ship and put it up for sale. The Antoine Vloeberghs company bought the ship and wanted to convert it. Since the draft was too great to be able to navigate the Albert Canal , it was a bunker and provisions ship in the port of Antwerp for a few years. Then the ship was offered to the Archdiocese of Mechlin-Brussels to turn it into an ecclesiastical and social center for inland navigation. The inland shipping chaplain van den Busch was the driving force behind this project. The purchase contract was signed on December 18, 1950.
Under the direction of the pastor and shipping expert Henri Heylen , the ship was expanded into a unique shipping center.
Data
- Length = 95.85 m
- Width = 14.25 m
- Side height = 7.85 m, fore and aft: 10.3 5 m
- Draft = 6.50 m
- Weight = 3800 tons
Nave
The nave is the community center for Antwerp inland shipping. In addition to the masses on Sundays and public holidays, baptisms and church weddings are performed there. A small chapel with 80 seats is open to everyone every day, the large chapel with 260 seats is reserved for church services. The canteen with 130 seats is visited daily by boatmen, port workers, seafarers and port staff. In addition, the floating church is a tourist attraction. For groups of 20 to 60 people there are also guided tours under the guidance of the clergyman.
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 14 ' N , 4 ° 25' E