Peter Kreeft (captain)
Peter Kreeft (* 1739 in Wieck a. Darß ; † January 20, 1811 in Barth ; also Kraeft or Kreft ) was a German skipper, captain, correspondent shipowner, ship owner and merchant in Barth ( Swedish Pomerania ).
life and work
The invention of the helmet diving suit brought decisive progress in the exploration of the seabed . For many years, historians have therefore not only been concerned with the question of which stages of development the helmet diving suit has passed through to maturity, but also who ultimately deserves the honor of being its inventor. Research into this question has so far mainly been carried out in England, as it is considered the birthplace of the suit.
A document from 1805 found in 1996 by the diving historian Michael Jung shows that the Barther captain and shipowner Peter Kreeft had a not inconsiderable influence on the development of the helmet diving suit with his invention of a "diving machine" in 1800. The document describes the invention of diving equipment which was already surprisingly close to ours today and which was used in practice in the Baltic Sea. But not only this, Kreeft anticipated further developments, such as the invention of a speech device between the diver and the water surface.
Peter Kreeft was probably the owner of the frigate Die Gewisheit (built in Rostock 1769) as well as the Peter Kreft (built in Prerow 1780). He lived in Barth, Markt 12. The house is still there today. He presented his diving suit to King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden in Stralsund between July 18 and 23, 1800 .
Peter Kreeft's son Christoph Kreeft, like his grandson Siegerich Christoph Kreeft, was Consul General in London.
literature
- Jens Peter Clausen: The life data of the diving pioneer Peter Kraeft (Peter Kreeft) . 2010 digitized
- Michael Jung: Seabed wanderer. The forgotten diving pioneer Peter Kreeft from Barth . Kückenshagen 1997. ISBN 3-929370-65-4 .
- The diving machine of Mr. P. Kreeft in Barth. From an eyewitness and a friend of the useful . Leipzig, 1805, reprint ISBN 3-933234-04-2 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Peter Kreeft in the catalog of the German National Library
- Literature about Peter Kreeft (captain) in the state bibliography MV
Individual evidence
- ^ The diving machine of Mr. P. Kreeft in Barth. From an eyewitness and a friend of the useful. Leipzig, 1805.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kreeft, Peter |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kraeft, Peter; Kreft, Peter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German inventor and diver |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1739 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wieck a. Darß |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 20, 1811 |
| Place of death | Barth |