Prince Hendrik
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The Prins Hendrik was a double-ended ferry from the Dutch shipping company Provinciale Stoombootdiensten in Zeeland, which used the ship in ferry traffic on the Scheldt .
history
The ship was built under construction number 196 at the De Schelde shipyard in Vlissingen . The ship was ordered on May 29, 1931. The keel was laid on January 21, the launch on June 20, 1932. The ship was christened on the same day . The godfather was Heinrich zu Mecklenburg , Prince Consort of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and namesake of the ship.
The ship was delivered to the shipping company on September 20, 1932. The construction of the ship cost 422,000 guilders , around 100,000 guilders more than initially estimated.
The stability of the ferry did not meet the requirements initially. In February 1933, the hull of the ship was therefore rebuilt, which resolved the stability problems.
The ship was used between Hansweert and Walsoorden and at the same time served as a reserve for the route between Vlissingen and Breskens .
The ferry was sunk in Breskens on May 17, 1940 during the Second World War by the French troops retreating from the advancing German troops. The wreck was lifted in August of that year and brought to the De Schelde shipyard in Vlissingen for repairs. Here the ferry was extended to February 1942 with a 9.9 m long middle section. Any repairs still necessary to the ship were deliberately delayed in order to prevent the ferry from falling into the hands of the German occupiers. The retreating Wehrmacht troops sank the ship again in October 1944.
The wreck was only lifted in June 1947 and brought to the shipyard for repair in September of that year. Here, among other things, the main engine was exchanged and replaced with that of the Prinses Juliana and the wheelhouses renewed.
On December 10, 1949, the ferry was put back into service. It now operated between Vlissingen and Breskens.
From July 1960, the ship was used on the route between Terneuzen and Hoedekenskerke . Later it drove again between Kruiningen and Perkpolder. In 1968 it was replaced by the Prinses Christina, which went into service on June 4th, but initially served as a replacement ship.
Technical data and equipment
The propulsion of the ship was diesel-electric . An electric motor each drove a propeller at the ends of the ship. A two - stroke diesel engine from Schelde- Sulzer with an output of 800 hp was used to generate electricity for the drive motors, which drove two generators with an output of 460 kW each. A Sulzer diesel engine was used to power the on-board network, driving two generators with 50 kW each.
After the Second World War, the main engine was replaced by that of the Prinses Juliana , a two-stroke eight-cylinder diesel engine made by Werkspoor- Sulzer with an output of 1600 hp. The engine drove two generators with an output of 1360 kW.
The ship had a continuous vehicle deck, which was largely covered by the superstructures . In addition to the entrances at both ends, the ferry had two side gates on one side, which were required for loading and unloading via side ramps on the main route of the ferry. Above the vehicle deck was the deck with the facilities for the passengers, on which a wheelhouse was placed at both ends . Two 1st and 2nd class salons were available for passengers, one for smokers and the other for non-smokers. There were 29 seats in 1st class and 26 seats in 2nd class, so that there were a total of 110 seats in the salsons. Further seats were on the side promanade deck , which was arranged between the salons. The passenger facilities were rebuilt several times after the Second World War and adapted to requirements.
Whereabouts of the ship
In December 1968 the ferry was sold to the Maltese company E. Zammit & Co., which operated the ferry service between Malta and Gozo , before the Gozo Channel Line was installed by the Maltese government in 1979 . The ship was towed to Malta as Hendrik between March 28 and April 10, 1969 . The ship, equipped with ramps at both ends, was used in Malta under the name Calypso Land between Ċirkewwa on Malta and Mġarr on Gozo. In 1979 the ship was decommissioned and initially laid up in Valletta . In 1985 it was scrapped.
Web links
- Veerboot Prins Hendrik , website about the PSD ferries