Rheinpfeil (ship)

The title of this article is ambiguous. An article about the Zug Rheinpfeil can be found under Rheinpfeil

Rhine arrow

Hydrofoil Rheinpfeil

Ship data flag  Germany other ship names Raketa 72 (since 2008) Ship type Hydrofoil class Raketa home port Cologne Owner Cologne-Düsseldorfer Shipyard Feodosia Build number 502 building-costs 1,036,000 Order 17th December 1971 Launch April 8, 1972 Commissioning May 24, 1972 Decommissioning 1997 Whereabouts Barge

Ship dimensions and crew length 26.96 m ( Lüa ) width 5.00 m Draft Max. 1.80 m   crew 4th

Machine system machine 1 × diesel engine Machine performance 1,010 hp (743 kW) Top speed 35 kn (65 km / h) propeller 1 × fixed propeller

Transport capacities Permitted number of passengers 64

From 1975 Registration numbers until 1997: Europe no .: 4200390

The Rheinpfeil was a Russian hydrofoil of the type " Raketa " (Eng. "Rocket"), which was in service between 1972 and 1997 by the Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG . The area of ​​operation of the ship was between Düsseldorf and Mainz.

With speeds of 65 km / h, the Rheinpfeil was considered the fastest passenger ship on the Rhine. Two skid-like wings at the bow and stern lifted the vehicle with increasing speed from an initial 180 cm draft in a stationary state to 110 cm draft while driving. The hull itself was no longer in contact with the water.

history

The Rheinpfeil in Koblenz

The Rheinpfeil at full speed

Even before the Rheinpfeil , the Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG supported Hanns von Schertel in the construction of passenger hydrofoils from 1934. His eighth test boat , the Silbervogel , carried out a successful demonstration trip from Wiesbaden to Cologne and back in April . The project was discarded due to the Second World War .

In 1971, the Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt resumed the hydrofoil project and ordered a “ Raketa ” hydrofoil from the Soviet import / export company Sudoimport . The boat was built at Feodosia in Yalta and delivered as ship freight to Rotterdam's Waalhafen. There it was loaded onto the push- bar lignite 52 on March 23, 1972 and transported to the Niehler Hafen in Cologne with the push boat lignite 1 . On March 27, the Rheinpfeil was set ashore for painting using a truck-mounted crane. On April 8, 1972, the completed ship was launched for the first time. The shipping company carried out several test drives in the same month. Finally, on May 10, the inspection trip by the Cologne Ship Inspection Commission took place. On May 18, the ceremonial press presentation of the hydrofoil took place on board the passenger ship Rhein in Bonn in the presence of the Soviet Ambassador Valentin Falin . After the celebrations, the shipping company carried out press information trips with the Rheinpfeil every half hour .

From May 24, 1972, the Rheinpfeil was in scheduled service on the route between Cologne and Koblenz, which was served three times a day in each direction. A transport with the hydrofoil Rheinpfeil required prior notification due to the low passenger capacity. In addition, a distance-dependent surcharge had to be paid. In 1973 the route was extended up the Rhine to Boppard and in 1975 from St. Goar to Düsseldorf. In 1976 the route to Mainz was added to the timetable. From 1983 the Rheinpfeil operated exclusively on the Cologne – Mainz – Cologne route. The journey time was in ascent , 4 hours 15 minutes 3 hours 40 minutes when going downhill.

After a short period of use, the first problems with the Russian high-performance engine became apparent, which at the end of June 1973 had to be replaced with an engine that was already included in delivery. These problems led the Rheinpfeil to stay at numerous shipyards throughout its entire service life. The Cologne-Düsseldorf company ordered a total of 13 replacement machines for engines that could no longer be repaired. At the end of 1995, the shipping company ordered a modern hydrofoil of the "Polesye" type, which was to be used from the 1997 season, as a replacement for the Rheinpfeil , which was prone to failure and in the meantime also had to be repaired from the hull . That is why the Rheinpfeil was shut down on October 20, 1996 after the last planned trip. As the delivery of the Rheinjet was delayed, however, she was put back into operation on April 12, 1997 with a ship certificate limited to two months. Only nine days later, the Rheinpfeil was finally shut down due to another engine failure.

The ship was sold in 1998 to the shipping company Verkerk Charter Partyships BV in Maarssen , who wanted to convert it into a party ship. After four years of parking in the port of Werkendam , the ship changed hands several times without any restoration. It was not until 2006, when the Rheinpfeil came into private ownership, that it was converted into a barge. In 2008 she was renamed Raketa 72 and launched again. It was then transferred to Delft , where it has been firmly anchored as living space since then.

technology

The Rheinpfeil during the renovation in Rotterdam

Interior of the Rheinpfeil

The type "Raketa"

The hydrofoil type " Raketa " was developed in the 1940s by the Russian designer Rostislaw Evgenjewitsch Alexejew . On August 25, 1957, the first prototype made its maiden voyage from Gorky to Kazan . A total of about 400 hydrofoil boats of this type were built. Most are already out of service.

drive

The Rheinpfeil was from a valid as maintenance-intensive V-12 cylinder - diesel engine Soviet driven type, the inclined rearwardly was installed below the control object. It drove the centrally arranged fixed propeller via a shaft . The boat was controlled via a single rudder blade.

Hydrofoil system

Since the hydrofoils of the "Raketa" type were designed for inland waters, the draft had to be kept as low as possible. Therefore, the Rheinpfeil had no V- or W-shaped, but flat, fully immersed wings. These were supported at the front by runners that work like water skis. When there was a swell you could feel violent blows in the first rows of seats.

Interior

The Rheinpfeil had 64 individual seats for passengers , as used in aircraft . Due to the limited space, no food was offered on board. The boat only had a small service bar where drinks, snacks and souvenirs could be purchased. In the back of the boat was an open gallery with a seat at the stern. The upper deck was not allowed to be entered during the journey.

crew

During the period of service at the Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG , the crew consisted of four people:

• Captain: Occupy the wheelhouse
• Machinist: Supervises the machine
• Boatswain: helps with mooring and casting off maneuvers (mooring)
• Stewardess: looks after the passengers

literature

• Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt Aktiengesellschaft 1826-2004 . Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, ISBN 3-00-016046-9 .

Web links

• TFB Rheinpfeil - private website of a model maker with information on the prototype and other examples of the "Raketa" series
• Hydrofoil "Rheinpfeil" near Bonn (1972) on YouTube (0:42 minutes)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Werner Hinsch, Klaus J. Sachsenberg: hydrofoils of the Schertel Sachsenberg system . Elbe-Spree-Verlag, Lauenburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-931129-31-6 .
2. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, p. 775.
3. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorfer 1826-2004. Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, pp. 776–780.
4. ^ Georg Fischbach: The ships of the Cologne-Düsseldorf Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt Aktiengesellschaft 1826-2004 . Self-published, Marienhausen 2004, ISBN 3-00-016046-9 , p. 780.
5. ↑ http://www.foils.org