Collecting boat
The collection boats of the German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People have been the Society's donation boxes since 1875 . With around 14,000 sister ships, they are by far the most widespread and oldest unit of sea rescuers. Because of their length, the sea rescuers also call their boats the 32-centimeter class , alluding to the names of the real rescue units .
Use and dissemination
The German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked People has been financed exclusively through donations since it was founded. Although the majority of donations are now made directly by bank transfer, the boats are still in service and bring in around one million euros every year. They are set up in restaurants, company entrances, ports and other businesses from the sea to Lake Constance . They also want to be “loaded” outside of Germany and on board ships. The ships can be ordered from the company and placed in suitable locations. However, they remain the property of the sea rescuers and cannot be purchased. Because of their “ cult status ”, however, they are very popular with collectors and are still offered on eBay and similar platforms.
A lot of money is thrown into the boats in Hamburg's red light district . In Bremen , the home port of the fleet, there is even a little boat in the Senate Hall that has to be fed as a punishment for incorrect behavior.
Construction and design
The design of the collecting boat has hardly changed since the first units were "put into service" in 1875. The “small, tasteful boats”, as it was called back then, are modeled on the rowing lifeboats from the early days of organized sea rescue. The first units were made of wood, later they were made of metal. The new boats have been made of plastic since the 1960s. The boats are assembled by hand in the company JH Tönnjes in Delmenhorst . Each ship has a unique, machine-engraved serial number. Modern boats are equipped with technology that enables direct donations via mobile phone. The boats are closed all around and around 32 centimeters long and 10.7 centimeters wide. At the top there is a slot for inserting coins. Banknotes have to be rolled up and then fit through a small round hole next to it. Current models have a small wheel for inserting banknotes. Volunteer members of the sea rescuers take care of regular emptying.
literature
- Ulf Kaack , Harald Focke : 333 ships that you have to know! GeraMond Verlag, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-86245-751-9 , pp. 285 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Yearbook 2017 of the sea rescuers . 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ↑ a b c Julia Dutta: Donation boats set course for the future . welt.de. July 18, 2015. Accessed February 2, 2018.
- ↑ a b Everything originals: The bell bags of seafaring . the world. December 29, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
- ^ Image of the Senate Hall in Bremen with the boat in the foreground . Bremen Town Hall. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
- ↑ Ulf Kaack, Harald Focke: 333 ships that you have to know! GeraMond Verlag, Munich 2016, ISBN 978-3-86245-751-9 , pp. 285 .
