White Fleet (Mülheim an der Ruhr)
The white fleet of the companies of the city of Mülheim an der Ruhr carries out the passenger shipping on the lower reaches of the Ruhr . Your "home port" is the water station in Mülheim an der Ruhr .
The history of the White Fleet goes back to the beginning of passenger shipping on the Ruhr towards the end of the 19th century. At the initiative of the then Lord Mayor Paul Lembke , the passenger ships Mülheim and Kettwig were put into service with the White Fleet on June 18, 1927 , followed a few days later by Oberhausen and Vest Recklinghausen . Since the rush of passengers reached the capacity limit of the ships in the first year, more ships were bought. They sailed the Ruhr under the names Mintard , Sterkrade and Essen . The Paul Lembke followed a year later. She was the first ship with a two-story passenger cell.
During the Second World War , operations had to be stopped because a large part of the ships was confiscated by the Wehrmacht . In the Netherlands they were used as a floating office and clothes closet.
On May 22, 1947, operations were resumed with two ships. The two ships were a former North Sea bathing ship and a customs cruiser. A third was added shortly afterwards. In the years 1954 to 1959, the White Fleet laid a new generation of ships on keel. The four new ships Oberhausen , Friedrich Freye , Stadt Kettwig and Mülheim ad Ruhr were gradually launched. The Heinrich Thöne came in 1971 to do so. It serves as a saloon ship with a bar and music system and is the new flagship . After the town of Kettwig was sold in 1996 , the four passenger and conference ships formed
- Heinrich Thöne (YOC 1971)
- Friedrich Freye (YOC 1954/55)
- Mülheim ad Ruhr (built 1959–1975 renovated and rebuilt)
- Oberhausen (YOC 1954/55)
until 2011 the white fleet of the companies of the city of Mülheim an der Ruhr.
In 2011 the Oberhausen passenger ship was sold, but it will keep its berth at the water station.
From spring to autumn there is a scheduled line service between the water station in Mülheim and Kettwig below the Kettwiger See .