Wuppertal (ship, 1936)

Wuppertal

Ship data flag  German Empire Netherlands   other ship names Noezaniwi Kertosono Ship type General cargo ship home port Hamburg Owner Hamburg-American Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft Shipyard German shipyard , Hamburg Build number 173 Launch September 17, 1936 Commissioning November 26, 1936 Whereabouts from March 1961 demolition in Kure

Ship dimensions and crew length 151.8 m ( Lüa ) 143.2 m ( Lpp ) width 18.8 m Draft Max. 7.94 m measurement 6,736 GRT

Machine system machine 3 diesel engines on an electric motor Machine performance together 7,800 PS diesel 6,800 PSw electric motor Top speed 15 kn (28 km / h) propeller 1

Transport capacities Load capacity 9,763 dwt

The Wuppertal built for Hapag was the world's first large cargo ship with a diesel-electric drive . She was used in the Australian service.

Confiscated by the Netherlands in Padang (Indonesia) in 1940 , the ship was used under the names Noesaniwi (from 1940) and Kertosono (from 1946) under the Dutch flag until 1961.

technology

Although German shipyards built a large number of modern merchant ships for German and foreign shipping companies between 1933 and 1939, Hapag received very few new ships during this time. The first cargo ship built for Hapag during this period was the Wuppertal , which was completed in 1936 . This newly designed general cargo ship was the first large freighter with a diesel-electric propulsion system. The system consisted of three diesel engines with a total output of 7,800 hp with coupled generators and a main electric motor with 6,800 shaft hp. The basic idea behind the drive was that on ballast travel only two engines were sufficient to achieve the necessary speed, while maintenance and repair work could be carried out on the third engine. Another advantage was the more even loading of the motors, which always work in one direction and at a constant speed. The otherwise necessary screw shaft from the engine to the propeller could also be saved. The on-board electrical supply could also be taken from the main engine. The disadvantages of the increased consumption due to the smaller motors and the loss of power due to the electrical transmission were kept within limits , among other things by using synchronous motors .

history

The general cargo ship Wuppertal was built in 1936 by the Deutsche Werft , Hamburg-Finkenwerder on behalf of the Hamburg-American Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (Hapag). The ship was launched under construction number 173 on September 17, 1936. On November 26, 1936, the ship was delivered to the shipping company, usually known as the Hamburg-America Line. A few days later, the Wuppertal began her maiden voyage to Australia . After the first trips it became clear that the engineers had got it right with the Wuppertal concept . The shipyard and shipping company were completely satisfied with the new drive system.

At the beginning of the Second World War , the ship was laid up in Padang , Indonesia , where it was confiscated by the Dutch government on May 10, 1940, renamed Noesaniwi and under the Dutch flag for the Stoomvaart Maatschappij "Nederland" again in service.

After the end of the war, the freighter remained under the Dutch flag, was bought by Rotterdamsche Lloyd in 1946 and put into service under the new name of Kertosono .

After a fire on board in Hong Kong , the former Wuppertal was finally scrapped in Kure , Japan , on March 30, 1961 .

literature

• Berthold Bleicken: Electric motor ship "Wuppertal" . In: Werft-Reederei-Hafen . Vol. 18, No. April 8 , 1937, p. 101-106 .
• Arnold Kludas , Herbert Bischoff: The ships of the Hamburg-America line . Vol. 3: 1927-1970. Herford 1981.
• Reinhart Schmelzkopf: The German Merchant Shipping 1919–1939 . Vol. 1: Chronicle and evaluation of the events in shipping and shipbuilding. Gerhard Stalling AG, Oldenburg and Hamburg 1974, ISBN 3-7979-1847-X .

Web links

• Karl-Heinz Hochhaus: Drives - Seagoing Ships Machine Technology - A Race of Drive Systems (PDF; 1.6 MB)
• Wuppertal
• Wuppertal
• Image of the Wuppertal
• Image of the Wuppertal
• Noezaniwi

Footnotes

1. ↑ Die Wuppertal on Miramar Ship Index  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ melt head, p. 204f.
   two combination ships from Bremer Vulkan according to NDL specifications, the passenger ship Patria , the two combination ships of the Osorno type from Blohm & Voss (all for service to the South American Pacific coast),
   the newly developed East Asia freighter Styria from the Germania shipyard and three West India freighters of the Orizaba type
3. ↑ melt head, p. 195