Small Ships

eswube

Posted: May 5th, 2019, 1:35 pm

Posts: 10696
Joined: June 15th, 2011, 8:31 am

Last pre-WW1 Gdańsk-related riverine ships (I intend to draw): ferries operating between Schiewenhorst (now Świbno, easternmost district of Gdańsk) and Nickelswalde (now Mikoszewo) - just approximately 2 kilometers from the sea, across the man-made (1891-1895) canal of Wisła river

First of them, for road vehicles, begun operation in 1895. Ferry was built at J. W. Klawitter shipyard in Danzig according to design made at Schichau shipyard from Elbling (Elbląg). It was 24m long and was powered by 2 95hp steam engines. Apparently in 1920s it was rebuilt, replacing the centerline engine arrangement with two funnels, one on each side of the vessel and with pilot's cabin installed on the bridge. (unfortunately, although there are photograps from this period, I found them insufficient to attempt to draw them) In the spring of 1945 the remnants of German 2. Army were encircled in the area encompassing Schiewenhorst and Nickelswalde, southeast of Danzig (itself liberated on 30 March) and both ferries were heavily used in support of surrounded troops. On 8 May, around 23:00 large group of smaller German vessels, including both these ferries, loaded with soldiers and German refugees left to see, first towards Hel (still in German hands and from there they undertook risky cruise towards Bornholm, during which the group was attacked numerous times by Soviet aviation. Near Bornholm engine on Schiewenhorst failed and it had to be taken on tow by German patrol craft. Shortly afterwards the group received radio orders from British military authorities to sail to Kiel, where the whole group (by then numbering 27 vessels) arrived in the evening of 11 May 1945. There, the Schiewenhorst remained and was apparently scrapped fairly soon thereafter.

Germany, Schiewenhorst
[ img ]

Second ferry - aptly named Schiewenhorst II - was a rail one. It's harbours were located approximately 350m south from these for the first ferry, to serve the 750mm narrow-gauge rail line between Danzig and Stutthof (Sztutowo) (now only the Sztutowo-Mikoszewo line is still operated). It was built 1903-1904 at Leopold Zobel, Maschinen- und Dampfkesselfabrik in Bromberg (now Bydgoszcz) but it reached it's service area only in 1905. Hull length was 29,27m and it was powered by 2 120hp steam engines. For the next four decades it served reliably if fairly uneventfuly (except for accident in 1919 where, due to rail engineers fault, the locomotive fell into water) and in 1940 it was renamed Ägir. It's fate in 1945 is bit unclear: according to some sources it was sunk by Germans at Einlage (now Przegalina), but that account is disputed, and by other sources it served until the last days of war, when it attempted to sail to Borholm together with it's half-sister, but for technical reasons was forced to turn back after just several kilometers of sea cruise. What's known for sure is that it ended up sunk in the mouth of Wisła, from which it was raised in 1946. Thereafter it was repaired, renamed Świbno and returned to service in July 1948. In 1952 it's technical condition was so poor, though, that it necessitated complete refit, but it was considered not cost-effective enough and the ferry was put in retirement (or semi-retirement, as some sources claim it was occasionaly used to transport cargo, mainly wood) until 1959, when the decision was made to scrap it by 1961.

Germany, Schiewenhorst II (Ägir)
[ img ]

Currently there's still a ferry service operating between Świbno and Mikoszewo, but it's using different ship and different harbour, located between old ones, not far from the old road ones.
(remains of old harbours can be seen as 'dents' in the river banks)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.33200 ... a=!3m1!1e3

Top

Shipbucket

Who is online