World of Ships – May 2018

36 I World of Ships I Paddle Steamers

CHAPTER FOUR

DENMARK

T

here was a role for Danish

paddle steamers in the

development of both

domestic routes and

international connections.

The mighty DFDS made

a modest start to its links

with England in 1875 with the Clyde-built

cargo paddle steamer Riberhus, which was

followed by passenger paddlers. However,

DFDS moved quite quickly to screw steamers

and were among the pioneers bringing in

diesel-powered vessels. By the time Riberhus

had started operating Esbjerg-Thames Haven

services, one Danish inland steamer had

already been in operation for 14 years on

the Silkeborg lakes in East Jutland. Today,

the coal-fired Hjejlen is regarded by many

as Europe and Scandinavia’s oldest paddle

vessel in original condition.

HJEJLEN

OWNER A/S Hjejlen, Silkeborg

BUILT 1861 by Baumgarten and Burmeister, Copenhagen

DIMENSIONS 26.9m x 3.8m (hull), 5.5m (over paddles)

MACHINERY Two cylinder oscillating steam engine, by

builders, with coal fired boiler, 25hp. New boiler fitted 1900

and 1947

PASSENGERS 175

Silkeborg paper mill owner Michael Drewsen

ordered Hjejlen to provide tourist sailings

from the town to the neighbouring Silkeborg

Lakes. Built and engined in Copenhagen by

the predecessors of the modern company

Burmeister and Wain, the vessel took her

name from the Danish word for golden plover,

which was faithfully represented by a gilded

bow figurehead. Hjejlen made her only sea

voyage from Copenhagen to Randers and

was then towed along the River Gudena by a

team of eight horses. A final obstacle awaited,

with a bridge blocking the way to the upper

reaches of the river. Drewsen solved the

problem by enlisting his mill workers to push

the steamer across a road on rollers. King

Frederik VII was aboard for the maiden voyage

and in 1961 King Frederik IX was present for

centenary celebrations.

Hjejlen was originally steered from the

stern, but the wheel was moved forward of

the funnel, which had been cut down from its

original height to avoid having to be lowered to

pass beneath a bridge near the beginning and

end of every trip. Apart from having the after

deck roofed over in 1906 and a wheelhouse

added in the1930s, little has changed and

Hjejlen still boasts a former first class saloon

aft that offers red velvet sofas, wood panelling

and decoration with original paintings. A

crew of four – captain, engineer, stoker and

purser – usually take the steamer on two

high-summer round-trips each day through

the connecting lakes of Brassdo, Borresso

and Julso to Denmark’s highest hill, the

482ft Himmelbjert, known locally as the ‘Sky

Mountain,’ and where there is a much visited

memorial to King Frederik VII, who gave the

country its present democratic constitution.

Hjejlen then continues to the village of Laven

at the eastern end of the lake complex. The

25hp steam engine, maintained in pristine

condition, is easily visible, and Hjejlen offers a

cruising experience with few equals.

Hjejlen arriving at Silkeborg after a ‘Sky

Mountain’ cruise. (Russell Plummer)

ABOVE A crew girl stands above Hjejlen’s golden

plover figurehead with rope at the ready to tie up

the 1861-built vessel. (Russell Plummer)

ABOVE Hjejlen’s atmospheric saloon with original

panelling and pictures.

BELOW Looking down on Hjejlen’s two-cylinder

oscillating engine.

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