40 I World of Ships I Paddle Steamers
T
he division of Germany
following World War II
had a huge but contrasting
influence as passenger and
cargo traffic recovered on
the major rivers into the
1950s. On the Middle Rhine
older paddle steamers were modernised
before eventually being replaced by newly
constructed motor screw vessels, until today
the stretch has a solitary side-wheeler, the
1913-built Goethe, which seems to have a
future secured since the original compound
diagonal steam engine was replaced in winter
2008-09 by a diesel-electric installation.
Two later steamers also survive: the
1929-built Mainz, the last paddler built for
Rhine service, ran until engine failure in 1980,
and since 1984 has been a museum ship in
Mannheim; and Rheinland (1926), renamed
Rudesheim in 1965, which saw no service after
1980 until being sold, as reported later, to
Rotterdam owners as De Majesteit.
In the east, Dresden’s historic White Fleet
soldiered on with a big line-up of paddle
steamers, most dating from the later decades
of the 19th century and powered by oscillating
steam engines. Four diesel-electric paddle
vessels carrying just over 1,000 passengers
each were introduced between 1963 and 1964,
but none of them were in service by the end
of the 1990s, leaving the steam veterans to
soldier on into the 21st century.
Paddle vessels were also long-lived on the
River Weser, where Prague exile Westerstolz is
now sailing from Bremen and vessels continuein Bavaria on Chiemsee and Ammersee
following dieselisation, the latter fleet also
welcoming the newly-built paddle excursion
vessel Herrsching in 2002.RIVER ELBE
When Germany’s post-World War II west and
east blocs were reunited in October 1990, there
were fears that Dresden’s famous Weisse Flotte,
cocooned for generations from the outside world
and reliant almost exclusively on local traffic,
might quickly fall victim to rationalisation.
Sailings were limited in 1991 and 1992 before
new operation Sachsische Dampfschiffahrt
GmbH (SDG) was set up, with the German
State holding 51 per cent of shares and the
remainder in the hands of Conti Elbe Line.
Long-term plans were announced
to retain eight paddle steamers, six of
them built between 1879 and 1898. Early
Dresden steamers came from German and
Czechoslovakian builders, the latter including
vessels powered by oscillating engines built at
the Greenwich, London, works of John Penn
and Son. One vessel assembled in 1864 was
actually named John Penn, and not until 1941
was there a change, the steamer lasting until
1966 when the engine was saved for display.
Through the 1880s and 1890s one or two
new steamers were turned out each year from
the Blasewitz Yard in Dresden, with varying
dimensions and engine power. The one
standard feature was capacity for around 620
passengers. But after 1920s it was not until the
early 1960s that further major newbuildingswere seen, SDG turning to the VEB yard in
Rosslau for three-deck diesel-electric paddlers
Ernst Thalmann, Karl Marx and Friedrich
Engels introduced in 1963, to be followed by
Wilhelm Pieck in 1964.
By the 1970s three million passengers a year
were being carried by vessels in the Dresden
fleet. While tourist traffic increased strongly
through long seasons from late March into
early October, there was still a great reliance
on charters for the Communist party, trades
unions, workers and youth groups. This traffic
quickly disappeared after the unification of
Germany, when it was decided the original
names of the diesel-electric quartet were
inappropriate, with Ernst Thalmann, Wilhelm
Pieck and Friedrich Engels becoming August
der Starke, Grafin Cosel and J. F. Bottger. Karl
Marx was allocated the new name of Daniel
Poppelman but this was never carried, with
the vessel remaining out of service in Dresden
until being scrapped. The remaining trio, all
reported to be in poor mechanical condition,
failed to make it past the mid-1990s.
Apart from Diesbar (1884), which is still
coal-fired using briquettes, all steamers have
been converted to burn oil, with bow thrusters
installed to alleviate the need for the time-
honoured use of long mooring poles wielded
by a crew member standing at the bow, whose
involvement was especially important when
vessels were travelling downstream.
Previously limited onboard catering
facilities have been improved, with seven
steamers rebuilt internally to a standard
layout, with an observation lounge forward on
the main deck and a snack counter amidships.
Below, the forward saloons offer Bistro-style
food service, while hot meals are available in
after saloons. The ubiquitous formica walls
and linoleum flooring of former years were
also replaced by high-standard fittings, with
wood panelling, upholstered seats and carpets
on the floor, fitted as part of a programme
costing approximately €13 million before, in
August 2000, the steamer Krippen rejoined
the fleet as its ninth historical paddle steamer.
Now there are regular Elbe services over the
stretch from Seusslitz near Meissen to the spa
town of Bad Schandau in Saxon Switzerland.
Annual features include a steamer parade
from Dresden on 1 May, with the Dresden
City Festival in August bringing other river
highlights. Regular services from Dresden
Terrassenufer go upstream as far as Bad
Schandau close to the Czech Border and back.
Shorter round trips from Dresden include
sailings passing through the Blue Wonder
Bridge at Blasewitz and to Pillnitz Castle,
with commentaries. There is also a daily
downstream sailing to Seusslitz.CHAPTER SEVEN
GERMANY
Stadt Wehlen at Dresden carrying special bow
markings for her 125th anniversary.07 Paddlers_Germany_NL.indd 40 17/04/2018 12:09