56 I World of Ships I Paddle Steamers
Fessler, from Regensburg-based builder
Theodor Hitzler. She was assembled on the
lakeside at Prien and fi tted with a 280hp
compound diagonal engine from Maffei
of Munich. After Luitpold’s withdrawal,
Ludwig Fessler shared main sailings to
Herrenchiemsee with an 800-passenger
motor vessel. Although the steam engine was
performing faultlessly, it was replaced in the
winter of 1972-73 by twin 240hp diesels with a
hydraulic drive, the operator citing problems
of having to train new engineers and fi remen
for what was otherwise an all-diesel fl eet.
The conversion was carried out on the
Stock slipway, with the stately tall original
funnel replaced by what was little more than a
stovepipe, while the small wooden wheelhouse
gave way to a wider glass and metal structure.
The steam engine went into private ownership
in the Netherlands until being sold in 2004
to Swiss organisation Trivapor and installed
in Lake Neuchatel paddler Neuchatel, which
began sailings in 2015 after a restoration.This 100-passenger capacity motor
paddler Concordia II is owned by Reederei
Albrecht and runs on the River Harle,
maintaining a shuttle service between
Carolinensiel and Harlesiel, close to the
German North Sea coast in Friesland. The
Harle was of early importance for freight
traffi c and the Carolinensieler Wittmunder
Dampfschifffahrts Gesellschaft was founded
in 1853 to meet the needs of passengers.
The following year saw the paddle
steamer Concordia built by the shipyard of
the Elsner brothers in Koblenz. The vessel
reached Carolinensiel in September 1854
and, with a length of 13.32m and a beam of
2.2m, was able to transport 30 passengers.Inge and Dieter Albrecht have built the
15m-long Concordia II on their own initiative
for family business Reederi Albrecht and
modelled her on the original Concordia.
After seven months of work by the Albrecht
company’s own staff, the vessel was
introduced, with a diesel engine of uniform
revolutions powering a hydraulic system.
The dream came true in 2000 when
the new vessel was launched to carry 100
passengers, with amenities including a
plush saloon. A total of 55,000 passengers
were carried in the fi rst year. Concordia II
continues to connect the Museum Harbor
with the Marina, running six trips a day, and
also offers a more limited winter timetable.RIVER HARLE PADDLER SHUTTLE
ABOVE Ludwig Fessler at Prien in the changed
livery since conversion to diesel power in winter
1972-73. (Zsolt Szabo)
BELOW Ludwig Fessler’s tasteful main saloon.A steam-powered Ludwig Fessler
at Prien in 1972 (Russell Plummer).07 Paddlers_Germany_NL.indd 56 17/04/2018 12:09