PADDLE STEAMERS
Paddle Steamers I World of Ships I 67
DE MAJESTEIT
BUILT 1925 by Sachsenberg Brothers at Cologne-Deutz (hull
no.900); rebuilt 1950-51, 1993-96
LENGTH 81.32m, width 8.25m (hull), 15.66m.
MACHINERY Two-cylinder compound diagonal, by
builders, 750hp; boiler converted to oil fuel 1956
PASSENGERS 850De Majesteit entered service as Rheinland on
Köln-Düsseldorfer company express routes on 1
May 1926. She was originally certified for 2,500
passengers, with main deck saloons forward
and aft, together with an upper deck totally
covered by awnings and with glass screens
at the bow end. A two-cylinder compound
diagonal engine by her builders delivered
850hp for a speed of 17kmh against the Rhine
current and 27kmh sailing downstream.
Rheinland was severely damaged in the
closing stages of World War II, sinking near
Kaiserwerth after becoming an artillery target.
The wreck was salvaged in 1950 and sent to
the Berninghauswerft at Cologne-Deutz for
what was little short of a full rebuild, with a
new raked bow and cruiser stern and twin
rudders replacing the previous straight stem
and counter stern. Passenger area changes
were equally significant, with the upper deck
being enclosed for the greater part of its
length. There was a new wheelhouse and ashorter but wider funnel with a slanting top.
Conversion to oil fuel took place in 1955
and the vessel became Rudesheim in 1965
to release the Rheinland name for a new KD
cabin river cruise vessel. For the company’s
150th anniversary in 1977, Rudesheim received
the controversial nostalgia livery, which was
retained until a final operational season in
1981, after which Rudesheim was regarded
as fleet reserve vessel and spent her time in
Cologne as a floating booking office and waiting
room for local promenade excursions by the
motor vessel Domspatz.
Dutchman Klemens Key became owner in
1993 and the vessel was moved to Zaandam
for restoration under the prospective Prins
der Nederlanden name. However, it was as
De Majesteit that she entered service in 1996,
based at Rotterdam offering a high degree
of luxury in furnishings. Although there were
public sailings in the early days, the emphasis
is now on catering for charter groups, special
sailings and events with quality cuisine and
live entertainment.KAPITEIN ANNA
BUILT 1911 by J. & K. Smit, Krimpen-aan-de-
Lek,Netherlands.
MACHINERY Compound oscillating (500hp), now
12-cylinder 620hp Cummins diesel and two 300hp
Hagglunds hydraulic wheel engines
SPEED 10 knots
DIMENSIONS Length 57.88m, width 7m (hull), 13.6m (over
paddles)
PASSENGERS 300Dutch paddle vessel restoration started in
1976, when the shell of a former river steamer,
Reederij op de Lek 6, was brought back for
restoration after years of static use on the
Rhine in Germany.
The result of a great deal of hard work
and investment was Kapitein Kok, which has
now operated successfully from Amsterdam
as a charter and function vessel for 40 years.
Built in 1911 as the ninth and last vessel forStoomboot-Reederij op de Lek, a company
first formed in 1857 connecting small
communities on the banks of the River Lek
between Schoonhoven and Culemborg with
Rotterdam, No.6 carried passengers and all
manner of cargo, ranging from cheese and
milk to coal and livestock. She was registered
for 1,200 passengers in two classes and left
Culemborg at 0700, making 29 calls before
reaching Rotterdam at 1500 in the afternoon.
Regular services closed in 1948, and two
years later the vessel was sold for use as a
restaurant and pilot station at km/mark 422
near Ludwigshafen. After delivery by her long-
serving master Teunis Kok, the oscillating
engine, boiler and paddle wheels were
removed and additions made to deck houses
before an opening as Kurpfalz.
Dutch musician Wijnand Key stumbled
across the dilapidated remains of the vessel
latterly used as a restaurant and dance hall
and had her towed back to be restored at
the Scheepswerf Schouten, where the then
91-year-old Captain Kok was reunited with
his former charge. Sadly, he died before the
return to service in June 1977, but the vessel,
boasting new eight-blade paddle wheels
powered by a combination of Cummins diesel
and Hagglunds hydraulic drive, was named
Kapitein Kok in his honour. She maintained a
regular public programme until 1980, which
included a visit to old haunts on the Lek, while
she was based at Amsterdam.
Owned by the Radersalonboot Kapitein Kok
BV, she came under the ownership of Jacob
Bonninga in 2002, and sailed from Javakade.
Normally she is used only on charters, with
an emphasis on quality cuisine and live
entertainment tailor-made for large groups
and functions. There was a change of name to
Kapitein Anna after she had been taken over
by the luxury sailing shipbuilder Quo Vadis in
2013 and given a thorough refurbishment. She
returned at Easter 2014 and is still available
for charter for conferences, training events
and parties, but with no public trips.ABOVE Originally named Kapitein Kok in honour of
her skipper during early 20th century service on the
river Lek, the paddler had her named changed to
Kapitein Anna in 2013.ABOVE Kapitein Anna carries up to 300 passengers
on charter cruises from Amsterdam, offering tailor-
made entertainment and cuisine.Pier at Queenborough, when a mail contract was
awarded by the Dutch Government. The last
paddle steamer to be used was Prins Hendrik
(1880), which was withdrawn in 1922, five years
before the English terminal switched to the
newly-created Parkeston Quay at Harwich.
Two Dutch-owned paddle vessels have
survived into the 21st century, one being the
still steam-powered De Majesteit, originally
German KD fleet member Rhineland, and
later Rudesheim, which is based in Rotterdam
for charters or hosting onboard events. She
was supported by the restored paddler De
Nederlander, now the Kiel-based Freya.
Amsterdam boasts Captain Anna, originally
Kapitein Kok, which mainly handles charters,
having been brought back after years of
static use on the Rhine in Germany following
retirement from an operational career on
the River Lek. Hugo Basedow, the last and
largest paddle steamer to serve the historic
Hamburg-Lauenburg line, also finished up in
the Netherlands after her withdrawal in 1961,
spending time lying idle in Delfzijl before her
boiler and machinery were removed and the
ship became a floating and supply station for
barge traffic trading in Rotterdam under the
name of Jos Vranken.08 Paddlers_Hungary_NL.indd 67 17/04/2018 12:16