 The Preussen leaving New York City under all plain sail (1908) |
|
| Career (Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Preussen |
| Builder: | Tecklenborg Shipping Yard, Geestemünde |
| Launched: | 1902 |
| Acquired: | F. Laeisz Shipping Company |
| Decommissioned: | 1910 |
| Fate: | Beached near Dover after collison |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen: | 11500 |
| Length: | waterline: 124 m hull: 132 m |
| Beam: | 16.4m |
| Sail plan: | 5 mast ship rig, 4,600-5,600 square meters sail area |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 45 |
The Preussen was a German steel-hulled five masted ship-rigged windjammer built in 1902 for the famous F. Laeisz shipping company. Until the 2000 launch of the Royal Clipper, she was the only fully rigged vessel (i.e. a ship carrying square sails on all masts) with five masts ever built and is still the only five masted ship in the world trade fleet having carried six sails on each mast. The ship was named after the German state of Prussia.
History
The Preussen was build at the Tecklenborg shipping yard in Geestemünde and launched in 1902. She was successfully used in the saltpeter trade with Chile. However, on 6 November 1910, on her 14th outbound voyage under captain Jochim Hans Hinrich Nissen carrying a mixed cargo, including a number of pianos for Chile, she collided with the small British steamer Brighton who had underestimated her high speed of 16 knots (30 km/h) and tried to cross before her bows contrary to regulations. The Preussen was seriously damaged and lost much of the forward sailing equipment, making it impossible to steer the ship to safety. She was driven onto a beach near Dover by a November gale, and rendered unsalvageable.
Technical data
The Preussen was steel-built, with a waterline length of 124 m and a total hull length of 132 m. The hull was 16.4 m wide and the ship had a displacement of 11,150 tons, for an effective carrying capacity of 8,000 tons. The five masts were fully rigged, with courses, upper and lower topsails, upper and lower topgallant sails, and royals. Counting staysails, she carried 47 sails (30 square sails in six storeys, 12 staysails between the five masts, four foresail (jibs) and a spankersail; according to other sources 46 sails) with a total sail area of 4,600-5,600 square meters. Not only the hull was steel: masts and spars were constructed of steel tubing, and most of the rigging was steel cable. The only wooden spar was the gaff of the small spanker sail. Under good conditions, the ship could reach a speed of 18 knots (33 km/h). Her best 24-hour-runs were 392 nm in 1908 on her voyage to Japan and 426 nm in 1904 in the South Pacific. The Preussen was manned by a crew of 45, which was supported by two steam engines powering the pumps and the loading gear.
References
- Oliver E. Allen: Die Windjammer, Time-Life Books, 1980 (Original US edition: 1978)
- Björn Landström: Das Schiff, C. Bertelsmann Verlag, 1961
