Small Ships

[Graham1973]

Nice work.

[eswube]

Another German-era icebreaker from the Gdańsk (then: Danzig) area. Montau was second such ship to serve there, being built in 1882 at Danziger Schiffswerft & Kesselschmiede F.Devrient & Co. It was 33,1m long, with a 200hp double-expansion steam engine. In the 1920s it's age started to show seriously, as it seemed to spend more time being repaired than in actual operation. Yet it continued to be used for many more years, in 1940 renamed to 'Fusch'. In March 1945 it took part in evacuation of German civilian population from Gdańsk to Gdynia (under German occupation named Gotenhafen). After the war, now in Polish service, it was renamed Żóraw (Crane - note that current way of writing this word is 'Żuraw') and served in Gdynia harbour as tugboat and makeshift ferry on the Gdynia-Hel route. In 1946 ship returned to it's original icebreaking duties, but frequence of it's breakdowns (and structural damages) increased. During the general overhaul in 1947 it was renamed Lis (Fox), serving (still, with constant breakdowns) until 1952 when it was finally scrapped.

Germany, Montau

[rifleman2]

pity you cant see the drawings thanks to the photobucket marks

[acelanceloet]

I think most if not all of the drawings shown here with the watermark are in the sb main site archive too

[Hood]

Another well drawn addition and an interesting history too. Amazing they kept such an old vessel going for so long.

[Novice]

An amazingly good drawing of a similarly amazing little ship (boat). Serving for so long as she was it would have had she was preserved as a museum ship...
Well done eswube

[eswube]

Thanks for the kind words!
Actually, there is one more 'Danzig icebreaker' of the era that indeed is preserved. Just give me few days.

[eswube]

Fourth (and last in this series) of 19th Century Danzig Icebreakers.
Ferse (now Wierzyca river) was built in 1884 at Danziger Schiffswerft & Kesselschmiede F.Devrient & Co. It s 30,6m long and has displacement of 75t. Until 1920 it was used by Königlich Preussische Weichsel-Strombauverwaltung (Royal Prussian Wisła Water-engineering Administration), and afterwards was transferred to relevant agency of Freie Stadt Danzig (Free City of Gdańsk). In 1940 it was renamed Marder (Marten) and in 1945 participated in evacuation of German population of Gdańsk, during which it sailed to Kiel and Hamburg, where it was taken over by British occupation authorities, which used it until 1947. Then it was transferred to Polish Państwowy Zarząd Wodny (State Waterways Administration) at Tczew and renamed Kuna (which is Polish word for Marten). The ship served in the lower Wisła area for nearly two more decades and was retired in 1965. Year later all equipment and superstructures were removed awaiting disposal, and in 1970s hull was towed ot Gorzów Wielkopolski and used as pontoon. In 1981 it sunk and remained submerged until 2000 when group of enthusiasts (Stowarzyszenie Wodniaków Gorzowskich 'Kuna'), after acquiring necessary permits, gathering funds etc. raised it and, over the next 6 years, gradually rebuilt (although not with original steam engine, but with 165hp internal combustion engine SW-680). Currently Kuna is a functioning museum ship and used for short cruises along the river. It is the oldest preserved riverine icebreaker in the World.

Germany, Ferse


Poland, Kuna (1958)


Poland, Kuna (2012)

[Novice]

Amazing work eswube, and thank for these little ships

[Hood]

A very fitting finale to this interesting little series.