The "Elbe", built in 1911, is the last roadworthy, steam-powered river icebreaker in Germany. Today, as a historic excursion boat, it makes history come alive.
In the past, the "Elbe" crushed the ice floes during harsh winters, but today it only travels in the warmer months of the year. The old steamship has been in use for more than a hundred years, although no longer to keep the Elbe ice-free, but to bring guests on excursions closer to the days of steamship travel.
The steam icebreaker "Elbe" was launched in the same year that Roald Amundsen was the first person to reach the South Pole and in Hamburg the Old Elbe Tunnel was opened - in 1911. The "Elbe" was the last of eight icebreakers that the Royal Prussian Elbstromverwaltung from 1888 for service on the Upper Elbe had the Gebrüder Wiemann shipyard and machine factory built in Brandenburg an der Havel.
"Boxing" through the ice
Unlike the steam icebreaker "Stettin" built a good 30 years later, which cut the ice with a cutting frame, the older steam icebreakers like the "Elbe" pushed their hull onto the ice in order to crush it with their weight. The ships often had to "box" in the process, i.e. make several attempts before the ice broke. The icebreakers always worked against the current so that the loosened ice floes could flow away.
With its collapsible chimney and a partially removable bridge structure, the "Elbe" could easily pass under low bridges. The home port of the icebreaker was Lauenburg for a long time. From there, the ship kept the waterways of the Middle and Upper Elbe and the Elbe-Lübeck Canal free of ice, so that barges could reach Hamburg even in harsh winters.
From the Elbe to the museum - and back to the Elbe
From the 1950s onwards, the Water and Shipping Administration gradually replaced the old steam icebreakers with more powerful ships. In 1972 the "Elbe" was taken out of service, but was kept operational as a reserve until 1976. In 1982 the ship came into the possession of the Technikmuseum in Berlin through a private individual, but in 1987 it was exchanged for other exhibits in Enkhuizen on the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands. From there, the current ship owner Matthias Kruse brought the dilapidated steamer back to the Elbe in 1997 and had it carefully restored.
Technical data of the steam icebreaker "Elbe"
Year of construction :1911
Building yard :Shipyard &machine factory Gebrüder Wiemann in Brandenburg
Length :30.3 meters
Width :7.45 meters
Draft :1.60 meters
Drive :Two-cylinder expansion steam engine
Engine power :280 hp
Home port :Hamburg
Owner :Matthias Kruse, Hamburg
with the support of the Förderverein Dampfeisbrecher ELBE e.V.
On the way on a piece of technical history
After almost ten years of repairs, the icebreaker has been seaworthy again since 2006 and is once again steaming as a passenger ship with up to 150 passengers on board. The new home port is the traditional ship port at Sandtorkai in Hamburg's HafenCity. A support association takes care of the preservation of the ship.
A special experience not only for ship lovers are the nostalgic excursions with the "Elbe". They lead through the port area, around Wilhelmsburg or to Blankenese. The "Elbe" also regularly steers into its former home port in Lauenburg. From there it starts on round trips through the Elbtalaue. On board, passengers witness first-hand how the steamboat's funnel is folded down before passing under a low bridge. You can look around on the bridge and in the engine room and let yourself be transported back to the sweaty days of steamship travel in view of the large coal ovens:the stoker has to shovel around 150 kilos of hard coal into the ovens every hour in order to heat the 7,000-liter boiler. Meanwhile, a machinist takes care of the steam engine. Even the captain still gives his instructions using the technology of a hundred years ago:a mechanical engine telegraph transmits the commands to the engine room. Incidentally, all crew members work on a voluntary basis - reinforcements are always welcome.