The
Preussen
The World's First Five-Masted Clipper Ship
and The Biggest Sailing Ship in the World
Reederei F. Laeisz Company, Hamburg
Reederei F. Laeisz was
founded by Ferdinand Laeisz, born in 1801 in Hamburg. His first ship was
the brig Carl, built by J. Meyer for Laeisz in 1839 and named after
Ferdinand's son Carl Ferdinand. When Carl started to help his father
with the business in 1852, more ships were built and the shipping
company grew quickly. In 1862 a barque was ordered and delivered from
Stülcken shipyard. It was named the Pudel after Carl's wife Sophie, who
was called Pudel amongst family members. After that all new ships that
were built for Laeisz received names starting with the letter `P,' and
the company soon was nicknamed "The Flying P-line." Most of
the P-liners, as the ships were called, were put on the South American
nitrate trade. At one point, Carl Laeisz reportedly stated: Meine
Schiffe können und sollen schnelle Reisen machen. (My ships can and
shall make fast voyages.) His ships were indeed fast, strong, and very
well equipped.
Most of the ships that
Laeisz ordered were built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, or by
Tecklenborg in Geestemünde. The most famous of the P-liners were the
five-masted barque Potosi,
the five-masted clipper ship Preussen,
and the four-masted barques that were built early in the 20th
century: the Pamir,
the Passat,
the Peking
and the Padua,
to name a few. These ships have been called the greatest sailing
ships ever built, and the ultimate cargo carriers under sail. They were
built for the the rough voyages round Cape Horn westwards. In 1912 Carl's
sons Herbert Ferdinand and Erich Ferdinand took over the company, but
Herbert became a victim of World War I. Between World War I and World War
II, Erich ran the company until his death shortly after World War II.
Preussen:
First Five-Masted Full-Rigged Ship
In June of 1899 Kaiser
Wilhelm II visited the Reederei F. Laeisz Company in Hamburg and was shown
its flagship four-masted barque Potosi. At the end of the tour the Kaiser
asked, "When do we see a five-masted ship?" Taking up the
challenge, Laeisz commissioned the Tecklenborg yard in Gestemunde, Germany
to build Preussen.
Preussen, the largest
ship ever built without auxiliary engines, was launched on May 1902, and,
hauling nitrate, plied the trade routes between the west coast of South
America and Europe. It held several crossing records, including one
traveling from Geestemunde to Iquique, Chile in 65 days. Its best 24-hour
run was 353 miles and it once sailed from New York to Yokohama, around
Cape Horn, in 112 days. Preussen's highest measured speed was 13.7 knots,
averaged over several hours in a force-8 wind (gale force, 34 to 40
knots).
On November 7th, 1910, Preussen was run down
by the Newhaven-Dieppe cross-Channel steamer Brighton shortly before
midnight. The Brighton had misjudged the speed of the big sailing ship
and tried to cross her bow but struck her abreast the foremast and the
bowsprit and the fore-rigging of Preussen was damaged. The Preussen's
bowsprit sheared off the steamer's funnel and broke off and the Brighton
was holed. With Preussen heavily damaged, she had a hard time steering.
The Preussen dropped anchor off Dungeness, but both anchor chains parted
in the rising wind. The two assisting tugs which were trying to get
Preussen into the eastern entrance of the Dover harbor were not able to
hold her against the wind and had to let her go. She subsequently
drifted ashore at Dover at about 16:30 and was lost. Preussen's cargo
consisted of general cargo, cement, and 100 pianos.
Preussen's overall
length was 408 feet long with a beam of 54 feet. With Preussen's
draft of 27 feet, gross tonnage was 5,081. Total sail area was
59,770 over five masts.
The Royal Clipper
currently the largest fully rigged sailing ship in the world
For over 90 years,
the world had never seen a five-masted full-rigged sailing ship,
such as the Preussen, until the spring of 2000 when Royal Clipper
was launched in Rotterdam.
Flagship of Star Clippers Cruise Line, Royal Clipper is the
largest true sailing ship in the world. It is 439 feet long with a
beam of 54 feet. Its five masts are 197 feet high and carry 42
sails totaling 56,000 square feet. The Royal Clipper's hull and mast dimensions are nearly identical to
Preussen's.
The Preussen was the fastest clipper ship ever built and carried cargo
between Chile and Germany from 1902, until its sinking in 1910, making and
breaking many records for speed. The Royal Clipper is faster, hitting
20 knots or more off the wind, with a 5-degree heel angle. Anti-heeling
tanks are filled with 160 tons of water and can be moved from side to
side.
The Royal Clipper carries 228 passengers and a crew of 106. It was outfitted
at the Merwede yard in Rotterdam and completed sea trials in mid-June of
2000.
