Second German steamer model

[Hankwilliams]

Model of second German steamship "Courier" in 1817.
This model I found in the German museum for inland navigation in Duisburg. The "Courier" was the second steamship in in Germany. She was made of wood by John Humphries and his son John Barnett Humphries in Berlin 1816 - 1817. The boat with lenght of 40 m was brought into action on rivers Spree, Havel and Elbe at the first steamboat line of the Continent between Berlin and Hamburg. The "Courier" was very reliable on this line for about 2 - 3 years. The first steamboat line was no economical success and was liquidatet in 1824.
May be, this boat in scale of 1 : 24 will be my next model project with 1 cylinder side lever engine!

Thomas

[Hankwilliams]

First German steamship "Prinzessin Charlotte von Preussen". Built by Humphrey father and son John Barnett H. in Berlin 1816. Maiden travel beginning November 1816 between Berlin and Potsdam. The boat was a center wheeler with a 14 hp side lever engine, ca. 40 m long. Like many pioneer steamboats, boiler and engine was installated side by side.
Some plans of the boat and the engine are preserved, the picture of the boat dated from 1817. The "Prinzessin Charlotte" was running until 1821, probably the pine wood of the area with the heavy engine and boiler becomes leaky.
Not far from the first departure station of 1816 now in our days there is a restaurant ship, named after the son of John Humphrey "John Barnett"

Thomas

[Hankwilliams]

Here the pictures...

[derekwarner_decoy]

Hullo Thomas.......this is a really interesting 

"First German steamship "Prinzessin Charlotte von Preussen". Built by Humphrey father and son John Barnett H. in Berlin 1816"

Being built in Germany, however by a builder with an English name?......so this may explain why some of the principal building dimensions are in feet & inches.......but also assumed spaced dimensions in European metric

From the plans we see structural members listed as 6 x 7 1/2, 7 x 9 and 5 x 2 [inches?]....although hull length listed spacing is shown as 6.0 [and divided by 10] to the next dimension 7.0....so assumed as metres

Do you think this could be the case?, or were some of the dimensions Imperialized when converted to CAD?

Derek

[Hankwilliams]

Hi Derek,

John Humphreys (father, died ca. 1820) was a scotish merchant. His son, John Barnett Humphreys (1787 - 1858) was born in London and grow up in England and in Germany. The exact circumstances, when and why father and son went to Germany are not known - probably for the invention of steam driven boats.
John Barnett Humphreys went back to England in 1825, in the first time he worked as an engineer, later he became a important inventor of steam navigation in Brazil (wikipedia). This informations are rather new, long time his further life, after he left Berlin, was not known.
Mr. Werner Jaeger was a german naval historian. He wrote the book "Das Mittelrad-Dampfschiff PRINZESSIN CHARLOTTE VON PREUSSEN" in 1977 with some original sketches and drawings, the showed plans (not the engine and boiler plans) are reconstructions by him after more ore less desolate drawings and other documents delivered dimensions. Of course the original dimensions are in foot and inches., in his book he transferred it also in metric. The named dimensions are in inches.
The book may be obtainable second hand via amazon.

Thomas

[andy]

But the first picture shows the funnel in a central position and not according to the plans?

Andreas

[Hankwilliams]

Hi Andy,

see picture 4 of Prinzessin "Charlotte". The center funnel is connected with a smoke tube with the boiler on the port side.
I add two drawings of the "Courier" plans, which construction was different, the boiler position was behind the engine. Interesting also the clutch between engine and paddleshaft plus the possibility to change the height of the paddlewheels!

Thomas

[Hankwilliams]

pictures of clutch and details of the height shifter of the paddlewheels of "Courier" engine.