BUCHHORN tug 1891

[aukepalmhof]

For the 75th Anniversary of the Navigable Airships, Barbuda issued four 75c stamps on one stamp is depict the tug BUCHHORN towing a raft to which the airship LZ-1 is moored. An other stamp in the set shows the battleship OSTFRIESLAND of the German Imperial Navy.
The stamp shows her when on 02 July 1900 she towed out for her first flight the zeppelin LZ 1

The BUCHORN named after the town Buchorn was ordered by the Königlich Württembergischen Railway by the Schiffswerft Dresden in Saxonia.
Tonnage ?, dim. 16.5 x 3.2 x 1.17m. (draught).
One steam engine 90 hp, speed 17km/h without a tow.
Capacity 30 passengers.
1891 In service, homeport Friedrichshafen.

She was not strongly powered, only with good weather was it possible for her to tow slowly one railway barge.
Due to her light draught of 1.17m was she from 1900 till 1909 used to tow zeppelins out from there floating airship hangars at Manzell on Lake Constance.

The zeppelin was moored on a floating raft which consisted of 12 pontoons, the dimensions of the raft were. 116 x 12m.

The BUCHHORN came to the rescue after the 128 metre airship 18 minutes after the start had to ditch on her first flight off Immenstaad when a moveable weight had jammed and one of the engines broke down.

1909 Was the BUCHHORN rammed by the STADT ZURICH.

When in 1920 Royal Wurttemberg State Railways was taken over by the Reichsbahn (State Railway) the BUCHHORN was transferred to the new company.
1928 Was she scrapped.

Source: Watercraft Philately 1980 page 38. Wikipedia.

Barbuda 1977 75c sg363, scot