Rijnstoomschip

Unique ship model of the Rhinesteamer "HARDEWIJK"

Dimensions: 180 x 22 x 61 cm.
Scale: 1 : 33
Price: to be agreed.
Excl. 19% V.A.T.
Incl. displaycase on suitable table 200 x 50 cm
Ex works Papendrecht.
Not an antique.
To view on appointment
Hire or hire-purchase: EURO.50,00 per month, on yearbasis, excl. VAT.
SOLD

History

The Rhinesteamer Harderwijk was built in 1904 on the shipyard of P. Smit in Kinderdijk.

Length: 56,72 m.
Width: 7,34 meter.
Draught: 2,62 m.
Deadweight: 531 tons
Steamengine: Löhnis & Co., C.M. 250 hp.

harderwijk

Due to their discontent with the existing hinterland connections, the KNSM (Royal Dutch Steamship Company) in Amsterdam, decided in 1903 to start their own Rhine Shipping Company. They were established under the name "Nieuwe Rijnvaart Maatschappij" (NRM) (New Rhineshipping Company).

One of the managers of the KNSM, Mr. Den Tex, decided that all names of these ships had to end with "wijk", meaning "quarter". Therefore the new shipping company was better known amoung the older Rhine skippers as "wijkdienst", or "quarter service". The new company ordered the building of a series of modern freight steamers with a usual length of 67 meter. In the summer of 1904 however, three smaller vessels where also built.

The Harderwijk was one of them. She was constructed for speed, with slimming lines, which resulted in a restricted cargo-capacity. Also the steam engine with bunkers and boiler took a lot of space and weight. In 1952 she was reconstructed into a motor vessel. The ship was sold in 1965 to the city of Zwolle and renamed the Volharding. These kinds of vessels however where no longer economic, and the ship was scrapped in 1977 in Wormer.