Kartonmodell Wilhelmshaven

Hello and welcome. Today we're looking at a very old model. It is the Wilhelmshaven, an ancient model from the Wilhelmshavener Modellbauverlag
Yes, and here is the kit. I built the model itself in the early 1960s and it has survived 12 moves to 4 different cities. A few years ago I discovered it hidden in a moving box and thoroughly renovated it.
The Wilhelmshaven was a seaside resort ship that sailed between Wilhelmshaven and Helgoland from 1964 to 2004, i.e. for 40 years. I took the ship this route three times and there are even photos of two of these trips. The first trip was made in the first year of commissioning, i.e. 1964. It was a very stormy crossing and I can still remember it well. When we arrived at the roadstead in Heligoland, we were put into small boats and taken ashore. The third trip was in 1974 and now the pictures are even in color.
But back to the model. The original ship was around 76 meters long; as a 1:250 scale model it is around 30 cm long. The Wilhelmshaven made a name for itself at the time by being the first of the bathing ships that came from Bremerhaven, Büsum and Hamburg, the first to arrive there and the last to return. This means that the guests of the Wilhelmshaven had the longest stay on the island.
She could do 14 knots, which isn't actually that much, and she was certified for 1,100 passengers. In 1984, the city of Wilhelmshaven stopped operating the ship and sold it to the Warrings shipping company in Carolinensiel, which continued to use the ship on the route.
Here I show you the Wilhelmshaven together with the Clement, also a model from Wilhelmshavener Modellbauverlag. It was built in 1955 as a general cargo ship for the Mediterranean region and was 91 meters long, and as a model on a scale of 1:250 it was around 36 cm long. I only built the model itself a few years ago.
The last time I saw the Wilhelmshaven was in 1996, lying on the quay in Wilhelmshaven. The paint urgently needed to be renewed and so the ship looked a bit run down.
In 2004, after 40 years of service, extensive renovation work was needed, which ultimately could no longer be economically justified. And so the last trip with the Wilhelmshaven to Heligoland took place on October 3rd, 2004.
In 2005 the ship was sold to Italy, where it was used for ferry services from Sicily for a while. In 2014, the ship was ultimately sold to Turkey for scrapping. This is where the story of Wilhelmshaven ends.
This brings me to the end of the report. I thank you for taking your time and say goodbye.