Model cut-out sheets, Scale 1:100

The former model building sheet has been completely revised and equipped with additional details. Together with its dinghy, an attractive model has been created.

Model cut-out sheets, Scale 1:100

 

The German Society for the Rescue of Shipwrecked (DGzRS) was founded in 1865. At first rowing boats were used, and from 1911 motorised lifeboats were in service. From 1950, a new type of ship was constructed that would meet bigger challenges: nearly unlimited seaworthiness, higher speeds, operational capability in deep and shallow waters. And so in the years 1957 to 1960 the 23-meter class was created, and was also known as Theodor Heuss Class after its lead ship. In addition to the “Theodor Heuss”, the “Ruhr-Stahl”, Hamburg” and “H. H. Meier” also belonged to this class. They were stationed in Laboe near Kiel and in Bremerhaven, among other places, and in service for sea rescue until 1985. For sea rescue, fast operational readiness and excellent seaworthiness are essential for survival. For this reason, the cruisers of the Theodor Heuss Class were equipped with the most modern technology of the day. Because of the three engines, each driving a propeller, each ship had a total of 1750 HP and could achieve a speed of 20 knots. On board there was medical equipment for initial treatment as well as numerous navigation and communication devices, which were needed when searching for damaged ships and survivors. The daughter boat was located at the rear of the ship. It could be launched through a flap at the stern. Due to its shallow draught of only 60 cm, it could also be used in shallow waters and in the mudflats. The ship “Theodor Heuss” was taken into service in 1957 and named after the former President of the Federal Republic, who personally attended the launching ceremony. After it was sold in 1985, it was in service on the Weser under the name “Frido Spatz” until 2008. Today the ship sails under Danish flag and bears the name “Jan”. The recently renovated ship was present at the Hamburg Harbour Birthday in 2016 under the name “THeuss”. The sister ship “H. H. Meier”, named after a Bremen consul and ship owner, was in service in Bremerhaven from 1960. Its dinghy, the so-called “daughter boat”, was given the name “Roland” after the famous Bremen landmark. After its decommissioning in 1985, the “H. H. Meier” war renamed “Theodor Heuss” as a testimonial to the whole Theodor Heuss Class. From that time on, the daughter boat was called “Tedje”, a Low German dialect diminutive form of Theodor. In 1987 the “Theodor Heuss” was sold to the Deutsche Museum in Munich. It sailed on the Rhine, the Main and the Main-Danube Canal as far as Nürnberg, where it was loaded onto a heavy goods vehicle and transported to Munich as a heavy goods transport. It is now exhibited in front of the museum together with its daughter boat, as one of the first German sea rescue cruisers.

Author: Peter Gierhardt/Hubert Siegmund
2,5 sheets. Size of the model: L 23 x B 6 x H 9 cm
Assembly instruction in german and english, 22 x 31 cm.

Difficulty class: middle

Published by: Schreiber-Verlag