The skipper Hermann Haak paid 6,600 marks in 1912 for the so-called Ewer, a flat-bottomed cargo ship. He christens the two-master in the name of his wife Wilhelmine. Cargo gliders were not uncommon at that time:Around 2,000 Ewer were sailing on the Elbe at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, and the shipyards in the Elbe region were still building many of these ships up until 1930. As with the "Wilhelmine", they are increasingly using steel instead of wood for the hull.
Bricks for the Chilehaus
The "Wilhelmine" is a particularly solidly built ship:the frames in the hull were narrowed so that she can also transport loads of bricks - there are around 300 brickworks around Stade. Among other things, the "Wilhelmine" transports stones that will later be installed in the world-famous Chilehaus in Hamburg. The Ewer is mainly on the way on the Lower Elbe and its tributaries up to the Wadden Sea. Later it also travels to destinations in the Ruhr area or Groningen in the Netherlands via canals.
Conversion from sailing ship to motor ship
In 1928 the "Wilhelmine" was converted into a motor ship. Sails, masts and leeboards are removed. Further conversions follow in the late 1940s and 1950s so that the "Wilhelmine" remains competitive with more modern barges.
The old ship continued to deteriorate over the years. It had already lost its masts in the 1940s.But it was all over in 1976:Klaus Haak, son of Wilhelmine and Hermann Haak, sold the ship to an entrepreneur from Wischhafen for health reasons. He decides not to scrap the ship - as initially planned - but to convert it into a passenger ewer. But he doesn't finish the project. A youth group that then wants to restore the ship also fails. Over the years, the Ewer, which now bears the name "Passat", continues to deteriorate.
Stade students are restoring the ship
In 1981, people in Stade became aware of the old Elbewer, which is located in Wischhafen. At the suggestion of the school rector and former captain Joachim Fielitz, the city has been looking for a traditional ship for some time that will bring the former cityscape of the old port city with its tall ships to life again. For a symbolic D-Mark, the "Passat"/"Wilhelmine" changes hands and is brought to Stade. Now it's the Stade students' turn:they knock and hammer, clear out and clean. In addition to the financial help from the city, teachers, parents, private individuals and regional companies also support the complex restoration work with money, materials and knowledge. In March 1984 the masts and the leeboards are set. Shortly thereafter, the sailor sets sail again - with the happy and proud students on board.
A ship for students and paying guests
To this day, the "Wilhelmine von Stade" has remained a student ship and is primarily used for youth work, which is organized by a non-profit association. Pupils from the age of eleven are allowed to sail, but they also maintain the traditional sailing ship. There is a working day on the ship once a week, in the summer there are regattas and traditional sailing meetings as well as three-week long trips across the North and Baltic Seas. Guests who would like to get a taste of sea air on the "Wilhelmine" can take part in one of the guest trips. The crew on these cruises always consists of young people.