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 Kuna inGryfino | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Poland | |
| Name | Kuna |
| Namesake | Marten |
| Owner | Przystań Gorzów |
| Port of registry | Gorzów Wielkopolski |
| Builder | Danziger Schiffswerft & Kesselschmiede Feliks Devrient & Co |
| Launched | 1884 |
| Identification | Call sign SR 2685 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | River icebreaker |
| Tonnage | 75 tons |
| Length | 30.6 m |
| Beam | 4.75 m |
| Height | 2.62 m |
| Draft | 1.90 m |
| Installed power | SW 680 Diesel Engine (165 HP) |
| Propulsion | Original piece of the propeller shaft and one propeller |
| Speed | 11 knots |
| Capacity | 60 passengers |
Kuna is the oldest in serviceriver icebreaker in the world, built in 1884 inDanzig. The ship which is sailing on theOder changed flag five times. Today, it sails as amuseum andtraining ship,[1][2] intended for historical and cultural education in the field of the history ofwaterways,inland navigation, water construction and ecology, as well as the culture and history of the region in which it has been revitalized.
Kuna, the fourth in a series of steam icebreakers, was built at the Danziger Schiffswerft & Kesselschmiede Feliks Devrient & Co. in 1884.[1][2] Initially, the ship was namedFerse (the German name for theWierzyca flowing into theVistula – all four ships were named after rivers in the lowerVistula basin).[1] In 1940,Ferse was renamedMarder (marten in German) and, in 1947, retained that meaning in Polish asKuna.[1] Throughout its service (except for the two-year period after the end ofWorld War II),Kuna did not change its area of operation.[1]
Until 1920, the ship sailed for theKöniglich Preußische Weichsel-Strombauverwaltung (Royal Prussian Vistula River Works Administration).[1] After the creation of theFree City of Danzig, it was handed over to the Port and Waterways Council together with the entire icebreaker fleet and sailed under the Danzig flag.[3] During World War II, the ship sailed under the flag of theThird Reich and belonged to the Main Waterways Authority.[3] In March 1945,Kuna participated in the evacuation of the population of Gdańsk; it sailed toKiel andHamburg, where it was taken over by the British occupation authorities after the end of the war. Under the British flag, it served in Hamburg as an icebreaker and porttugboat until 1947, when it was handed over to the Polish Maritime Mission.[3] After returning to Gdańsk,Kuna initially belonged to the Maritime Office inGdynia, which then handed it over to the State Water Authority inTczew, managing inland waterways. After the renovation at the shipyard in Pleniewo,Kuna returned, under the Polish flag, to service in the lower reaches of the Vistula River.[3]
In 1965, the ship was withdrawn from service, and in the following year reduced to an empty hull to be scrapped.[3] In 1978 the hull was towed to Gorzów Wielkopolski and used as a mooring pontoon.[3] In 1981 it sank in the shipyard basin and remained at the bottom for almost 20 years.[2]
From 2001 to 2004, the locally-established Stowarzyszenie Wodniaków Gorzowskich Kuna ("Kuna Association of Gorzow Watermen") restored the vessel to its original appearance, collected documentation, and secured the necessary permits to allow a return to active service as a museum ship, providing educational trips.[2][3]
In 2014Kuna was transferred to its current owner, Przystań Gorzów ("Port Gorzów") which continues its intended programme of educational and recreational cruises on theWarta River.[1][4]
TheKuna sails as a museum and training ship.[5] The cruises are educational and recreational in nature, constituting one of Gorzów's summer attractions.[6] However, it happens that due to the low level of the Warta River, the cruises are sometimes suspended. It is possible to visit theKuna docked at the Gorzów river port on a daily basis. There is a guide on the ship giving tours both on deck and underneath.[7]
This voyage starts at the eastern boulevard (next to the observation deck) and proceeds in the direction of Wieprzyce to the bridge on the Gorzów bypass. It lasts about two hours.[8]
This voyage starts at the eastern boulevard. It consists of touring the Warta River valley, a visit at the Gorzów port, and a cruise to the nearbySantok.
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