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MV Waldstatter (ex - PS Rhein, ex - Ben Johnson)

MV Waldstatter laid up at Luzern in 1996 in her first year after withdrawal from service
Built in 1905 by J I Thorneycroft at Southampton, England
Engines : Compound Diagonal : replaced in 1948 by Sulzer diesels
Length : 51.5 metres

Built in the UK and served from 1905 to 1907 for the London Ccounty Council's Hammersmith-Greenwich service as PS Ben Johnson
Sold cheaply after the demise of the service and left London on September 27th 1909
Towed to Duisburg in Germany, then sailed up the Rhine to Basel under her own power
Dismantled and taken overland to Luzern - extensively rebuilt for passenger service on Lake Luzern with small fore and aft deck saloons
Renamed PS Rhein
Not particularly successful in service, she was withdrawn in 1939
The boiler was sold in 1942 and the engine scrapped in 1944, and the ship stripped to the hull in 1946
Reentered service on February 2nd, 1949 as MV Waldstatter, with a new diesel power plant, screws instead of paddles and new superstructure.
Remained in service until 12th December 1995, after which she lay at the SGV dock until being turned over for use as an accommodation ship.
Scrapped at Beckenried in 2001.

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