Bussard, Buoy tender and steamship in Kiel, Germany

The Bussard is a coal-fired steamship built in 1906 at Meyer Werft in Papenburg as a buoy tender for the Kiel Bay. It belongs to the Kiel Maritime Museum and is operated by the Dampfer Bussard e. V. association. Its original steam engine was restored and approved by TÜV in 2002, and the main engine ran on steam again in May 2005.

Built in 1906 at Meyer Werft in Papenburg for 224,000 Goldmark, the Bussard served the Royal Water Construction Inspection in Flensburg. It was based in Sonderburg until 1919, then in Kiel, laying and repairing buoys in Kiel Bay and supplying the Fehmarnbelt lightship. Decommissioned in 1979, it was donated to the Kiel Maritime Museum in 1980. Volunteers restored the steam engine, and after TÜV approval of the boiler, the main engine ran on steam again in May 2005; a first trial voyage followed on 5 November 2006.

The vessel shows how German maritime workers outfitted their tools and how harbor operations looked in the early 1900s. Visitors can observe how crew members worked daily with the machinery and equipment.

The Bussard carries 80 to 100 passengers plus a crew of 20, and charter trips are run by the Dampfer Bussard e. V. association founded in 2005. The engine is fired by coal, and the ship is certified as a traditional vessel by BG Verkehr. Access to the engine room and lower decks is via steep, narrow stairs.

The vessel sat idle for years before being brought back to life and finding a new role at the museum. This revival was a major technical undertaking that shows how historic ships can be preserved for future visitors.