paddle steamer 'Engeland'

The paddle steamer 'Engeland' - owned by the Dutch 'Stoomvaart Maatschappij Zeeland' (SMZ) based in the town of Flushing - was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering In Glasgow, England. In those days - the eighties of the 19th century - the paddle steamer was still a very common type of ship. In spite of the fact that the paddle wheels are not very efficient and make the ship more difficult to load and unload. However the trust in ships propellors was low, so the disadvantages of the paddle wheels were accepted. The paddle steamer 'Engeland' sailed a regular service to and from England until 1911. It was highly important for the shipment of mail from England to the rest of Europe. Almost all the mail from England arrived in Flushing. From there it was distributed throughout Europe. After World War II the SMZ moved from Flushing to the Hook of Holland (the Flushing harbour was heavily damaged during the war) and stayed in service until 1989. In that year the company was bought by Stena Line. The model of the 'Engeland' measures (lxwxh) 188 x 42 x 65 cm.