During the restoration work on the former Flying P-Liner "Peking", shipyard employees did not discover any treasure, but at least made a surprising find: When trying to open the steel hull, they came across the cast-iron table legs of the original captain's table in the ballast of the ship.
Surprise find: two table legs of the old captain's table of the "Peking"
These are apparently part of the loose ballast on board that used to be common, which was later replaced by solid ballast made of cement mortar. According to the Hamburg Maritim Foundation, owner of the "Peking", heavy objects, preferably cast-iron components, were used. In other words: metal parts that were found on board at the time and that were not necessarily needed elsewhere were carried into the ship's bilge and poured with cement.
The Hamburg Maritime Foundation describes the fund as "great luck" for the foundation. At that time disposed of as waste in the concrete, today it is wonderful restoration pieces. If the test drillings on the fuselage had been carried out elsewhere, the unique specimens would never have come to light.
Loose ballast, including the table legs
In the summer of 2017, the "Peking" was transported by dock ship from New York to the Elbe in a highly regarded overpass, in order to be restored at the Wewelsflether Peters shipyard and then to be given its new home port as a museum ship in the port of Hamburg.
During the ferry crossing of the four-master, pictures were taken that can now be seen in the first Beijing calendar for 2018: "Photographers accompanied the ship on the long journey across the Atlantic and made their photos available. Scenes were captured that will never be repeated like this. The present calendar is fed from this unique fund, "said the Hamburg Maritime Foundation.
The Beijing Calendar for 2018
Numerous photographs show the stations of the "Peking" on its voyage from New York to Wewelsfleth: at Pier 16 in Manhattan, in the dock ship across the Atlantic, the arrival in Wewelsfleth and finally in the dock of the Peters Werft. The calendar has a size of 48.5 cm x 33.5 cm and a spiral binding. It is available from the Hamburg Maritime Foundation for 19.90 euros.
On the website of the Hamburg Maritime Foundation, a video report on the discovery of the table legs will be shown shortly.