124-638: The GTS Finnjet was a cruiseferry , built in 1977 by Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard , Finland for Finnlines traffic between Finland and Germany. At the time of her delivery, Finnjet was the fastest, longest and largest car ferry in the world, and the only one powered by gas turbines . At the point of her scrapping in 2008, she remained the fastest conventional ferry in the world, with a recorded top speed of 33.5 knots (62.0 km/h; 38.6 mph). Finnjet had remained out of service since 2005, laid up in Baton Rouge , Freeport and Genoa . Although she
248-451: A French Zone in the far west; a British Zone in the northwest; an American Zone in the south; and a Soviet Zone in the East. Berlin was separately divided into four zones. These divisions were not intended to dismember Germany, only to designate zones of administration. By the subsequent Potsdam Agreement , the four Allied Powers asserted joint sovereignty over "Germany as a whole", defined as
372-515: A State of Emergency") and the labour unions . Demonstrations and protests grew in number, and in 1967 the student Benno Ohnesorg was shot in the head by a policeman. The press, especially the tabloid Bild-Zeitung newspaper, launched a campaign against the protesters. By 1968, a stronger desire to confront the Nazi past had come into being. In the 1970s environmentalism and anti-nationalism became fundamental values among left-wing Germans. As
496-541: A caretaker. However, he ruled for 14 years. The grand statesman of German postwar politics had to be dragged—almost literally—out of office in 1963. In October 1962 the weekly news magazine Der Spiegel published an analysis of the West German military defence. The conclusion was that there were several weaknesses in the system. Ten days after publication, the offices of Der Spiegel in Hamburg were raided by
620-562: A coalition would be far from a majority. Neither condition changed until 1998. Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German politics, judiciary, society, culture, press and economy of Nazi ideology and personnel following the Second World War . It was carried out by removing those who had been Nazi Party or SS members from positions of power and influence, by disbanding the organizations associated with Nazism, and by trying prominent Nazis for war crimes . The program
744-435: A crossing in 1980, with the likeliest number projected at 500,000. At the time Finnlines and Finland Steamship Company were maintaining a joint service on the route with two ships built during the latter half of the 1960s ( MS Finnhansa (1966) and MS Finlandia (1966) , respectively), both capable of transporting a maximum of 100,000 passengers per year. Based on the estimates made Enso-Gutzeit , one of
868-635: A final Peace Treaty. Following wartime commitments by the Allies to the governments-in-exile of Czechoslovakia and Poland, the Potsdam Protocols also agreed to the 'orderly and humane' transfer to Germany as a whole of the ethnic German populations in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Eight million German expellees and refugees eventually settled in West Germany. Between 1946 and 1949, three of
992-623: A halt into the breaking at the Rishi Ship Breaker's facility. The fine overall condition of the vessel had impressed the breaker into considering of the ship having more value if returned to traffic. Several parties then searched for potential buyers and the work culminated into a Finnish ship operator sending a three-man team to inspect Finnjet during the August of that year. The team discovered only loose items such as mattresses, fridges, television sets and furniture had been removed from
1116-634: A leading FDP official, became Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister. Schmidt, a strong supporter of the European Community (EC) and the Atlantic alliance, emphasized his commitment to "the political unification of Europe in partnership with the USA". Mounting external problems forced Schmidt to concentrate on foreign policy and limited the domestic reforms that he could carry out. The USSR upgraded its intermediate-range missiles, which Schmidt complained
1240-872: A major role in drafting the antisemitic Nuremberg Race Laws in Nazi Germany. In 1957, 77% of the West German Ministry of Justice 's senior officials were former Nazi Party members. In West Germany, most of the political agencies and buildings were located in Bonn, while the German Stock Market was located in Frankfurt which became the economic center. The judicial branch of both the German Federal Constitutional Court ( Bundesverfassungsgericht ) and
1364-781: A member of the subsequently founded Warsaw Pact . The former capital, Berlin , had been divided into four sectors, with the Western Allies joining their sectors to form West Berlin , while the Soviets held East Berlin . West Berlin was completely surrounded by East German territory and had suffered a Soviet blockade in 1948–49, which was overcome by the Berlin airlift . The outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950 led to U.S. calls to rearm West Germany to help defend Western Europe from
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#17327976635161488-769: A memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising crushed by the Germans, Brandt unexpectedly knelt and meditated in silence, a moment remembered as the Kniefall von Warschau . Brandt resigned as chancellor in 1974, after Günter Guillaume , one of his closest aides, was exposed as an agent of the Stasi , the East German secret service . Finance Minister Helmut Schmidt (SPD) formed a coalition and he served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982. Hans-Dietrich Genscher ,
1612-600: A new bottom paint allowed her to increase her top speed once more, to 33.5 knots (62.0 km/h; 38.6 mph). In mid-May 2002, only a few days after Finnjet' s 25th anniversary cruise, Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported the ship was for sale. At the time the information was thought to be false but later reports indicate the Finland-based Eckerö Line did consider buying her around that time. In April 2004, Finnjet called in to Helsinki for
1736-586: A new generation of teachers, educated with the findings of historical studies, could begin to reveal the truth about the war and the crimes committed in the name of the German people, one courageous attorney, Fritz Bauer patiently gathered evidence on the guards of the Auschwitz concentration camp and about twenty were put on trial in Frankfurt in 1963. Daily newspaper reports and visits by school classes to
1860-408: A part of the joint service agreement between Finland SS Co and Finnlines, but Finland SS Co decided not to utilise the option. Following further refining of the plans to the ship by the shipyard, the keel of Project Finnjet was laid on 20 May 1975. In a traditional ceremony, coins were thrown onto the keel to wish the ship good luck. These coins were then welded on the keel. By 1975 it was clear that
1984-513: A part of the same ceremony by Annikki Mattila , the wife of Enso-Gutzeit CEO Olavi J. Mattila . The actual christening ceremony took place on the car deck of the ship. The Finnjet ' s maiden voyage was originally scheduled to depart from Helsinki on 1 May 1977. However, this was delayed due to an engine officers' strike. Finally the ship left on her maiden voyage on 13 May 1977, after a final turbine test drive had been carried out on 12 May 1977. Finnjet ' s estimated fuel consumption for
2108-622: A result, in 1979 the Greens were able to reach the 5% minimum required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen state election, and with the foundation of the national party in 1980 developed into one of the most politically successful green movements in the world. Another result of the unrest in the 1960s was the founding of the Red Army Faction (RAF). The RAF was active from 1968, carrying out
2232-705: A result, it officially considered West Germans and West Berliners as foreigners. The initialism BRD (FRG in English) began to prevail in East German usage in the early 1970s, beginning in the newspaper Neues Deutschland . Other Eastern Bloc nations soon followed suit. In 1965, the West German Federal Minister of All-German Affairs , Erich Mende , had issued the "Directives for the Appellation of Germany", recommending avoiding
2356-517: A shared non-commercial license issued to Finnjet Historical Society ry . The society holds the official documentation, operator's archive and complete sets of building plans to realized or planned-only Finnjet conversions. Several lead designers, ship builders, captains, chief engineers and crew have joined the society during 2009. Public spaces have been named as they were when the ship was last in active service for Silja Line in 2005. On Finnjet , only decks to which passengers had access are numbered,
2480-585: A short stop in Tallinn . In January 1986 another major renovation was carried out at Wärtsilä Helsinki, with new Commodore-class cabins added in place of the old sundeck. Shortly after the refit the Denmark-based DFDS made an offer to buy the Finnjet , but the offer was refused. Instead, in June of the same year Finnlines sold their remaining shares of the Finnjet to Effoa. In the beginning of 1987
2604-633: A sovereign state" on 5 May 1955 (although "full sovereignty" was not obtained until the Two Plus Four Agreement in 1990). The former occupying Western troops remained on the ground, now as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which West Germany joined on 9 May 1955, promising to rearm itself soon. West Germany became a focus of the Cold War with its juxtaposition to East Germany ,
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#17327976635162728-458: A special performance. Supporters of the Shah (later known as Jubelperser ), armed with staves and bricks attacked the protesters while the police stood by and watched. A demonstration in the centre was being forcibly dispersed when a bystander named Benno Ohnesorg was shot in the head and killed by a plainclothes policeman. (It has now been established that the policeman, Kurras, was a paid spy of
2852-541: A succession of terrorist attacks in West Germany during the 1970s. Even in the 1990s, attacks were still being committed under the name RAF . The last action took place in 1993, and in 1998 the group announced it was ceasing activities. In the 1969 election, the SPD gained enough votes to form a coalition government with the FDP. SPD leader and Chancellor Willy Brandt remained head of government until May 1974, when he resigned after
2976-539: A whole despite the Soviets declaring the end of occupation of East Berlin unilaterally many decades before). The Two-plus-Four Agreement also saw the two parts of Germany confirm their post-war external boundaries as final and irreversible (including the 1945 transfer of former German lands east of the Oder–Neisse line ), and the Allied Powers confirmed their consent to German Reunification. From 3 October 1990, after
3100-609: Is the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany from its formation on 23 May 1949 until its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republic (German: Bonner Republik ) after its capital city of Bonn . During the Cold War , the western portion of Germany and the associated territory of West Berlin were parts of the Western Bloc . West Germany
3224-542: The Finnhansa or Finlandia . Finnjet was to have 1,500 passenger berths and the ship would be powered by two gas turbines instead of the traditional diesel engines . Gas turbines would give her a service speed of 30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph) (compared to the 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) of the Finnhansa ), making it possible to cut the passage time between Helsinki and Travemünde from 36 hours to just 22 hours. Advanced loading systems developed for
3348-573: The Guillaume affair , in which a senior member of his staff was uncovered as a spy for the East German intelligence service, the Stasi . However, the affair is widely considered to have been merely a trigger for Brandt's resignation, not a fundamental cause. Instead, Brandt, dogged by scandal relating to alcohol and depression as well as the economic fallout of the 1973 oil crisis , almost seems simply to have had enough. As Brandt himself later said, "I
3472-650: The London and Paris Conferences , the Brussels Treaty was modified to include West Germany, and to form the Western European Union (WEU). West Germany was to be permitted to rearm (an idea many Germans rejected), and have full sovereign control of its military, called the Bundeswehr . The WEU, however, would regulate the size of the armed forces permitted to each of its member states. Also,
3596-486: The Red Brigades ( Brigate Rosse ), many students went to work in the factories, but with little or no success. The most notorious of the underground groups was the Red Army Faction which began by making bank raids to finance their activities and eventually went underground having killed a number of policemen, several bystanders and eventually two prominent West Germans, whom they had taken captive in order to force
3720-635: The Republic of Baden , which had derived ultimately from former independent German kingdoms and principalities. In the dominant post-war narrative of West Germany, the Nazi regime was characterised as having been a 'criminal' state, illegal and illegitimate from the outset; while the Weimar Republic was characterised as having been a 'failed' state, whose inherent institutional and constitutional flaws had been exploited by Hitler in his illegal seizure of dictatorial powers. Consequently, following
3844-629: The Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki , Finland. The cost of the ship has been estimated at being between 200 and 300 million Finnish markka , making her the largest investment made to Finnish tourism by that time. At the time Finnjet was in fact planned as the first in a pair of identical sisters. The build contract included an option for a second vessel that was offered to the Finland Steamship Company as
GTS Finnjet - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-469: The bow thruster room but was quickly brought under control. On 28 March 1976 the ship was launched from drydock without ceremonies. As "Finnjet" was only a working name given to the ship, other names were considered by Enso-Gutzeit as the final name of the vessel. Naming the ship after Urho Kekkonen , President of the Republic of Finland at the time, was considered. Eventually the project name Finnjet
4092-530: The "Two-plus-Four Agreement"); by which transitional status of Germany following World War II was definitively ended and the Four Allied powers relinquished their joint residual sovereign authority for Germany as a whole including the area of West Berlin which had officially remained under Allied occupation for the purposes of international and GDR law (a status that the Western countries applied to Berlin as
4216-686: The 'overall' German state that was held to have embodied the unified German people since the Frankfurt Parliament of 1848, and which from 1871 had been represented within the German Reich ; albeit that this overall state had become effectively dormant long before 8 May 1945. In 1949 with the continuation and aggravation of the Cold War (for example, the Berlin Airlift of 1948–49), the two German states that had originated in
4340-541: The 1970s, the West German state was to maintain that these 1937 boundaries continued to be 'valid in international law', although the Allies had already agreed amongst themselves that the territories east of the Oder-Neisse line must be transferred to Poland and the Soviet Union in any peace agreement. The conference agreed that post-war Germany, minus these transfers, would be divided into four occupation zones :
4464-423: The 22-hour travel time was 300 tonnes of fuel; approx 350,000 litres total or 16,000 litres per hour. Initially Finnjet was not a very profitable ship and after only a few years of service there were rumours that she would be sold. The ship had been ordered in the same year as the beginning of the 1973 oil crisis , which reached its peak around the time of the ship's launch. Yet another huge leap of
4588-423: The Allies stationed troops within West Germany for NATO defense, pursuant to stationing and status-of-forces agreements. With the exception of 55,000 French troops, Allied forces were under NATO's joint defense command. (France withdrew from the collective military command structure of NATO in 1966.) Konrad Adenauer was 73 years old when he became chancellor in 1949, and for this reason he was initially reckoned as
4712-540: The Atlantic alliance, emphasized his commitment to "the political unification of Europe in partnership with the USA". The goals of SPD and FDP however drifted apart in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On 1 October 1982 the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence . Following national elections in March 1983, Kohl emerged in firm control of both
4836-521: The Auschwitz trial reverberated decades later. The calling in question of the actions and policies of government led to a new climate of debate. The issues of emancipation, colonialism, environmentalism and grass roots democracy were discussed at all levels of society. In 1979 the environmental party, the Greens, reached the 5% limit required to obtain parliamentary seats in the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen provincial election. Also of great significance
4960-671: The EDC while maintaining independent control of their own armed forces. Though the EDC treaty was signed (May 1952), it never entered into force. France's Gaullists rejected it on the grounds that it threatened national sovereignty, and when the French National Assembly refused to ratify it (August 1954), the treaty died. The French Gaullists and communists had killed the French government's proposal. Then other means had to be found to allow West German rearmament. In response, at
5084-634: The East German security forces.) Protest demonstrations continued, and calls for more active opposition by some groups of students were made, which was declared by the press, especially the tabloid Bild -Zeitung newspaper, as a massive disruption to life in Berlin, in a massive campaign against the protesters. Protests against the US intervention in Vietnam , mingled with anger over the vigour with which demonstrations were repressed led to mounting militance among
GTS Finnjet - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-617: The Federal German state of Schleswig-Holstein just west of the border with East Germany . In addition to being the largest and fastest ship of her time, Finnjet is also widely considered to have been the first genuine cruiseferry . Her cabins were very much ahead of their time for a ferry, it was not until over a decade later when other ferries would match the size and fittings of Finnjet ' s cabins. Her restaurants and other services were also superior to other ferries of her time. Finnjet ' s influence can be clearly seen on
5332-473: The Federal Republic of Germany in 1990. The five post-war states ( Länder ) were reconstituted, along with the reunited Berlin , which ended its special status and formed an additional Land . They formally joined the federal republic on 3 October 1990, raising the total number of states from ten to sixteen, and ending the division of Germany. The reunited Germany is the direct continuation of
5456-420: The Federal Republic of Germany, so Bundesrepublik Deutschland became the official name of reunified Germany. In East Germany, the terms Westdeutschland (West Germany) or westdeutsche Bundesrepublik (West German Federal Republic) were preferred during the 1950s and 1960s. This changed under its constitutional amendment in 1974, when the idea of a single German nation was abandoned by East Germany. As
5580-504: The Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, raising the number of states from 10 to 16, ending the division of Germany. The expanded Federal Republic retained West Germany's political culture and continued its existing memberships in international organisations, as well as its Western foreign policy alignment and affiliation to Western alliances like NATO and the European Union. The official German reunification ceremony on 3 October 1990
5704-516: The Federal Republic subject to the terms of the Unification Treaty between the two states; and then both West Germany and East Germany radically amended their respective constitutions in accordance with that Treaty's provisions. East Germany then dissolved itself, and its five post-war states ( Länder ) were reconstituted, along with the reunited Berlin which ended its special status and formed an additional Land . They formally joined
5828-572: The Free Democratic Party (FDP) in order to lay the groundwork for an eventual return to power. Although this effort was exposed and disrupted, many former Nazis still attained positions of power and influence in the political system. West German President (1974–1979) Walter Scheel and Chancellor (1966–1969) Kurt Georg Kiesinger were both former members of the Nazi Party. Konrad Adenauer's State Secretary Hans Globke had played
5952-402: The German constitution prohibited any military action, except in the case of an external attack against Germany or its allies ( Bündnisfall ). Also, Germans could reject military service on grounds of conscience, and serve for civil purposes instead. The three Western Allies retained occupation powers in Berlin and certain responsibilities for Germany as a whole. Under the new arrangements,
6076-552: The State Counsel Siegfried Buback . In October 1969 Willy Brandt became chancellor. He maintained West Germany's close alignment with the United States and focused on strengthening European integration in western Europe, while launching the new policy of Ostpolitik aimed at improving relations with Eastern Europe. Brandt was controversial on both the right wing, for his Ostpolitik , and on
6200-812: The United Nations, NATO, OECD , and the European Economic Community . Before reunification, Germany was divided between the Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Federal Republic of Germany; commonly known as West Germany) and the Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR; German Democratic Republic; commonly known as East Germany). Reunification was achieved by accession ( Beitritt ) of the German Democratic Republic to
6324-446: The United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union held the Yalta Conference where future arrangements regarding post-war Europe and Allied strategy against Japan in the Pacific were negotiated. They agreed that the boundaries of Germany as at 31 December 1937 would be chosen as demarcating German national territory from German-occupied territory; all German annexations after 1937 were automatically null. Subsequently, and into
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#17327976635166448-400: The Western Allied and the Soviet Zones respectively became known internationally as West Germany and East Germany. Commonly known in English as East Germany , the former Soviet occupation zone in Germany , eventually became the German Democratic Republic or GDR . In 1990 West Germany and East Germany jointly signed the Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (also known as
6572-436: The court that they regarded their action as a legitimate act in what they described as the "struggle against imperialism". The student movement began to split into different factions, ranging from the unattached liberals to the Maoists and supporters of direct action in every form—the anarchists. Several groups set as their objective the aim of radicalising the industrial workers and taking an example from activities in Italy of
6696-419: The death of Hitler in 1945 and the subsequent capitulation of the German Armed Forces, the national political, judicial, administrative, and constitutional instruments of both Nazi Germany and the Weimar Republic were understood as entirely defunct, such that a new West Germany could be established in a condition of constitutional nullity. Nevertheless, the new West Germany asserted its fundamental continuity with
6820-465: The early 1990s Silja Line still considered Finnjet to be one of their greatest ships, and in their brochures she appeared right after the brand-new Helsinki– Stockholm ferries, ahead of many ships that were both newer and larger than Finnjet herself was. Finnjet still remains the best-known individual ship in Finland. She also has a very good reputation in Germany, and in August 2006, Silja Line's new owners Tallink went on record considering adapting
6944-410: The entry into the Bundestag of the Greens , who received 5.6% of the vote. In January 1987 the Kohl–Genscher government was returned to office, but the FDP and the Greens gained at the expense of the larger parties. Kohl's CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU, slipped from 48.8% of the vote in 1983 to 44.3%. The SPD fell to 37%; long-time SPD Chairman Brandt subsequently resigned in April 1987 and
7068-461: The first genuine cruiseferries built for Finland–Sweden traffic in 1980–81, ships such as MS Viking Song , MS Viking Sally and MS Finlandia . Partially due to being such a ground-breaking ship, Finnjet was also extremely prestigious, which helps explain why she remained in traffic on the Baltic Sea for such a long time even though she was often unprofitable. Famous Finnish painter Kimmo Kaivanto provided paintings and drawings to decorate
7192-419: The government and the CDU. The CDU/CSU fell just short of an absolute majority, because of the entry into the Bundestag of the Greens, who received 5.6% of the vote. In January 1987 the Kohl–Genscher government was returned to office, but the FDP and the Greens gained at the expense of the larger parties. The Social Democrats concluded that not only were the Greens unlikely to form a coalition, but also that such
7316-457: The government, demanding the resignation of Franz Josef Strauss , Defence Minister, who had decidedly overstepped his competence during the crisis. Adenauer was still wounded by his brief run for president, and this episode damaged his reputation even further. He announced that he would step down in the fall of 1963. His successor was to be Ludwig Erhard. In the early 1960s, the rate of economic growth slowed down significantly. In 1962 growth rate
7440-431: The growth predictions based on which the plans of Finnjet had been made had been overtly positive. At the time Finnlines and Finland Steamship Company were negotiating the formation of a joint subsidiary for their cargo-carrying operations. To ensure the success of Finnjet , Enso-Gutzeit and Finnlines were eager to induce Finland Steamship Company to withdraw from the Finland–West Germany passenger services completely. This
7564-438: The initialism BRD. On 31 May 1974, the heads of West German federal and state governments recommended always using the full name in official publications. From then on, West German sources avoided the abbreviated form, with the exception of left-leaning organizations which embraced it. In November 1979, the federal government informed the Bundestag that the West German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF had agreed to refuse to use
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#17327976635167688-455: The initialism. The ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code of West Germany was DE (for Deutschland , Germany), which has remained the country code of Germany after reunification. ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes are the most widely used country codes, and the DE code is notably used as a country identifier, extending the postal code and as the Internet's country code top-level domain .de . The less widely used ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code of West Germany
7812-425: The introduction of new emergency acts : the grand coalition gave the ruling parties the two-thirds majority of votes required for their ratification. These controversial acts allowed basic constitutional rights such as freedom of movement to be limited in case of a state of emergency. During the time leading up to the passing of the laws, there was fierce opposition to them, above all by the Free Democratic Party ,
7936-523: The larger cities, especially in West Berlin, where homosexuality had been widely accepted during the twenties in the Weimar Republic. Anger over the treatment of demonstrators following the death of Benno Ohnesorg and the attack on Rudi Dutschke, coupled with growing frustration over the lack of success in achieving their aims led to growing militance among students and their supporters. In May 1968, three young people set fire to two department stores in Frankfurt; they were brought to trial and made very clear to
8060-466: The largest ship to have passed through the Kiel Canal at that time. A year later 75% of Finnjet ' s shares were sold to Effoa (one of the owners of Silja Line ), and Finnjet Line was established as a joint venture of Finnlines and Effoa to operate Finnjet . Starting from November 1985, Finnjet made 24-hour (later 22-hour) backtracking cruises from Helsinki during the winter season. The final batch of these cruises in October–December 1995 included
8184-411: The last time, after which she left for another refit at Aker Finnyards Rauma shipyard in preparation for her new Saint Petersburg – Tallinn–Rostock route. During the refit most of her interiors were entirely rebuilt, new rudders were installed and bridge wings covered. The new route was believed to be profitable all year round, but this proved not to be the case. After the first summer season Finnjet
8308-473: The left wing, for his support of American policies, including the Vietnam War , and right-wing authoritarian regimes. The Brandt Report became a recognised measure for describing the general North-South divide in world economics and politics between an affluent North and a poor South. Brandt was also known for his fierce anti-communist policies at the domestic level, culminating in the Radikalenerlass (Anti-Radical Decree) in 1972. In 1970, while visiting
8432-402: The main engine room is below deck 1. During her career the Finnjet held numerous records, including the following: Cruiseferry A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry . Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while others use
8556-468: The most memorable sessions of parliament, the Bundestag concluded on 20 June 1991, with quite a slim majority, that both government and parliament should move to Berlin from Bonn . Political life in West Germany was remarkably stable and orderly. The Adenauer era (1949–63) was followed by a brief period under Ludwig Erhard (1963–66) who, in turn, was replaced by Kurt Georg Kiesinger (1966–69). All governments between 1949 and 1966 were formed by
8680-485: The name 'Finnjet' for their Finland–Germany ferries (to the dismay of ferry enthusiasts in Finland and Germany). However Finnjet is a registered trademark of Finnlines (until 2017) and therefore Tallink could not go ahead with their plan. In the beginning of the 1970s a study was made about the future development of passenger numbers on the ferry service between Finland and West Germany . The study projected notable growth, with 300,000 to 800,000 passenger projected to make
8804-411: The occupation zones began to merge. First, the British and American zones were combined into the quasi-state of Bizonia . Soon afterwards, the French zone was included into Trizonia . Conversely, the Soviet zone became East Germany . At the same time, new federal states ( Länder ) were formed in the Allied zones; replacing the geography of pre-Nazi German states such as the Free State of Prussia and
8928-494: The oil price occurred near the turn of the decade. To increase her profitability, the ship was converted to a combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion with the addition of diesel- electric generators in 1981 in Amsterdamse Droogdok Maatschappij , Amsterdam. The change allowed to operate the ship at slower speeds, using cheaper fuel during the winter months. On the way to the shipyard she became
9052-415: The owners of Finnlines, begun planning a new, larger and faster ferry for the service. Initial plans made in 1971 called for a ship with 800 passenger berths (the Finnhansa had only 300 at the time), but these were abandoned in favour of an even larger ship. The plans for the new ship, codenamed Finnjet , were developed within the next two years. Project Finnjet was developed into a much larger ship than
9176-548: The perceived Soviet threat. Germany's partners in the European Coal and Steel Community proposed to establish a European Defence Community (EDC), with an integrated army, navy and air force, composed of the armed forces of its member states. The West German military would be subject to complete EDC control, but the other EDC member states ( Belgium , France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands ) would cooperate in
9300-482: The police and quantities of documents were seized. Chancellor Adenauer proclaimed in the Bundestag that the article was tantamount to high treason and that the authors would be prosecuted. The editor/owner of the magazine, Rudolf Augstein spent some time in jail before the public outcry over the breaking of laws on freedom of the press became too loud to be ignored. The FDP members of Adenauer's cabinet resigned from
9424-643: The prime cause of the violence against students. Trucks carrying newspapers were set on fire and windows in office buildings broken. In the wakes of these demonstrations, in which the question of America's role in Vietnam began to play a bigger role, came a desire among the students to find out more about the role of the parent-generation in the Nazi era. The proceedings of the War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremberg had been widely publicised in Germany but until
9548-465: The proceedings revealed to the German public the nature of the concentration camp system and it became evident that the Shoah was of vastly greater dimensions than the German population had believed. (The term "Holocaust" for the systematic mass-murder of Jews first came into use in 1979, when a 1978 American mini-series with that name was shown on West German television.) The processes set in motion by
9672-585: The reformation of the GDR's Länder , the East German states and East Berlin joined the Federal Republic . With territories and frontiers that coincided largely with the ones of old Middle Ages East Francia and the 19th-century Napoleonic Confederation of the Rhine , the Federal Republic of Germany was founded on 23 May 1949 under the terms of the Bonn–Paris conventions , whereby it obtained "the full authority of
9796-404: The release of prisoners sympathetic to their ideas. In the 1990s attacks were still being committed under the name "RAF". The last action took place in 1993 and the group announced it was giving up its activities in 1998. Evidence that the groups had been infiltrated by German Intelligence undercover agents has since emerged, partly through the insistence of the son of one of their prominent victims,
9920-481: The resulting ten states, West Berlin was considered an unofficial de facto eleventh state. While de jure not part of West Germany, for Berlin was under the control of the Allied Control Council (ACC), West Berlin politically aligned itself with West Germany and was directly or indirectly represented in its federal institutions. The foundation for the influential position held by Germany today
10044-624: The rising West German student movement , a group calling itself Notstand der Demokratie ("Democracy in Crisis") and members of the Campaign against Nuclear Armament. A key event in the development of open democratic debate occurred in 1967, when the Shah of Iran , Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , visited West Berlin. Several thousand demonstrators gathered outside the Opera House where he was to attend
10168-661: The routes between Turku and Helsinki in Finland and Sweden 's capital Stockholm . Since the 1990s Tallink has also risen as a major company in the area, culminating with acquisition of Silja Line in 2006. The term "cruiseferry" did not come into use until the 1980s, although it has been retroactively applied to earlier ferries that have large cabin capabilities and public spaces in addition to their car- and passenger-carrying capacity. West Germany in Europe (dark grey) in Europe (dark grey) West Germany
10292-438: The ruling parties the two-thirds majority of votes required to see them in. These controversial acts allowed basic constitutional rights such as freedom of movement to be limited in case of a state of emergency . Leading up to the passing of the laws, there was fierce opposition to them, above all by the FDP, the rising German student movement , a group calling itself Notstand der Demokratie [ de ] ("Democracy in
10416-407: The same terminal is used by Viking Line ). Finnjet undertook her first sea trial between 9 and 12 December 1976. Testing the gas turbines of the ship revealed that the original hull structure could not withstand the water pressure caused by the 30.5 knots (56.5 km/h; 35.1 mph) service speed, and on returning to the shipyard various parts of the ship had to be strengthened. On 1 March 1977
10540-403: The scrapping value. Finnjet' s thick steel ( Rautaruukki NVA-36 ) ice-strengthened hull with double bottom, excessively strong bulkheads and reinforced fire-proofed compartments turned out to be a nightmare for the breaker. In September 2009 the remains of Finnjet still stood on plot 109. The license and trademark to the name Finnjet continue to reside with Finnlines Oyj / Plc , with
10664-527: The ship meant her port turnaround time would be just two hours. These factors combined meant that Finnjet would have a yearly passenger capacity of over 300,000. As a temporary measure to cover for the rising passenger numbers Thomesto Oy , another member of the Finnlines consortium, purchased the 1966-built MS Finnpartner (1973) and placed it in Finnlines traffic in 1973. On 5 December 1973 Enso-Gutzeit placed an order for project Finnjet with
10788-523: The ship sailed from Helsinki to Kiel in West Germany, where she was drydocked and her bottom painted. On the return voyage from Kiel she also visited Travemünde for the first time. The second test cruise of the ship was carried out on 14 March 1977. On 28 April 1977 Finnjet was delivered to Finnlines in a ceremony at the Finnjet terminal in Katajanokka, Helsinki. The ship was officially christened as
10912-550: The ship was painted in Silja Line's colors and incorporated in Silja's fleet. However, the technical responsibility for operating Finnjet remained with Finnlines until May 1989 (this was of little consequence as Finnlines was almost entirely owned by Effoa at the time). After the ship had become a part of the Silja Line fleet, further renovations at Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft Kiel (HDW) in 1987, 1988 and 1989 saw almost all of
11036-418: The ship's public spaces rebuilt. In 1990 Effoa merged with its fellow Silja Line partner Johnson Line to form EffJohn . In 1991 an extremely large-scale reconstruction was planned, where the ship would have been lengthened by 20 metres (66 ft), cabins enlarged, a new outdoor swimming pool added, and much of the superstructure built to a sleeker appearance. Unfortunately the plan proved to be too costly and
11160-467: The ship, along with some consoles in accordance to Indian laws. However, the damp Indian climate had encrusted Finnjet completely with mold in just three months. She had become unsalvageable for the potential buyers and full breaking was initiated on 12 September 2008. In spring of 2009, the breaker went on record for the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat of the breaking being more expensive than
11284-520: The ship, and he even designed a Finnjet medallion to commemorate the ship's commission. Kaivanto's main work for the ship, the three-deck high Pictures of Finland , was given to the Finnish Maritime Museum in 2007, destined for display in the museum from 2008 onwards. In 1977 a 7-inch single , "Finnjet Waltz", was recorded in honour of the ship, and she was the first ship ever to have a Lego model of her for sale on board. As late as
11408-784: The ships as means of transportation. Cruiseferry traffic is mainly concentrated in the seas of Northern Europe , especially the Baltic Sea and the North Sea . However, similar ships traffic across the English Channel as well as the Irish Sea , Mediterranean and even on the North Atlantic . Cruiseferries also operate from India , China and Australia . In the northern Baltic Sea, two major rival companies, Viking Line and Silja Line , have for decades competed on
11532-560: The sole democratically reorganised continuation of the 1871–1945 German Reich . Three southwestern states of West Germany merged to form Baden-Württemberg in 1952, and the Saarland joined West Germany as a state in 1957 after it had been separated as the Saar Protectorate from Allied-occupied Germany by France (the separation had been not legal as it had not been recognized by the Allied Control Council ). In addition to
11656-498: The start of January 1999. Between 1997 and 2000 segments for the Finnish comedy series Huuliveikot were shot on board Finnjet . In 1999 the summer-route was altered to Helsinki–Tallinn– Rostock . In autumn of the same year the Finnish Institute of Marine Research installed new equipment for monitoring water quality and algae. In 2001 the ship was docked with modifications made to the turbines and propeller shaft. These and
11780-486: The state previously informally called West Germany and not a new state, as the process was essentially a voluntary act of accession: the Federal Republic of Germany was enlarged to include the additional six states of the German Democratic Republic. The expanded Federal Republic retained West Germany's political culture and continued its existing memberships in international organisations, as well as its Western foreign policy alignment and affiliation to Western alliances such as
11904-553: The students at the universities in Berlin. One of the most prominent campaigners was a young man from East Germany called Rudi Dutschke who also criticised the forms of capitalism that were to be seen in West Berlin. Just before Easter 1968, a young man tried to kill Dutschke as he bicycled to the student union, seriously injuring him. All over West Germany, thousands demonstrated against the Springer newspapers which were seen as
12028-537: The top speed to 33 knots (61 km/h) and allowed for a mixed operation of turbines and diesel engines. September of the same year MS Estonia , Finnjet' s former fleetmate, sank during a heavy storm on the North Baltic. Finnjet was amongst the ferries used to search for survivors on the disaster area but she had to leave soon when cars carried on her upper cardeck started moving in the heavy seas, creating another potentially dangerous situation. In 1997 Finnjet
12152-405: The totality of the territory within the occupation zones. Former German areas east of the rivers Oder and Neisse and outside of 'Germany as a whole' were officially separated from German sovereignty in August 1945 and transferred from Soviet military occupation to Polish and Soviet (in the case of the territory of Kaliningrad) civil administration, their Polish and Soviet status to be confirmed at
12276-647: The united caucus of the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), either alone or in coalition with the smaller Free Democratic Party (FDP) or other right-wing parties. Kiesinger's 1966–69 "Grand Coalition" was between West Germany's two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This was important for the introduction of new emergency acts—the Grand Coalition gave
12400-723: The vessel to a new buyer's required standards. A potential Nordic buyer for the vessel was turned away when a Finnish entrepreneur foiled the work of Saarikangas. " Finnjet is lost", Martin Saarikangas declared and withdrew. The ship arrived at the scrapyard in Alang , India on Friday, 13 June 2008. On Thursday, 19 June the ship was beached at Plot 109 of the Alang scrapyard. Although partially beached, scrapping did not start immediately, when an international lobby group initiated by former Finnjet passenger Risto Kempas managed to negotiate
12524-409: Was 4.7% and the following year, 2.0%. After a brief recovery, the growth rate slowed again into a recession, with no growth in 1967. A new coalition was formed to deal with this problem. Erhard stepped down in 1966 and was succeeded by Kurt Georg Kiesinger . He led a grand coalition between West Germany's two largest parties, the CDU/CSU and the Social Democratic Party (SPD). This was important for
12648-551: Was DEU, which has remained the country code of reunified Germany. The now deleted codes for East Germany, on the other hand, were DD in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 and DDR in ISO 3166-1 alpha-3. The colloquial term West Germany or its equivalent was used in many languages. Westdeutschland was also a widespread colloquial form used in German-speaking countries, usually without political overtones. On 4–11 February 1945 leaders from
12772-498: Was abandoned; the funds that had been raised for this reconstruction went to the rebuilding of MS Svea and MS Wellamo into Silja Karneval and Silja Festival . Starting from 1992 Finnjet was used to monitor surface-layer chlorophyll, temperature and salinity in waters she sailed through for research by the Finnish Institute of Marine Research . A new transmission system installed in 1994 (again at HDW Kiel) raised
12896-576: Was also a proponent of agreements that developed into the present-day European Union . When the G6 was established in 1975, there was no serious debate as to whether West Germany would become a member. Following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc , symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall , both states took action to achieve German reunification . East Germany voted to dissolve and accede to
13020-399: Was an unacceptable threat to the balance of nuclear power, because it increased the likelihood of political coercion and required a western response. NATO responded in the form of its twin-track policy. The domestic reverberations were serious inside the SPD, and undermined its coalition with the FDP. One of his major successes, in collaboration with French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing ,
13144-544: Was built specifically for the route between Helsinki in Finland and Travemünde in West Germany which Finnlines had previously trafficked with slower conventional ferries. The gas turbine engines combination gave a top speed of 31 knots (57 km/h), a one-way crossing was planned to take only 22 hours for the ship. At the time Travemünde was the closest port to Finland in mainland Western Europe , being located in
13268-490: Was chosen as the official name of the ship. Coinciding with the work done on the ship itself work was carried out in the Port of Helsinki in order to accommodate the large ship. The Kustaanmiekka strait leading to Helsinki South Harbour had to be widened so that Finnjet could safely sail through it. A former warehouse at Katajanokka , Helsinki was rebuilt as a ferry terminal that would be exclusively used by Finnjet (today
13392-596: Was docked at Götaverken Cityvarvet , Gothenburg and rebuilt with a larger tax-free shop in preparation for her new itineraries where she served on the Helsinki–Travemünde route only during the summer months, the rest of the year sailing on the Helsinki–Tallinn route. Originally the port in Tallinn was Muuga , but when the ship-way of Tallinn's old harbour was reconstructed in 1998, Finnjet moved there from
13516-525: Was exhausted, for reasons which had nothing to do with the process going on at the time". Finance Minister Helmut Schmidt (SPD) then formed a government, continuing the SPD–FDP coalition. He served as Chancellor from 1974 to 1982. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, a leading FDP official, was Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister in the same years. Schmidt, a strong supporter of the European Community (EC) and
13640-638: Was formed as a political entity during the Allied occupation of Germany after World War II , established from 12 states formed in the three Allied zones of occupation held by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. At the onset of the Cold War, Europe was divided between the Western and Eastern blocs . Germany was divided into the two countries. Initially, West Germany claimed an exclusive mandate for all of Germany, representing itself as
13764-525: Was held at the Reichstag building , including Chancellor Helmut Kohl , President Richard von Weizsäcker , former Chancellor Willy Brandt and many others. One day later, the parliament of the united Germany would assemble in an act of symbolism in the Reichstag building. However, at that time, the role of Berlin had not yet been decided upon. Only after a fierce debate, considered by many as one of
13888-495: Was hugely unpopular in West Germany and was opposed by the new government of Konrad Adenauer. In 1951, several laws were passed granting amnesties and ending denazification. As a result, many people with a former Nazi past ended up again in the political apparatus of West Germany. Between 1951 and 1953, there was even an effort by a clandestine group of former Nazi functionaries, known as the Naumann Circle , to infiltrate
14012-451: Was laid during the economic miracle of the 1950s ( Wirtschaftswunder ), when West Germany rose from the enormous destruction wrought by World War II to become the world's second-largest economy. The first chancellor Konrad Adenauer , who remained in office until 1963, worked for a full alignment with the NATO rather than neutrality, and secured membership in the military alliance. Adenauer
14136-400: Was laid up for the winter 2004–2005. The route was eventually terminated after the 2005 summer season, and the ship was put up for sale. During the winter of 2005–2006, Finnjet was chartered to the faculty of medicine of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans as a dormitory ship to provide housing to students, faculty, and staff displaced by Hurricane Katrina . She
14260-607: Was moored on the west bank of the Mississippi River across from Baton Rouge , at the base of the Horace Wilkinson Bridge during relief efforts. On 6 June 2006, at the end of her charter, Finnjet left Baton Rouge for Freeport, in the Bahamas . At the same time her ownership passed from Silja Line to their (then-)parent company Sea Containers. The ship had all Silja Line markings painted over and
14384-585: Was officially renamed Da Vinci , and sailed to the T. Mariotti shipyard in Genoa , where she was to be rebuilt into a cruise ship. However, it turned out that the price of the conversion was much higher than anticipated, and as a result Da Vinci was sold for scrap in May 2008 at a price of approximately $ 9.85 million ( € 6.5 million). On 6 May 2008 she left Genoa for Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where she
14508-800: Was purchased by Club Cruise in November 2007 and renamed MS Da Vinci in January 2008 for rebuilding into a cruise ship , the ship was sold for scrap in May 2008. Following the sale she was renamed MS Kingdom for her final voyage to the scrapyard in Alang , India where scrapping finally started in September 2008. Finnjet was built by Wärtsilä at the Helsinki Shipyard (Build-No. 407) in Helsinki, Finland and delivered to Enso-Gutzeit to serve in their subsidiary Finnlines . The ship
14632-501: Was reflagged from Finnish to Bahamian registry. During the following months, several rumours surfaced about the future use of the ship. These included a sale to a Florida -based company as a casino-ship, a sale to Moby Lines , a charter or sale to the St. Kitts and Nevis -based cruise company Royal Zante Cruises, and a charter to Venezuela-based company for two years from June 2007 onwards. On 28 October 2007 Finnjetweb.com reported that Finnjet
14756-455: Was succeeded by Hans-Jochen Vogel . The FDP's share rose from 7% to 9.1%, its best showing since 1980. The Greens' share rose to 8.3% from their 1983 share of 5.6%. With the collapse of eastern bloc in 1989, symbolised by the opening of the Berlin Wall , there was a rapid move towards German reunification ; and a final settlement of the post-war special status of Germany . Following democratic elections, East Germany declared its accession to
14880-468: Was successful, and as a part of the agreement of forming Finncarriers as a joint subsidiary of Finnlines and Finland Steamship Company the latter withdrew from the Finland–West Germany passenger service, selling their Finlandia to Finnlines (in exchange for the ro-ro freighter MS Finncarrier ). The construction of Finnjet was not without mishaps, as on 24 March 1976 a fire broke out in
15004-607: Was the launching of the European Monetary System (EMS) in April 1978. In October 1982 the SPD–FDP coalition fell apart when the FDP joined forces with the CDU/CSU to elect CDU Chairman Helmut Kohl as Chancellor in a constructive vote of no confidence . Following national elections in March 1983, Kohl emerged in firm control of both the government and the CDU. The CDU/CSU fell just short of an absolute majority, due to
15128-416: Was the steady growth of a feminist movement in which women demonstrated for equal rights. Until 1977, a married woman had to have the permission of her husband if she wanted to take on a job or open a bank account. Further reforms in 1979 to parental rights law gave equal legal rights to the mother and the father, abolishing the legal authority of the father. Parallel to this, a gay movement began to grow in
15252-579: Was to be sold to a Bahama-based, US-controlled company that planned to rebuild her into the world's largest, most luxurious casino-cruise ship, capable of catering for some 3100 guests; plans for the reconstruction were reportedly to be drawn by the Finnish Deltamarin . On 21 November 2007 the ship was sold to Cruise Ship Holdings Four , a daughter company of the Netherlands-based Club Cruise . On 16 January 2008 she
15376-448: Was turned over to her new owners in mid-May. The ship was then renamed MV Kingdom . During May 2008 Finnjet' s chief designer Martin Saarikangas led an effort to purchase Finnjet as a housing vessel for the Finnish cities Espoo or Turku . After these plans were deemed unfeasible, further efforts took place to find a new operator for Finnjet . The ship's original builder in Helsinki offered assistance in reconditioning or converting
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