GERMANY
After leaving Dover, the ship had to cross the Kiel Canal (Nord Ostsee Kanal in German) to reach the German port of Warnemunde. This canal, built between 1887 and 1895, extends 61 miles, joining the North Sea with the Baltic Sea. It is 338 feet wide, 37 feet deep and spanned by 7 bridges about 140 feet high. The maximum speed allowed is 8 knots and it took the boat almost 10 hours to cross. We were behind schedule because the captain did not want to get a speeding ticket. |
HOME DOVER KIEL CANAL BERLIN BALTIC SEA ST. PETERSBURG • Hermitage 1 • Hermitage 2 • Peterhof HELSINKI STOCKHOLM COPENHAGEN • Tivoli Gardens OSLO
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| At the far distance of the above picture, one of the seven bridges spanning the canal was in sight. However, the Norwegian Dream is taller than the 140-feet clearance to pass under these bridges. A clever engineering feat was "dreamed" up to allow the ship to cross this waterway. The mast of the ship was rebuilt so that it could be lowered and the funnel was designed to be able to "flip" over, making the Norwegian Dream the tallest ship to navigate through the Kiel Canal. |
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