Historisches - Dit & Dat

Starting his journey at the southern end of Lake Tanganyika, the world’s largest freshwater lake, Zay travels north for over 300 miles on the extraordinary ‘Liemba’, which is not only said to be the world’s oldest surviving passenger ferry, but also has an incredible wartime history. The imposing 230 foot long ship, originally named the Graf von Goetzen, was built in 1913, when Tanzania was part of colonial German East Africa. At the start of WWI in 1914, the ship was converted into a warship, fitted with powerful guns to fight ships from nearby British and Belgian colonies. In 1916, however, the ship’s German commanders were forced to scuttle it in order to prevent its capture by the British or Belgians.