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GW—
35
I
n the 50 years Billy Smith has
worked on the London docks
he has seen just about every
type of vessel inch its way up and
down the capital ’s waterways.
Nothing, however, could prepare
the dockmaster for the arrival of
the luxury cruise linerMS
Deutschland
. The lavish
behemoth that will host the
guests and partners of the
GermanOlympic Teamduring
the Games recently squeezed its
over-sized stern into the London
Docklands area, as a nervous
Smith looked on.
‘I have worked on the River
Thames and in the Docks since
1962, and have lived on the Isle of
Dogs for most of my life, but this
is the largest ship I have ever
seen navigate through the West
India Ship Lock,’ says the British
Waterways dockmaster and tidal
locks supervisor, revealing that
the
Deutschland
made it with just
1.4m to spare as she went on a
dry run ahead of the Olympics
this year. ‘To fit her in we used
the high tides and brought her in
stern first, an unusual and
interesting operation for the
river pilots and the captain. I’m
pleased the tides meant this was
a night-time operation, because
the addition of a crowd would
have been extra pressure during
such a technical manoeuvre.’
The
Deutschland
is a 22,400-
ton reminder that Germany
plans to make an impression on
London during the Olympics
and hopefully repeat the
O L Y M P I C S
GERMANY’S OLYMPIC
HOME FROM HOME
Didn’t get tickets for the Olympics? Don’t despair – come to the Fan
Fest at the Deutsches Haus in London’s Docklands, where German
athletes, journalists and fans will be celebrating the Games in style
success of the 16 medals the
teamwon in Peking. In addition
to parking their own floating
hotel at the West India Docks,
the German National Olympic
Committee will transform the
nearby Museum of London
Docklands into Deutsches
Haus, a hospitality house
frequented by top athletes,
business folk, journalists and
sports fans who couldn’t get
tickets to Olympic events.
There will be a ‘Fan Fest’ to
allow fans to get together, taste
great German food and drink,
listen to live music and support
athletes as they watch them on
big-screen TV. ‘It is all about
creating an Olympic
atmosphere,’ says Christian
Klaue, head of media for the
Olympic Committee. ‘People
who visit Deutsches Haus will
experience the enthusiasm
Germans have for sport. It is a
meeting place for about 1,000
athletes and guests but is also
very much a place for members
of the public who want to make
the most of the Games.’
The organisers of Deutsches
Haus put a lot of thought into
picking the right location, and
feel the Museum of London
Docklands is perfect. For the
lucky fewwho did get tickets, the
Olympic Games venues are
within a radius of just 10km from
the building. Tower Bridge in
the heart of London is only 20
minutes away by Thames
Clipper, the high-speed river-
bus service, while Deutsches
Haus is within walking distance
of bothWest India Quay and
CanaryWharf Underground
stations. And as Klaue adds: ‘The
location is especially suitable
because theMS
Deutschland
can
be placed close by.’
For the Olympic Committee,
using the Museum of London
Docklands is more than just a
Ein imposanter Anblick: MS Deutschland
vor der Skyline von Londons Docklands
MS Deutschland will house the German
Olympic team during London 2012