The RC
After the RK Marine Kiel (Reservists Comradeship Navy Kiel) had "lain fallow" for some years, long-standing friends Dieter Stier and Manfred Heidenreich 1971 decided to revive the RK.
Old documents of the reservist association and many personal conversations with former members of the German Navy led to approx 20 reservists meeting at the beginning of 1972 and founding a new RK Marine Kiel. Manfred Heidenreich became chairman and Dieter Stier deputy-chairman.
The aims of the RK Marine Kiel were:
- 1. Deepening of the maritime knowledge
- 2. Contact to the German Navy
- 3. Care of the comradeship
To accomplish these goals, the executive board decided to offer sailing training. So a sailing cutter was made available by the active troop in Kiel and Ploen for education purposes. Theoretical training was carried out in the winter months and in the summer months practical training was offered by Heidenreich and Stier. In the following years quite a number of sailing licenses could be handed over and the number of members grew rapidly.
After many attempts by the executive board the RK Marine Kiel 1975/76 got indefinietly two from patterned sail Cutter for the training purposes free of charge made available by the German Navy. Now we can relax. We now sail almost daily and particularly at the weekend.
Besides participation in the cutter regattas at the annual Kiel week, the first long sailing cruise was carried out to Denmark for the home defense there in Assens (Fuenen) in 1976. Contact to the Danes led to friendships, still existing today.
Because of the steadily increasing number of members, it slowly became too cramped on the boats. The executive board tried intensively to be able to take over motorboats from the German Navy. Three motorboats thus became available (1 Captains Boat and 2 Traffic Boats) from the German Navy to the RK Marine Kiel. Now the RK, she had a little fleet.
The highlight of the annual activities became the four day long cruise. So the 30th long cruise could be carried out successfully in 2005.
At the beginning of 2004 after over 32 years of successful executive board work, a change was made- Manfred Heidenreich handed the scepter to over his comrade Frank Steffen. Manfred Heidenreich became an honorary chairman and is still advises the RK Marine Kiel.
Under the management of the new chairman, group of our members with a lot of work, time and money has basically re-structured the boats´ organization within the last few years . Today, the fleet has become a "to telescope" on the fjord in Kiel again. We nevertheless won't run out of work on the boats within the next few years either. Our aims are ambitious - because of this improved appointment coordination shall help provide more helpers.
The cutter sails with pupils, handicapped and delinquent teenagers who have become an integral part of our annual activities. The attendants and the press are full of praise about this successful work. Our RK supplies some boat leaders and our navy Cutter meanwhile, year for year are at the disposal of Camp 24|seven of KIEL.SAILING CITY free of charge.
Besides this, the business sports groups of HDW (Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH), HSH Northbank and the RCB (Regional central bank Schleswig-Holstein) use our navy Cutter. The boat leaders are, in principle, members of the RK.
The two traffic boats 'Kuddel' and 'Kuestennebel' are the main assets of the RK, with which we make excursions. Our boats are very popular with guests of the German Navy and other reservist comradeships. Comrades from Germany and the foreign countries can be shown the beauty of Kiel from the waterway with pleasure. But also the army, the air force and the arsenal appreciate our gems.
We organize troop visits, inspect ships for the German Navy and as a result of new relationships, also interesting facilities outside the German Federal Armed Forces.
A group has founded itself as shooting marksmen, taking part in various events in the Schleswig-Holstein area already successfully.
The area of public relations was altered meanwhile too, newly structured and fully developed. So our comrades Bert Schaumberg and Volker Rubach represent us in uniform at official and public events. An information flyer, our mail distributor, the redesigned homepage and regular RK evenings (in summer weekly) serve the fast and comprehensive information exchange of the comrades.
The new RK chairman has collected a team of helpers by now, so that the work has been spread amongst many hands.
Contact to the active troop shall be improved and strengthened. Definitely the proximity to the sail training ship Gorch Fock, the flotilla 1 and the flotilla of the mine forces of the German Navy , which has moved to the navy base in Kiel, offer their services for this. But not only the active troop in a the direct proximity is important to us, because we would also like to build up contact with the other remaining locations in Schleswig-Holstein.
These contacts will certainly make further interesting troop visits possible and give active soldiers the opportunity to experience general activities with us on the water (Sailing or Traffic Boat driving) or to experience social life. Also visits to civilian facilities, provided that contacts are made, will hopefully be extended.
Furthermore we would like to expand the areas Official Event / Association Event and improving our shooting group and designing more actively. Members shall be encouraged to support these areas more.
And the further training of active boat leaders and of course most important more recently is education, sea team, knot know-how, ...
Every active soldier or reservist therefore is welcome, who supports the RK Marine Kiel actively takes over responsibility, plans and carries out activities.