Out of the imagination of a mad inventor, a vehicle, called the “Desert Ship”, 40 m long and 13.5 m long, 12 m wheels. powered by two large diesel engines and capable of carrying 300 passengers, in reality it is a liner on wheels to cross the Sahara. A cruise in the middle of the desert, what could be crazier?
source.image: Found And Explained
The German inventor Christian Bischoff was unable to realize his dream on a real scale, but nevertheless created a miniature replica of this machine which would surely have panicked people’s minds, it was then in 1932. This idea had been germinating for 5 years and he even filed patents for “all countries with colonial possessions”. Driven by two diesel motors of 450 horsepower, equipped with an on-board telegraph system for communication between the driver and the engine room, lights for nighttime navigation, a refrigeration system for food supplies, bathrooms.
Of the 150 passengers, 50 are housed in cabins, while hammocks are provided for the others. The necessary living rooms and dining rooms are provided.” For the staff: “1 driver and 2 assistants, 3 mechanics, 1 cook and 2 assistants, 2 stewards, 1 stewardess and 4 crew members. Accommodations for a doctor can also be met.”
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Although was not fully realized, a photograph from 1932 confirms that Bischoff did construct a scale model of his desert ship, which is documented here by a large and highly detailed folding plate. A valuable prospectus documenting an innovative project the development of which was coincided with Germany’s rearmament.
