Photo: Keldysh here leaves the pier in Kiel Harbour heading for the Bismarck wreck site.	Photo: Here the Keldysh passes by the HDW Howaldtwerke Deutsche Werft AG which is the biggest shipyard in Germany.

At 0630 the Keldysh backed away from the pier and sailed quite some distance away before returning again to the pier, this was to allow some footage of Keldysh to be filmed. As soon as that was completed we finally departed and sailed out of Kiel harbour heading towards the Holtenauer Sluice.

Photo: A view towards the Kieler Förde and the naval memorial at Laboe (the high tower a bit to the right near the centre of the photo). Here the Keldysh was on its way to the Holtenauer Sluice to enter the Nord-Ost-See Kanal (channel).

We passed the Holtenauer Sluice and entered the channel called Nord-Ost-See Kanal (formerly known as Kaiser Wilhelm Kanal). It was a beautiful journey on the Nord-Ost-See Kanal.

Photo: The Keldysh in the Nord-Ost-See Kanal (formerly known as Kaiser Wilhelm Kanal) on its way to the river of Elbe. It was a beautiful trip down the Nord-Ost-See Kanal. It is a very famous and popular journey among tourists.
Photo: The Keldysh has just passed below the Rendsburger Hochbrücke which is known from photos of the Bismarck.	Photo: John Asmussen on the stern of the Keldysh with the Rendsburger Hochbrücke in the background.

This channel was frequently used by the German warships while they were going from Hamburg or Wilhelmshaven and the North Sea to Kiel and the Baltic Sea.

Photo: Here the Keldysh approaches the Brunsbüttel Sluice.	Photo: The Keldysh on its way into the Brunsbüttel Sluice.

Some hours later we reached the Brunsbüttel Sluice which separates the Nord-Ost-See Kanal with the river Elbe. Also this river was frequently used by the German warships, among them of course Bismarck.

Photo: The Keldysh left the Brunsbüttel Sluice and was now on the river of Elbe. We were now heading towards the North Sea.	Photo: The Keldysh in the North Sea, north of the Wilhelmshaven area in Germany where the sistership to the Bismarck, the Tirpitz was built. We were now on our way to the English Channel.

When we reached the river Elbe we headed for the North Sea.

An hour long interview interview with Bismarck survivors Karl Kuhn and Walter Weintz took place.

I went to bed at 10:30 at night.

Thursday 23. May 2002:

I got out of bed at 06:30.

Meeting in Mission Control which took place every morning where the project and expedition was discussed.

The interview with the Bismarck survivors from the night before continued and took 2 hours.

Had a meeting regarding preparing material for the Discovery Channel website. I spent the rest of the day preparing material for Discovery Channel.

I went to bed at 03:00 in the morning.