Editing AG Weser (section)

=== Founding of A.G. "Weser" ===
In 1843, the initial precessor to A.G Weser; ''Eisengiesserei & Maschinenbau-Anstalt Waltjen und Leonhard'' was founded.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://werften.fischtown.de/archiv/agweser1.html |access-date=2008-07-06 |first=Peter |last=Müller |title=Die A.G-"Weser" in Bremen |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080223194345/http://werften.fischtown.de/archiv/agweser1.html |archive-date=2008-02-23 }}</ref> This company with its premises was situated on an area called ''Stephanikirchenweide'' at the periphery of the ancient town of Bremen. It was an iron-foundry and machine factory with a wide-ranging production volume of iron-made parts as bridges, cranes, floodgates, steam boiler, steam engines etc. In 1846, Mr. Leonhard left the company and the company's name was changed to ''C. Waltjen & Co''. In the same year, the first vessel was built. The first greater ship built was the 1847 the 346 GRT paddle-steamer ''Roland'', which was used as a tug-and-passenger boat. Even 50 years later, this ship was in service on the river Weser. More shipbuilding activities followed including three torpedo-boats for the [[Imperial German Navy|Kaiserliche Marine]] in 1871.

Because of the increasing importance of the shipbuilding industry some influential Bremen merchants, bankers and politicians decided in 1872 to establish a new and greater company on shares. The production program of this new company named ''Aktien-Gesellschaft "Weser"'' was "construction of ships of all kind and marine engineering".

The company ''Waltjen & Co''. was bought and the owner Carsten Waltjen himself became a member of the new company's board.

The new shipyard started shipbuilding with some smaller vessels. The first important order came from the Kaiserliche Marine when several [[gunboat]]s were built. Besides these warships the construction of ships at A.G. "Weser" was mainly for civil use in the following years.

Due to the growing incoming orders and the enlarged dimensions of ships, it soon became necessary to enlarge the yard facilities and mainly the slipways. In 1901, the company started to lease some terrain at the entrance to the new Bremen ports some miles downstream the Weser at the Bremen suburb ''Gröpelingen''. Production and personnel then were gradually shifted from the old yard to the new premises. For the first four slipways and one floating dock, workshops, magazines etc. were established at the new terrain, capable to construct ships of all dimensions and categories. But when it soon became necessary to enlarge the shipyard, additional terrain was bought in the following years.

Between the founding of the company in 1872 and 1916, about 125 units of the so-called ''Self-powered Vessels'' were constructed on the wharf, including passenger-and-merchant ships, tug-boats etc. Besides this many small units without propulsion were built as barges, pontoons, floating docks etc. as well as four sailing ships 1875/77. For [[DDG Hansa]] of Bremen, the company built the three largest freight steamers constructed up to that time, the 8,315 GRT ''Frankenfels'', ''Schwarzenfels'' and ''Falkenfels''; these were also the last civilian ships it delivered before [[World War I]].