This article reports on the first operation of a small superconducting linear accelerator which serves as a pilot project for the Darmstadt superconducting recyclotron. A five cell niobium accelerating structure operated at 3 GHz was used to accelerate a chopped 200 kev electron beam to an energy of 850 kev. The Q value of the structure and its accelerating field (at 1. 8 K) remained at 4 multiplied by 10**9 and 5. 7 MV/m respectively during one year. Design, fabrication and test of the accelerating structure are discussed. A description of the pilot accelerator including its gun, chopper, and cryostat is given.