Saturday 11 August 2012

The reefer Silver Bergen´s peculiar trail in Øresund

Tonight the Norwegian reefer Silver Bergen left a rather peculiar "trail" when it passed Hittarp in the Sound. It appeared that the ship had emptied something hot into the sea, because the "smoke" you see on the picture did not come from the funnel. The question is, what was it?

The "trail" after Norwegian reefer Silver Bergen at 6.31 PM this evening. 
The Silver Bergen half a minute later. 

A Wood warbler on the beach


On this glorious summer day - of which there have not been very many this summer - I met this nice Wood warbler on may afternoon walk along the beach:

This Wood  warbler was clearly observing what I was doing.
PS
I added these two Tree sparrows which also enjoyed chasing insects close to the beach:




Friday 10 August 2012

Four cargo ships passing by

Cos Orchid
Cos Orchid from another angle

This is the Singapore registered bulk carrier Cos Orchid in the vicinity of Helsingborg yesterday evening. The 190 x 32m ship left the port of Malmö earlier today and is now heading for Aliaga in Turkey.

Nordvåg

The Danish cargo ship Nordvåg (89 x 14.5m) has been around for some time. The ship, which was built already in 1977, has an interesting crane. The ship is now on its way from Larvik in Norway to Swinoujscie  in Poland.

Paper Star

The 85 x 13m Paper Star (1989) also passed Helsingborg last night. This ship which is registered in Antigua Barbuda left Norway´s Drammen earlier the same day and its destination is Sczcecin in Poland.

Pernille

The small Cyprus registered cargo ship Pernille (82 x 12m) was on its way from Danish Aarhus to St. Petersburg.


Thursday 9 August 2012

Camouflage painting on ocean liners during World War 1

During World War 1 a military camouflage paint, also known as dazzle camouflage, was extensively used on navy ships and ships which e.g. were used for troop transports.

This is how Cunard´s RMS Aquitania looked in "razzle dazzle" paint: 



The Deutsche Ost-Afrika-Linie´s Feldmarschall had a somewhat different dazzle paint: 



The dazzle camouflage scheme consisted of a pattern of geometric shapes in contrasting colors, interrupting and intersecting each other: 

At first glance dazzle seems an unlikely form of camouflage, drawing attention to the ship rather than hiding it, but this technique was developed after the Allied Navies were unable to develop effective means to disguise ships in all weathers.
Dazzle did not conceal the ship but made it difficult for the enemy to estimate its type, size, speed and heading. The idea was to disrupt the visual rangefinders used for naval artillery. Its purpose was confusion rather than concealment. An observer would find it difficult to know exactly whether the stern or the bow was in view; and it would be equally difficult to estimate whether the observed vessel was moving towards or away from the observer's position.



Wednesday 8 August 2012

The classic ocean liner Marco Polo in the Sound


The Marco Polo has the look of a classic ocean liner

Tonight it was nice to see an "old friend", the classic ocean liner Marco Polo in the Sound. The 176 x 24m, 22080 grt ship, built already in 1965, was on its way from Copenhagen to Oslo.

Tuesday 7 August 2012

Lilian of Stockholm - a legendary C.G. Petterson motor yacht

The motor yacht Lilian was launched in an unusual way at the Södra varv shipyard  in  Stockholm  in  1916.  The 30m yacht had to be lifted by a floating crane as the shipyard´s only slipway was not available due to the construction of a  large freighter. 

The legendary Swedish boat designer C.G. Petterson designed more than 1000 boats, many of which are still in use today. One the real pearls among the Petterson boats is the "Gentleman´s twin screw diesel yacht" Lilian of Stockholm, now moored in Twickenham.

Lilian, which originally was built for a Danish businessman in 1916 has a very interesting history:

Launched in Stockholmas  »Lilian II«, she was the largest motor yacht that had 
been built at that time in Sweden. She was built for Emil R Glückstadt of Copenhagen, who ran the Danish Agricultural Bank which collapsed in scandal in 1923. After various
changes of ownership, including a period in Kingston upon Thames under the
name »Dahu«, she eventually became  »Training Shulip Windsor Castle« and was
used by the sea cadets in Windsor.
When purchased by the present owners - Scott and Hilary Pereira  - in 1980 she
was in a very poor state, with leaking decks, severe corrosion to the hull, and
rot and damage to the interior. However, as a consequence of having been out
of active commission for many years and not having been “updated”, she still retained many original features, including the engines. 
She has been extensively restored over the last 17 years, without public funding.
In 1988, fifty years to the day since her last sea journey in 1938, she ventured back to sea.
Renamed  »Lilian«, she is now an unique example of an early gentleman’s motoryacht, and it is believed that the 75 hp Polar Atlas diesels are the oldest marine engines  (with  prototype
gearboxes) still working. 

On this page you can see how the beautifully restored Lilian looks now. And here you will find some more interesting information.



Ship facts:
Lilian of Stockholm  

Gentleman’s twin screw
diesel yacht. 30 metres (100 feet) long, 5 metres 
(16 feet) wide, 2 metres (6 feet) draught.
Schooner rigged with gaff steadying sails. Powered by original (1915) 2 x 75 hp 6 cylinder Polar 
Atlas diesels. Home mooring: Twickenham
(Thames). Owners: Scott & Hilary Pereira.


Monday 6 August 2012

Albert Johannes and Adelina sailing southwards in the Sound

S/Y Albert Johannes with the Swedish Adelina Arcona 400 in the foreground.
 
The Dutch three-mast gaff schooner Albert Johannes this afternoon sailed southwards in the Sound on its way from Aalborg to Klintholm. The ship was originally built as a freighter in 1928: 

"After many eventful years as a freight ship it now has regained its original form and sails over the seas today as a proud three-mast gaff schooner. The "Albert Johannes" offers 26 adults and children a comfortable sail adventure. The ship is furnished with a well and fully equipped galley and a nice bar, which is located in the deck and coach roof. From here you can enter the former freight room, which is now a cozy ships parlor. Under deck you will find the seven cabins, shower and toilets".

Ship data:Length: 46,00 m, Width: 5,60 m, Sail area: 500 m² 
Two double, four 4-bed,four 4-bed, and one 6-bed cabin, one shower, two toilets.a
nd one 6-bed cabin, one shower, two toilets.