Norwegian cargo steamer B. A. Broch in 1904

 Norwegian cargo steamer B.A. Broch photographed as brand new in Kristiania (Oslo) in July, 1904. The 216.3 ft (c. 63 m.) 878 brt ship was built by Akers mek. Verksted, Kristiania, for A/S B. A. Broch, Kristiania. My restoration and colorization of Anders B. Wilse´s original image in the Norwegian Maritime Museum archive.

B. A. Broch later had three other Norwegian owners. On October 14. 1916, when she sailed for the last owner, Rederi-A/S Granat (K. M. Pedersen), renamed Rabbi, carrying coal from Swansea (Wales) to Rouen (France) she was captured and scuttled by the German submarine UB18. The crew abandoned the ship in lifeboats, and were later saved by another Norwegian steamer.

Dandelion

 Dandelion

Spring crocuses in Hittarp

 Today we had a wonderful spring day. The crocuses are looking great now. 

 

US barquentine Anne Comyn

The barquentine Anne Comyn, built in Rolph (California) in 1920 and rigged by the Haveside chandlery of San Francisco for the Pacific Freighters company, photographed in Australia by Allan C.Green. She was one of the uncompleted Ferris-type steamer hulls in the United States, which were finished as 5-masted barquentines.

My restoration and colorization of the original image in the State Library Victoria archive.

Anne Comyn made her maiden voyage to Australia in 1920. According to the Sunday Oregonian, she made the voyage in record time:

"The barkentine Anne Comyn, a Ferris type hull, broke

a record of nine years' standing by reaching Sydney, Australia, in 52 days from San Francisco. The Alicia Haviside, now on passage from the Golden Gate to Durban, South Africa, and the Phyllis Comyn, on her way from Puget sound to Sydney, are Ferris hulls rigged as barkentines."

Four years later, on December 19,1924, the Melbourne newspaper Argus wrote about another visit by Anne Comyn - she was the first ship to land a cargo of Alaskan timber in Melbourne:

"BARQUENTINE ANNE COMYN."

"After a voyage of 83 days from Anyox,

British Columbia, the five-masted bar-

quentine Anne Comyn reached Melbourne

yesterday. The Anne Comyn is laden with

175,000 feet of timber consisting of baulks

of spruce and hemlock. She is in charge

of Captain Brasting and a crew of 16 men,

most of whom are Australians. The ship

is only four years old and is owned by

Comyn and Co., of San Francisco. She

is of 2,247 tons register. After discharg-

ing timber here the Anne Comyn will prob-

ably sail for Newcastle to take a cargo

of coal for Alaska. The passage to Aus-

tralia was uneventful. Light winds pre-

vailed until the barquentine entered Bass

Straits when she encountered a gale which

delayed her for about two days."

Refrigerated cargo ship Port Fairy (ab.) 1930

 Refrigerated cargo ship Port Fairy and a small sailing boat photographed by the Australian photographer Allan C. Green. The original image - here shown digitally hand colorizide by me - is in the Victoria State Library archive. The library does not give a date, but I think Green´s shot is from ab.1930. The 145.5 m ship had accomodation for 12 passengers.

"MV Port Fairy was a UK merchant vessel built in 1928 by Swan Hunter for the Commonwealth & Dominion Line Ltd (or "Port Line") shipping company and sold in 1965 to Embajada Compania Naviera SA of Piraeus. Named after the coastal town of Port Fairy in Australia, she was renamed Taishikan for her final commercial voyage to Hong Kong where she was scrapped."- -

"In 1930 her refrigeration equipment was modified and she carried the first cargo of chilled meat (instead of frozen meat) from Australia; she later worked the same cargo from New Zealand." --

"Port Fairy had an eventful war employed as an ammunition ship.Sailing in fast convoy OL8 from Liverpool to Canada on 22 October 1940, Port Fairy collided with the Canadian destroyer Margaree in rough seas about 300 miles (483 km) west of Ireland (position 53°24′N 22°50′W.). Margaree sank quickly; her captain, four officers and 136 crew were lost. Port Fairy rescued 34 of the survivors.On 9 July 1943 the small Convoy Faith, comprising Port Fairy, the troopships Duchess of York and California, with escorts Iroquois, Douglas and Moyola, sailed Greenock for Freetown, Sierra Leone. Two days later, when the convoy was about 300 miles west of Vigo, it was attacked by 3 Focke-Wulf Fw 200 aircraft of Kampfgeschwader 40 based at Merignac, near Bordeaux. The precision high-altitude bombing left both Duchess of York and California blazing. Port Fairy picked up 64 RAF survivors from Duchess of York. Both Duchess of York and California were abandoned, and in the early hours of 12 July they were sunk by torpedoes from their escorts as it was feared the flames from the ships would attract U-boats." (Wikipedia)

Motor yacht Ingmar (1928)

 This is Ingmar, a 12 m (l.o.a.) motor yacht designed by C.G. Pettersson. It (Ingmar is a male name!) was built in 1919 at Larssons Motorbåtsvarv, Saltsjöbaden, Sweden for the owner Karl Grönstedt. Bertil Norberg took the picture (ab.) 1926. My restoration and colorization of an image in the Maritime Museum of Sweden archive (Digital Museum).

Coaster Saturn passed by

 The Danish coaster, m/v Saturn passed by this afternoon on its way to Bergen (Norway). The 53,6 m Saturn, with a carrying capacity of 772 t. DWT, was built in the Netherlands already in 1966. It is kept in outstanding shape by a dedicated crew.