HAU20719240520001 REY ALONSO som POLAR CHIEF i sommeropplag utenfor Tønsberg ca. 1950.
1924 DS REY ALONSO (HAU207192405)
Type:
Dampskip,
hvalkokeri
steam ship, whale processing factory.
Off.no (IMO):
1106869
Flagg (flag):
NOR
Havn(port):
Haugesund
Byggeår (year built):
1897/08
Bnr (Sno):
724
Bygger (yard):
Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.
Eier (owner):
A/S Larviks Hvalfangerselskap, Haugesund.
Disponent (manager):
H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund.
Klasse
(Class).:
LR +100A1
Tonnasje (Tonnage):
7.166 brt, 5.512 nrt.
Dimensjoner (size):
Loa: 461’-Lbp: 445’–B: 52,2’–D: 35,4’–Dypg.: 27’06”.
Lasthåndteringsyst.
(cargo handling.)
Fangstutstyr.
(catching equipm.):
Navigasjonsutstyr:
Radiopeileapparat (direction finder), ekkolodd, radar.
Manøversystemer
(syst. for manouvering)
Dekksmaskineri
(deck machinery):
Kommunikasjon (comm.):
Kallesignal (Call sign.):
GFMT
Fremdrift (propulsion):
1 x stempel dampmaskin, (steam reciprocation), type triple exp. 3-sylindret, syl. diam.: 30,0”–50,75“–81,5“, slag/stroke: 54,0”. 3.340 IHK (664 NHK). Bygget av Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.
Fart/forbr. (speed/cons.):
12,5 knop. (Service speed 11,4 knop/10 knop loaded). Forbruk/Consumption: 48 t/døgn.
Hjelpemaskineri (aux):
Tot. el. kraft (el. power):
Kjele(r) (boiler):
3 x
dampkjeler (boilers), tungoljefyrte dobbeltendede kjeler.
2 x dampkjeler (boilers), single ended.
Totale heteflater (HS) 15.929 ft². Arbeidstrykk 180 psi.
Bygget av
Palmer’s Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.
Bemanning (crew):
Historikk:
1897
Bygget som emigrant- og lasteskip MONTCALM av Palmer’s
Shipbuilding & Iron Co.
Ltd Jarrow-on-Tyne,
England for British-African SS Co. (Elder, Dempster Shipping Ltd),
Liverpool.
Sjøsatt 17/05, levert 01/08. Gikk jomfruturen med avgang 03/09 fra
Avonmouth, England til Montreal, QC, Canada. Var som ny designet for
emigrantbefordring vestover og kvegtransport i retur.
1900 Benyttet som troppetransportskip under Boerkrigen i
Sør-Afrika. Gikk også flere turer mellom New Orleans, LA, USA og Cape
Town, Sør-Afrika. Hovedsakelig lastet med hester og esler.
1903 Solgt i april til Canadian Pacific Railway Co., Liverpool,
England.
1914 Overtatt av det britiske admiralitetet utpå høsten og lagt
til ankers i marinehavnen i Scapa Flow, Shetland som RFA MONTCALM
”forkledd” som slagskipet HMS AUDACIOUS for å narre tyske
raidere. (Dette slagskipet gikk imidlertid på en tysk mine og sank
utenfor Donegal, Irland allerede 27/10).
1915 Benyttet som Naval Store Ship.
1916 Solgt i februar til Fredrick Leyland & Co. Ltd, Liverpool.
Videresolgt i oktober til Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd, London,
England. Ombygget til tankskip. Omdøpt til CRENELLA.
1917 Overtatt i oktober av The Shipping Controller i forbindelse med
WWI.
Torpedert 26/11 utenfor den irske sydvest kysten men kom seg i havn og
ble reparert.
1919 Tilbakelevert eierne i november.
1920 Solgt i oktober til Velefa Steamship Co. Ltd, London.
1923 Solgt i september til Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S (Chr.
Nielsen & Co.), Larvik. Ombygget til hvalkokeri ved Hølen Mek. Verksted,
Larvik. Omdøpt til REY ALONSO.
1924 Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S solgt til H. M. Wrangell & Co.,
Haugesund i mai. Fanget med tre hvalbåter ved Gibraltar.
1925 Utleid til hvalfangerselskapet Soc.
Espanola
Corona Lta (H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund), Vigo, Spania.
Fortsatte med fangst rundt Gibraltarstredet til og med 1926.
1927 Solgt til Anglo Norse Co. A/S, (Hans Borge), Tønsberg.
Omdøpt til ANGLO NORSE. Fanget ved de antarktiske Syd-Shetland
øyene og i Weddellhavet.
Lastekapasiteten var oppgitt til å tilsvare 41.800 fat.
1929 Ble i august overført til Falkland Whaling Co. Ltd, (Hans
Borge), Jersey, UK. Omdøpt til POLAR CHIEF. Fanget i Antarktis
frem til krigsutbruddet.
1941 Rekvirert i juli av Ministry of War Transport (MOWT) (Chr.
Salvesen & Co., Leith, Scotland), London.
Omdøpt i november til EMPIRE CHIEF.
1946 Som et ledd i gjenoppbygging av fangstflåten etter WWII, ble
det nær 50 år gamle skipet innkjøpt i august av Chr. Salvesen & Co.,
Leith. Omdøpt til POLAR CHIEF. I bruk som tank- og transportskip
mellom Vestfold via UK til landstasjonen i Leith Harbour på Syd-Georgia.
I sin
bok Salvesens hvalfangst formidler rederisjefen Sir Gerald Elliot sine
inntrykk av skipet: -”...leaking oil tanks could not be trusted to
carry whale oil…” – ”… on her last voyage from Aruba-home leaving a
trail of leaking oil behind her as she crossed the Atlantic …” –
(På full fart:) ” … burning so much oil that most of her cargo
would be used up by the time she reached her destination …”.
Skipet
hadde også sine gode sider, og Sir Gerald fortsetter: ” … despite, or
perhaps because of, her age (she) was a cosy ship …” - ” …
the dining saloon had still the originally mahogany panels intact.
Several of the officer’s cabins opened directly out into the saloon.” –
”… Polar Chief was a capsule of whaling history…” – ”… a little more
than a floating museum…”.
1952
Ankom 29/04 til W. H. Arnott, Young & Co. Ltd, Dalmuir, Scotland for
hugging. Flyttet til West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co., Troon, Scotland
for hugging.
History in English:
1897
Built as emigrant- and cargo ship MONTCALM av Palmer’s
Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd Jarrow-on-Tyne, England for British-African
SS Co. (Elder, Dempster Shipping Ltd), Liverpool. Launched 17/05,
delivered 01/08. Maiden voyage was 03/09 from Avonmouth, England to
Montreal, QC, Canada. Were designed for emigrant trade westward and
returning with cattle.
1900
In service as
troopship during the Boer War in South Africa. She did several voyages
from New Orleans, LA, USA to Cape Town, South Africa carrying horses and
mules.
1903 Sold in April to Canadian Pacific Railway Co., Liverpool,
England.
1914 Taken over by the Admirality in Autumn and anchored in Scapa
Flow, Shetland as RFA MONTCALM disguised as the battleship
HMS AUDACIOUS to frighten German raiders. (HMS AUDACIOUS
was mined and sunk 27/10 off Donegal, Ireland).
1915 Used as a Naval Store Ship.
1916 Sold in February to Fredrick Leyland & Co. Ltd, Liverpool.
Re-sold in October to Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd, London, England.
Converted to a tankship. Renamed CRENELLA.
1917 Taken over in October by The Shipping Controller.
Torpedoed 26/11 off the south west coast of Ireland but managed to reach
port and was repaired.
1919 Reverted to owners in November.
1920 Sold in October to Velefa Steamship Co. Ltd, London.
1923 Sold in September to Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S (Chr.
Nielsen & Co.), Larvik. Converted to a whale process factory at Hølen
Mek. Verksted, Larvik. Renamed REY ALONSO.
1924 Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S sold to H. M. Wrangell & Co.,
Haugesund. Catched with 3 whalers off Gibraltar.
1925 Leased to til hvalfangerselskapet Soc. Espanola Corona Lta
(H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund), Vigo, Spain. Continued catching off
Gibraltar to end of 1926.
1927 Sold to Anglo Norse Co. A/S, (Hans Borge), Tønsberg. Renamed
ANGLO NORSE.
Catced near
the Antarctic isles of South Shetlands and in the Weddell Sea.
Cargo capacity said to be 41.800 barrels.
1929 Transferred in August to Falkland Whaling Co. Ltd, (Hans
Borge), Jersey, UK. Renamed POLAR CHIEF. Catched in Antarctic
until WWII.
1941 Taken over in July by Ministry of War Transport (MOWT) (Chr.
Salvesen & Co., Leith, Scotland), London. Renamed in November to
EMPIRE CHIEF.
1946 Sold in August to Chr.
Salvesen & Co., Leith.
Renamed
POLAR CHIEF.
Used by
Salvesen’s The South Georgia Co. for carrying fuel oil and Leith Harbour
crew between Norway, UK and Leith Harbour, South Georgia.
Sir Gerald Elliot gives in his book about Salvesen his own thougths
about the ship: -”...leaking oil tanks could not be trusted to carry
whale oil…” – ”… on her last voyage from Aruba-home leaving a trail of
leaking oil behind her as she crossed the Atlantic …” –
(On full speed:) ” … burning so much oil that most of her cargo
would be used up by the time she reached her destination …”.
But
the ship also had her good points, Sir Gerald continues: ” … despite,
or perhaps because of, her age (she) was a cosy ship …” -
” … the dining saloon had still the originally mahogany panels intact.
Several of
the officer’s cabins opened directly out into the saloon.” – ”… Polar
Chief was a capsule of whaling history…” – ”… a little more than a
floating museum…”.
1952
Arrived 29/004 at W. H. Arnott, Young & Co. Ltd, Dalmuir, Scotland for
breaking. Moved to West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co., Troon, Scotland
for demolition.
