Sunday, October 14, 2018

OLDEST STEEL VESSEL IN ICELAND.



Thank you, Garðar for this info:

Oldest steel vessel in Iceland, Ieda Herman...your dad, Jónas Björnsson  told me be had been captain on this vessel at one time, don´t remember the year or her name then, must of been between WWII and his move to fishing in PEI, Canada.

Garðar BA 64 is thought to be the oldest steel ship in Iceland, built in Norway as a whaling vessel over one hundred years ago. It was launched in Norway in 1912, the year the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean. It was named Globe IV and was equipped with both sails and a steam engine to use when the weather was still. It was specially reinforced to endure the harsh conditions of the Southern Ocean where it was used to hunt whales.

Globe IV was sold to the Faroe Islands in 1936 where it got a brand-new name and a somewhat less dignified role in the whale-hunting business. At the end of the second world war the ship was sold once again. This time to Iceland. Once here it was given an Icelandic name, Siglunes SI 89, and the old steam workhorse which has powered it all those years was replaced with a 378 hp Ruston Hornsby diesel engine. The ship traded owners and names for number of years until 1963 it finally acquired the name it has today, Garðar. It was a good ship and served many owners well for a long time.

In December 1981 Garðar BA 64 was deemed unfit for duty. Instead of sinking it at sea as was the custom in those days when ships went out of serice it was rammed ashore at Skápadalur Valley in Patreksfjörður. Today Garðar awaits its inevitable rusty fate in the sand providing tourists with a spectacular scene and just the perfect photo opportunity.

Definitely on my bucket list for a photo op next time I visit my homeland!



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