''Albatros'' is a sailing
ketch built in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in 1899. Trading as a cargo sailing ship until 1996, she is now used as a training vessel.
List of owners
History
1899-1980
''Albatros'' was built at
Capelle aan den IJssel in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
in 1899 as a ''Noordzee Klipper'' (North Sea
cutter) or ''
Galliot''. Her first captain was Johannes Muller of
Middelharnis,
South Holland
South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of October 2021 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely ...
, who used her to transport cargo between the Netherlands and the
Baltic states
The Baltic states, et, Balti riigid or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term, which currently is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of NATO, the European Union, the Eurozone, ...
. In 1920, ''Albatros'' was sold to Captain Lolk from
Svendborg,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, who installed an 80
hp engine in 1933. In 1941, Lolk sold her to Captain Rasmussen from
Hobro. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, ''Albatros'' was used to
smuggle Jews and political dissidents from
Nazi-occupied Denmark to neutral
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. Weapons for the
Danish resistance
The Danish resistance movements ( da, Den danske modstandsbevægelse) were an underground insurgency to resist the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Due to the initially lenient arrangements, in which the Nazi occupation autho ...
were also smuggled back into Denmark on the return journey.
Her rigging was reduced in 1964 and the rivetted steel below the waterline replaced with welded steel.
A more powerful 160 hp engine replaced the old 80 hp engine. Rasmussen retired in 1978, and ''Albatros'' was laid up in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
.
Since 1980
In 1980, Antonius "Ton" Brouwer bought ''Albatros'', and made
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
her new home port. She was restored under
Germanischer Lloyd
The Germanischer Lloyd SE was a classification society based in the city of Hamburg, Germany. It ceased to exist as an independent entity in September 2013 as a result of its merger with Norway's DNV (Det Norske Veritas) to become DNV GL.
Before ...
supervision between 1983 and 1987 and recommissioned as a sailing cargo ship.
Her first cargo after restoration was soya beans to
Macduff, Scotland.
Between 1987 and 1996, she could often be seen at
Wells-next-the-Sea delivering her regular cargos of
soya beans
Soya may refer to:
Food
* Soya bean, or soybean, a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean
* Soya sauce, see soy sauce, a fermented sauce made from soybeans, roasted grain, water and salt
Places
* Sōya District, ...
. With the closure of Wells as a commercial port in 1996, ''Albatross career as a cargo ship was finally over. The final load of 100 tons of soya beans was delivered on 5 September 1996.
[ At the time it was claimed that she was the last sailing ship carrying commercial cargo in Europe. During this time, her cargos also included ]corn
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
, phosphates and timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
. Apart from the regular run between Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
and Wells, ''Albatros'' visited ports in the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
, Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
, Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, sometimes making faster passages than motor driven ships.
''Albatros'' was converted to a passenger ship in 1997-98. Between 1998 and 2000, she was chartered and rebuilt by Greenpeace
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
and used as a sailing classroom in an environmental education program. In 2001, she returned to Wells, and ''The Albatros Project'' was created to support her upkeep. The ship established a programme of passenger and training voyages as well as private charters and events at Wells.[ While on the ]Thames Estuary
The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain.
Limits
An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
on 22 August 2004, a passenger on board ''Albatros'' died when he fell from the rigging. An investigation was carried out by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is a UK government organisation, authorised to investigate all maritime accidents in UK waters and accidents involving UK registered ships worldwide. Investigations are limited to establishing cau ...
, which found shortcomings in the regulatory requirements for foreign passenger vessels operating in the UK, as well as in the safety management regime and manning of ''Albatros''.
From 2005, sailing trips were gradually replaced by the development of the ship as a bar, restaurant, music venue and bed and breakfast at her Wells berth.
References
External links
HTML
version of MAIB report.
of the ''Albatros''.
The ''Albatros'' current home page
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919)
Passenger ships of the Netherlands
Tall ships of the Netherlands
Sailing ships of the Netherlands
Merchant ships of the Netherlands
1899 ships
World War II merchant ships of Denmark
Wells-next-the-Sea
Bed and breakfasts