![Pommern ship image 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Pommern_ship_image_2005.jpg)
Gustaf Adolf Mauritz Erikson (1872,
Lemland
Lemland is a municipality of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland.
The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is .
The municipality is unilingually Swedish.
The Lemström chan ...
– 1947) was a ship-owner from
Mariehamn
Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital city, capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finland, Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government of Åland, Government and Parliament of Åland, ...
, in the
Åland
Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...
islands. He was famous for the fleet of
windjammers
A windjammer is a commercial sailing ship with multiple masts that may be square rigged, or fore-and-aft rigged, or a combination of the two. The informal term "windjammer" arose during the transition from the Age of Sail to the Age of Steam ...
he operated to the end of his life, mainly on the
grain trade
The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...
from Australia to Europe.
Erikson was involved in sailing for virtually his entire life. He went to sea at age 9, was commanding a sailing vessel in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
trade by age 19, and was master of a number of
square-rigged
Square rig is a generic type of sail and rigging arrangement in which the primary driving sails are carried on horizontal spars which are perpendicular, or square, to the keel of the vessel and to the masts. These spars are called ''yards'' and ...
vessels before becoming an owner.
His ships were bought cheaply as most shipping companies switched to steam ships about the turn of the century; Erikson would often acquire ships at shipbreakers prices. In the early 1920s there was still some competition for the windjammers sold – the shipping company
F. Laeisz
F. Laeisz ( ; short form ''FL'') is a German shipping company with offices in Hamburg, Rostock, Bremerhaven and Grabow, Germany, as well as Japan and the Philippines.
History
The firm was established by Ferdinand Laeisz on 24 March 1824 as a ...
even ordered new sailing ships in the 1920s – but in the 1930s Erikson owned a significant share of the operational windjammers of the world. In March 1935, he purchased ''
Moshulu
''Moshulu'' is a four-masted steel barque, built as ''Kurt'' by William Hamilton and Company at Port Glasgow in Scotland in 1904. The largest remaining original windjammer, she is currently a floating restaurant docked in Penn's Landing, Phila ...
'', "one of the finest steel barques afloat", for only $12,000.
By the late 1930s, the
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n grain trade was virtually the only profitable use for windjammers, and then only if the ship owner minimized costs as much as possible. Erikson supplied his ships adequately with crew and supplies as these were necessary for his ships to sail quickly and efficiently, but supplied neither more crew nor equipment than was necessary. Erikson's large four-masted barques would routinely sail on voyages of with less than 30 crew.
A young
Eric Newby
George Eric Newby (6 December 1919 – 20 October 2006) was an English travel writer. His works include '' A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush'', '' The Last Grain Race'' and ''A Small Place in Italy''.
Early life
Newby was born in Barnes, London, ...
sailed to Australia on ''Moshulu'' in 1938–1939, as part of the South Australian grain trade. At the time she was owned by Erikson and part of the last "great fleet of sailing ships". Newby chronicled his trip in ''
The Last Grain Race'' and ''
Learning the Ropes
''Learning the Ropes'' is a Canadian-produced sitcom that aired on CTV in Canada and in syndication in the United States from September 1988 to March 1989. The series stars Lyle Alzado as Robert Randall, a teacher who works as a professional wre ...
'', where he wrote that Erikson was both respected and reviled by the crew, who knew him only as "Ploddy Gustav". Of the 13 ships which took part in the 1939
grain race
Grain Race or The Great Grain Race was the informal name for the annual windjammer sailing season generally from South Australia's grain ports on Spencer Gulf to Lizard Point, Cornwall on the southwesternmost coast of the United Kingdom, or to s ...
, 10 were Erikson ships.
Ships
* ''
Tjerimai'' (1913–1925, three-masted composite (wood on iron frames)
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...
, 1 550 t, built 1883 in
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 ...
. Sank in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
in a collision with a Dutch
trawler, the captain died)
* ''Åland'' (1913–1914, ex ''Renée Rickmers'', four-masted iron
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...
, 3 300 t, built 1887 in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Ran aground on a coral reef off
New Caledonia
)
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, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
as lighthouses were unlit, wrecked, crew saved)
* ''Fredenborg'' (1914–1916, three-masted wooden barque, built 1881 in
Geta
Geta may refer to:
Places
*Geta (woreda), a woreda in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region
*Geta, Åland, a municipality in Finland
*Geta, Nepal, a town in Attariya Municipality, Kailali District, Seti Zone, Nepal
*Get ...
, Åland, about 700 t. Sold, wrecked same year)
* ''Borrowdale'' (1916–1917, three-masted iron barque, 1 850 t, built 1868 in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
. Torpedoed by Germans by the mouth of the
Bristol channel
The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
, crew saved)
![Grace Harwar SLV AllanGreen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Grace_Harwar_SLV_AllanGreen.jpg)
* ''
Grace Harwar'' (1916–1935, three-masted
full-rigged
A full-rigged ship or fully rigged ship is a sailing vessel's sail plan with three or more masts, all of them square-rigged. A full-rigged ship is said to have a ship rig or be ship-rigged. Such vessels also have each mast stepped in three seg ...
steel ship, 2 950 t, built 1889 in Glasgow. Sold to be scrapped)
* ''Professor Koch'' (1916–1923, three-masted steel barque, 2 350 t, built 1891 in Glasgow. Collided with an
iceberg
An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 m long that has broken off a glacier or an ice shelf and is floating freely in open (salt) water. Smaller chunks of floating glacially-derived ice are called "growlers" or "bergy bits". The ...
, continued to
Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, was deemed wrecked)
* ''Ingrid'' (1917–1919, wooden
barquentine
A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts.
Modern barquentine sailing r ...
, 650 t, built 1907 in Geta. Took refuge in
Falmouth, deemed as wrecked. The English repaired the ship, mounted an auxiliary engine and sailed it in
West India
Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union te ...
among other places, scrapped 1939)
* ''Southern Belle'' (1917–1919, three-masted wooden barque, about 850 tons, built 1871 in
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
. Sold)
* ''Margareta'' (1917, four-masted steel barque, 3 100 t, built 1889 in Glasgow. Torpedoed in the
Irish Sea
The Irish Sea or , gv, Y Keayn Yernagh, sco, Erse Sie, gd, Muir Èireann , Ulster-Scots: ''Airish Sea'', cy, Môr Iwerddon . is an extensive body of water that separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is linked to the Ce ...
, crew saved)
* ''
Lawhill
''Lawhill'' was a steel-hulled four-masted barque rigged in "jubilee" or "baldheaded" fashion, i.e. without royal sails over the top-gallant sails, active in the early part of the 20th century. Although her career was not especially remarkable, ...
'' (1917–1942, four-masted steel barque, 4 600 t, built 1892 in
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
. Taken as war prize by
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
)
* ''Woodburn'' (1919–1924, three-masted steel barque, 2 600 t, built 1896 in Glasgow. Sold to
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
to be a coal barge)
* Rigel (1919–1920,
steamship
A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
, 500 t, built 1918 at
Hietalahti Shipyard and Engineering Works,
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
. Sold.)
* ''Edgar'' (1920–1922, steamship, 1250 t, built at Hietalahti Shipyard and Engineering Works. Sold to Germany.)
![Herzogin Cecilie SLV AllenGren](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Herzogin_Cecilie_SLV_AllenGren.jpg)
* ''
Herzogin Cecilie
''Herzogin Cecilie'' was a German-built four-mast barque (windjammer), named after German Crown Princess Duchess Cecilie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1886–1954), spouse of Crown Prince Wilhelm of Prussia (1882–1951) (''Herzogin'' being German fo ...
'' (1921–1936, four-masted steel barque, built 1902 in
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany.
It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...
. Ran aground in the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
, off
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
, wrecked)
* ''Loch Linnhe'' (1922–1933, three-masted iron barque, 2 200 t, built 1876 in Glasgow. Ran aground in the
Kökar
Kökar () is an island municipality to the south-east of the Åland archipelago, Finland.
It is also one of the municipalities of Åland. It is reachable by boat from Långnäs on Åland or from Galtby with access to mainland Finland.
The munici ...
archipelago in 1933, wrecked)
* ''
Pommern
Pomerania ( pl, Pomorze; german: Pommern; Kashubian: ''Pòmòrskô''; sv, Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to ...
'' (1923–1953, ex ''Mneme'', four-masted steel barque, 4 050 t, built 1903 in Glasgow. In Mariehamn when
the war broke out 1939 and did not sail any more, given to the city of Mariehamn as museum ship)
* ''Carradale'' (1923–1924, four-masted steel barque, 3 300 t, built 1889 in
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. Sold to be scrapped)
* ''
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
'' (1923–1940, formerly ''Albert Rickmers'', three-masted steel barque, 3 250 t, built 1905 in Bremerhaven. Torpedoed in the Atlantic, all 18 men lost)
* ''
Archibald Russell
Sir Archibald Russell, CBE, FRS (30 May 1904 – 29 May 1995) was a British aerospace engineer who worked most of his career at the Bristol Aeroplane Company, before becoming managing director of the Filton Division when Bristol merged into Brit ...
'' (1924–1948, four-masted steel barque, 3 950 t, built 1905 in
Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
, Scotland. In
Hull when
World War II
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 ...
broke out, seized 1941, returned to the shipowner 1948, sold to be scrapped)
* ''
Killoran
Killoran ( ga, Mac Giolla Luaighrinn) is a surname of Irish origin meaning ''son of a devotee of (Saint) Luaighreann''. Spelling variations include; Mac Killoran, Gilloran, Gilleran, O'Giollarain. It could also come from the toponymic ''Cill Luaig ...
'' (1924–1940, three-masted steel barque, 3 050 t, built 1900 in
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport.
Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O Ferrie ...
, Scotland. Sunk by
German auxiliary cruiser Widder
''Widder'' (HSK 3) was an auxiliary cruiser (''Hilfskreuzer'') of Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' that was used as a merchant raider in the Second World War. Her Kriegsmarine designation was Schiff 21, to the Royal Navy she was Raider D. The name ...
off the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
, crew released 1941)
* ''
Olivebank'' (1924–1939, four-masted steel barque, 4 400 t, built 1892 in Glasgow. Ran on a mine in the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
8.9.1939, 14 men drowned)
* ''Carmen'' (1924–1934, three-masted wooden barque, 850 t, built 1921 in Granboda, Åland. Abandoned near
Bornholm
Bornholm () is a Danish island in the Baltic Sea, to the east of the rest of Denmark, south of Sweden, northeast of Germany and north of Poland.
Strategically located, Bornholm has been fought over for centuries. It has usually been ruled by ...
2.9.1934, left to the rescuers)
* ''Polstjernan'' (1924, four-masted wooden
schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
, 1600 t, built 1920 in
Dragsfjärd
Dragsfjärd is a former municipality of Finland. On 1 January 2009 it was consolidated with Kimito and Västanfjärd to form the new municipality of Kimitoön.
It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finla ...
, Finland. Sold 7.3.1924 to Koivisto
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*_Baltic_(1924–1939,_four-masted_wooden_
barquentine_
A_barquentine_or_schooner_barque_(alternatively_"barkentine"_or_"schooner_bark")_is_a_sailing__vessel_with_three_or_more__masts;_with_a_square_rigged_foremast_and_fore-and-aft_rigged_main,_mizzen_and_any_other_masts.
_Modern_barquentine_sailing_r_...