''Odd I'' was a Norwegian whaler, launched in 1912 as ''Dominion II''. She was renamed ''Odd I'' in 1921 and retained that name until 1963 when she became ''Annstein'', except for a period during World War II when she served as a ''

Vorpostenboot ''Vorpostenboot'' (plural ''Vorpostenboote''), also referred to as VP-Boats, flakships or outpost boats, were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars. They were used around coastal areas and in coastal operations, and were tasked w ...

'' for the German

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

under the name ''Orkan''. She was condemned in 1971 and was deleted from the Norwegian Ship Register on 15 March 1971.

Description

The ship was long, with a beam of and a depth of . She was assessed at , . She was powered by a

triple expansion steam engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...

which drive a single screw propeller. It had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke. The engine was rated at 58

nhp Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

History

''Dominion II'' was built in 1912 as yard number 68 by Porsgrund Mekaniske Værksted,

Porsgrund Porsgrund Porcelain Factory (''Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik'', abbreviated PP) is a porcelain flatware company located at Porsgrunn in Telemark county, Norway. History The company's production plant is a popular tourist attraction. The company wa ...

for A/S Dominion Whaling Ltd,

Sandefjord Sandefjord () is a city and the most populous municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The municipality of Sandefjord was established on 1 January 1838. The municipality of Sandar was merged into Sandefjord on 1 January 1969. On 1 ...

. She was launched in July. The

Code Letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...

MHSQ were allocated and her port of registry was Sandefjord. She was operated under the management of T. Dannevig & Co. Sandefjord. In December 1918, she was placed under the management of Chr. Christensen jr. A/S, Sandefjord. In May 1920, ''Dominion II'' was transferred to A/S Odd, Sandefjord. She was renamed ''Odd I'' in May 1921. In 1922, she was sold to A/S Odd I and placed under the management of I Bryde & L Thorsen, Sandefjord. In September 1925, she was sold to Bryde & Dahls Hvalfangerselskap A/S, Sandefjord.

Antarctic expedition

The ''Odd I'' expedition was the first of nine scientific expeditions in the

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

fitted out by

Lars Christensen Lars Christensen (6 April 1884 – 10 December 1965) was a Norwegian shipowner and whaling magnate. He was also a philanthropist with a keen interest in the exploration of Antarctica. Career Lars Christensen was born at Sandar in Vestfold, Norw ...

. It was led by Eyvind Tofte, with Anton A. Andersson serving as captain. The expedition arrived at

Peter I Island Peter I Island ( no, Peter I Øy) is an uninhabited volcanic island in the Bellingshausen Sea, from continental Antarctica. It is claimed as a dependency of Norway and, along with Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land, composes one of the three No ...

on 17 January 1927, but was unable to land. They then circumnavigated the island and discovered

Cape Ingrid Cape Ingrid () is a dark rock promontory separating Norvegia Bay and Sandefjord Cove on the west side of Peter I Island, Antarctica. It was discovered in 1927 by a Norwegian expedition under Eyvind Tofte in the '' Odd I'', a vessel of Lars Christe ...

. They also found and named Cecil Cave, a sea cave which indents the southern part of Cape Ingrid on the west coast of

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. It was discovered and named by a Norwegian expedition under Eyvind Tofte in January 1927. Tofte and the second mate rowed into the cave in an unsuccessful attempt to land on the island. By 1930, her port of registry had bee changed to

. In 1932, she was sold to Thorland Ltd. Her port of registry was changed to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, United Kingdom. She was operated under the management of A/S Thor Dahl. In 1938, she was sold to Ole Telnes,

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. Her port of registry was changed to

and the Code Letters LKBK were allocated. A new

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...

was fitted in 1938. The engine was a

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being comple ...

single cycle single action engine manufactured by M. Haldorsen & Sön. It had two cylinders of 451 mm (17 in) bore by 502 mm (19 in) stroke and was rated at 111 nhp. In December 1938, she was sold to Partrederi Odd I, Bergen.

World War II

After the onset of the

German occupation of Norway The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until the ...

, on 15 June 1940 the occupying authorities acquired ''Odd I''. They then took her into service as a '' Vorpostenboote'' in the 51 Vorpostenflotille under the name ''Orkan''. She was allocated the

Pennant number In the Royal Navy and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, ships are identified by pennant number (an internationalisation of ''pendant number'', which it was called before 1948). Historically, naval ships flew a flag that iden ...

V 5103. This was changed to V 5104 on 1 January 1941 and V 5102 in May 1942. On 7 January 1942 she was escorting two German freighters, SS ''Hedwigschütte'' and SS ''Eisenblick'', when they were bombed by

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.38 Whitley was a British medium bomber aircraft of the 1930s. It was one of three twin-engined, front line medium bomber types that were in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the outbreak of the Second World ...

aircraft of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

. They were also shelled by and of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. During the attack the crew of V 5104 ''Orkan'' beached their vessel at

Florø is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Kinn, Vestland, Norway. The town was founded by royal decree in 1860 as a ladested on the island of Florelandet, located between the Botnafjorden and Solheimsfjorden. Florø is No ...

to avoid sinking. After Germany's defeat, Norwegian authorities returned her to her owners on 11 June 1945.

Post-war

''Odd I'' returned to mercantile service. A new Gørlitz diesel engine was fitted in 1947 and she was lengthened by . She was assessed at , . She was sold to P/R Odd, Bergen in 1959 and placed under the management of H Methlie. In 1963. ''Odd I'' was sold to Gerh. Midttveit, Bergen and renamed ''Annstein''. In 1966 she became a

purse seiner A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...

.. She served until 1971 when she was condemned.

Citations

References

Encyclopedia of the Antarctic, Volume 1Norsk Polarhistorie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Odd I 1912 ships Ships built in Norway Exploration ships Whaling ships Fishing vessels of Norway Steamships of Norway Fishing vessels of the United Kingdom Steamships of the United Kingdom World War II patrol vessels of Germany Maritime incidents in January 1942