CACHALOTE

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aukepalmhof
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CACHALOTE

Post by aukepalmhof » Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:22 pm

The need for a postal service at South Georgia grew with the whaling industry. The first station was established at Grytviken in 1904 and was quickly followed by fife more shore stations and several floating factories. A population censes conducted in December 1909 calculated the islands summertime population was 720.
With the explosion of whaling activity on the island, the British Government decided to set up a local administration, and in 1909 James Innes Wilson was appointed as the first resident Magistrate. His many duties included those of Coroner, Registrar and Postmaster. As almost all the whalers came from Europe, Wilson found they were eager to use this new this new postal service to keep in touch with family and friends on the other side of the world.
On 23rd December 1909, one thousand letters and 389 postcards were despatched in the first outgoing mail aboard SS CACHALOTE (wrongly given in this text as CACHELOTE) on the 65p stamp.

All the whaling stations on South Georgia had post boxes, but the mail had to be brought to King Edward Point (KEP) for cancelling and onward transmission. In the early years mail was sometimes carried between stations by couriers. They would trek across the peninsulas and row across the bay’s. Small huts were set up in several places around the coast where the couriers could rest or wait for suitable weather before continuing their journey. This stamp shows the Sorling Valley postal hut with three men and their rowing boat – 65p stamp. The hut still stands today although now it is partial ruin. Its wooden beams are carved with the names of bored whalers and the dates of their stay. The practice of using couriers couriers largely died out when it was found safer and quicker to put the mail on a whalecatcher or other vessel moving between stations.

http://www.falklandstamps.com/index.php ... Itemid=124

Built as a cargo vessel under yard No 175 by J. Readhead & Co., South Shields for Nant Francon S.S. Co Ltd. (R&D Jones Ltd.), Liverpool.
November 1881 launched as the NANT FRANCON.
Tonnage 586 grt, 354 net, dim, 189.8 x 26.7 x 15.0ft.
Powered by one compound 2-cyl. steam engine, 77nhp., manufactured by builder.
06 December 1881 completed.

After completing mostly used as a cargo vessel from the U.K to the Mediterranean and Baltic.

December 1905 bought by Cia Argentina de Pesca S.A., renamed DON PEDRO, named after Peter (Don Pedro) Christopher, the company’s vice-president.
She was bought by the company to transport the barrels of whale oil from Grytviken, South Georgia to Buenos Aires, and return with supplies and the mail for the whaling station in Grytviken.
She could carry around 2.500 barrels of whale oil.
08 November 1905 her crew was enrolled at Sandefjord, command was taken by J. M. Larsen a younger brother of C.A. Larsen.
After she was bought he sailed her to Cardiff to load a cargo of coal for South Georgia.
23 December 1905 arrived at Buenos Aires and sailed from there 02 January 1906 bound for South Georgia where she arrived on 11 January.
In Buenos Aires she was renamed in CACHALOTE.
19 February 1906 she sailed from Grytviken with 2.014 barrels of whale oil bound for Buenos Aires.
September 1913 sold for 1.988 Peso (c£400) to H. Ost, Buenos Aires not renamed.
1915 Sold to W.R. Grace & Co. Valparaiso, Chile and renamed PORTEÑO.
1917 Sold to Compañia Carbonifera y d Fundicion Schwager, Valparaiso not renamed.
1923 Sold to Beeche y Cia Ltda., Valparaiso, renamed MERCEDES.
September 1925 she sailed from Coronel loaded with coal bound for Valparaiso and went missing.
23 September 1924 wreckage was found on the beach at Tubul, Gulf of Arauco.

South Georgia & The South Sandwich Islands 2009 65p sg?, scott?

Source: Register of Merchant ships completed in 1881 http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz
Pesca a history of the pioneer modern whaling company in the Antarctic by Ian B Hart.
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