Pommern (1903)

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shipstamps
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Pommern (1903)

Post by shipstamps » Fri Nov 21, 2008 5:46 pm

To commemorate the centenary of the founding of the port of Marieharmn, a town which will always be remembered for its famous fleet of deep sea sailing vessels owned by Capt. Gustav Erikson, the Finnish Post Office has issued a single 30 markka stamp showing the 4-masted barque Pommern, last survivor of the fleet.
The Pommern, a steel vessel of 2,376 gross tons (2,114 net), was built as the Mneme by Reid, of Glasgow, for B. Werke and Sohn in 1903, and towards the end of 1906 was bought by Laeisz of Hamburg, who changed her name from Mneme to Pommern, and put her in the nitrate trade. During the First World War she was interned in Chile and was bought by Erik son in 1922. She created considerable interest when she arrived in the Mersey on May 4, 1929, the first time a merchant sailing ship fully loaded had arrived in Liverpool for many years. .' Old time memories were revived at the riverside on Saturday when the 4-masted barque Pommern came into the Mersey loaded with grain from Sydney, "N.S.W." ran a local newspaper report. "The Pommern made a good run from Sydney, which she left on December 15, 1928, and had an uneventful passage. She called at Queenstown, and contrary to the one-time custom of being towed from an Irish port, the Pommern continued the trip under her own sail and occupied six days with head winds beating about, before the Mersey was reached. She was towed into the river by tugs.
"After anchoring near Birkenhead the windjammer dragged her anchor and drifted a short distance down the river, but before any danger could arise a tug arrived and placed her in the East Float, where the grain will be discharged."
Capt C. V. Granith, master of the Pommern for many years, had this to say of the voyage : We were several times becalmed, once or twice for periods of a week. We occupied the time watching steamers passing and fishing for sharks and dolphins. A piece of pork at the end of a meat hook makes a good bait and we caught about 20 sharks. We took the jaws out in order to provide souvenirs for our friends.
We experienced only one storm, which lasted about 24 hours and did little damage to our ship. Although we never touched land during the voyage of 17,000 miles, sighting it only once, and that was off Cape Horn, we were not entirely without fresh food, for we killed four pigs during this time which gave us a pleasant change from the ordinary diet. There was practically no illness among the crew of 23 and altogether it was uneventful. When we reached Queenstown I decided, contrary to the usual custom, not to take a tug, but to sail up the Irish Sea to Liverpool.
Unfortunately there were contrary winds and that part of the voyage occupied six days. We left Sydney on December 15 and have brought 4,000 tons of grain, and after its discharge at Birkenhead we shall go on to Oslo to load wood for a return voyage to Australia." (Capt. Granith was lost in the Olivebank when she struck a mine near the Dogger Bank, just after the outbreak of war in 1939).
The worst voyage Capt. Granith ever experienced was in the Pommern in 1932 when she took 137 days to complete the voyage from Australia, the 1 1 th vessel out of 19 windjammers to arrive, excluding the barque Melbourne, which sank off the southern Irish coast a week before the arrival of the Pommern at Cork on July 7, 1932. Eleven lives were lost in the Melbourne. On this occasion the Pommern was carrying 4,000 tons of wheat and one passenger, Mr. Albert Groves, of London.
Capt. Granith said his ship struck very bad weather in the South Pacific in the vicinity of Cape Horn. It was the worst voyage I have ever encountered during a long career at sea and the longest voyage I have ever made from the Antipodes."
The best voyage of the Pommern was in 1936 when, under Capt. Bowman, she was the second of the sail fleet to arrive from Australia, putting into Falmouth after accomplishing the passage in 93 days, as against 94 in 1935, her second best trip. The Herzogin Cecilie was first in 1936, taking 86 days from the same port. Capt. Bowman said the voyage had been a pleasant one. Cape Horn was reached from Port Victoria in 36 days, an exceptionally good run, and the Pommern had the unusual experience of being becalmed off the Horn for three days. The Equator was crossed 28 days later and from 30 deg. S. light winds were experienced. There was not a single gale during the voyage. Mr. D. H. Fraser of Portsmouth and Mr. S. C. Guinness of Dublin were passengers on board the Pommern for this voyage and both said that the experience had been a most enjoyable one.
In 1938 the Pommern took 134 days from Port Germein which she left on March 29, bound for Falmouth for orders, and arrived on July 23. After leaving Falmouth for Belfast she was becalmed for several days in the Irish Sea and also had to contend with fog. On the day after her departure from Falmouth she was reported off the Lizard, and then for a fortnight nothing was heard of her whereabouts, although it was supposed she was waiting for a southerly breeze.
Eventually the Pommern was met off Copeland, Co. Down, by a tug and was towed to Belfast. From Falmouth to Belfast she had taken 19 days. The preceding year she had equalled her 1936 trip. She brought home her last grain cargo in 1939 under Capt. Broman, leaving Port Victoria on March 20 and arriving at Falmouth on July 15, a passage of 117 days.
When war broke out in 1939 she made a short passage and was used for a brief period as a grain store for the Swedish Government. She returned home in December 1944, under tow, discharging a cargo of Swedish wheat at Abo. She was then laid-up at Mariehamn where she has I believe remained ever since. In 1945 she was given a thorough overhaul and is now a holiday attraction, visited by tourists.
Aland SG16, Falkland Is SG573, Finland SG624.
Sea Breezes 5/61
Attachments
SG573
SG573
SG624
SG624
16.jpg
Scan 4.jpeg

aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

Re: Pommern (1903)

Post by aukepalmhof » Wed Mar 14, 2018 8:07 pm

The sailing vessel depict in the margin of the Aland miniature sheet issued in 2017 is I believe the POMMERN.

Aland 2017 two stamps of 1 Euro sgMS?, Scott?
Aland Islands 2022 franking label. 2.00 Euro. viewtopic.php?t=18013
Aland Island 2022 5 Euro sgMS, Scott.
Attachments
2017 pommern.jpg
2022 A-Century-of-Willfulness. jpg (2).jpg
2022 A-Century-of-Willfulness. jpg (2).jpg (54.44 KiB) Viewed 322 times
2022 pommern (2).jpg
2022 pommern (2).jpg (104.85 KiB) Viewed 199 times
Last edited by aukepalmhof on Sun Jun 26, 2022 9:30 pm, edited 3 times in total.

D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen
Posts: 871
Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2010 7:46 pm

Re: Pommern (1903)

Post by D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen » Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:33 pm

POMMERN in Mariehamn.
Loa:94.64m. B:13.21m. Draught:6.70m.
Attachments
220px-Pommern2009.JPG

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