Proud ships

The "Atlantic"

In the 1880s, the fullrigger "Atlantic" was one of the biggest wooden sailing vessels in the world, although in those days it was named "Karoo" and sailed under an American flag. Built of spruce, pitch pine and oak in Kingsport in Nova Scotia in 1884, it weighed nearly 2000 net register tons and was said to have been a first-rate ship.

The frigate was subsequently sold to Rio in Brazil, where it was re-named "Rivadavia". In March 1901, Ths. S. Falck et. al in Stavanger bought the ship for 90,000 Norwegian kroner. The change of flag took place in Hamburg.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the "Atlantic" was the second-largest ship in the city and sailed under the command of Captain Julius Olsen, who had previously been in charge of several other Falck-owned ships.

The first voyage went around the world: Cardiff - Tamatave in Madagascar - Zanzibar - Port Townsend (near Seattle on the west coast of USA) - Chimaimas (near Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela) - Queensborough (near London). The trip from Chimaimas to Queensborough took only 119 days, which was a record according to Stavanger Sjøfarts Historie.

In the first few years, the crew of the "Atlantic" consisted of 24 men. The number diminished steadily, and when Captain Olsen left the ship in 1907, only 18 crew remained. It is said that on one occasion in 1905, Captain Olsen sailed the "Atlantic" from Dalhousie, Newfoundland to Queenstown (in Ireland?) in 16 days with a crew of only 11. The rest had jumped ship in America and it proved impossible to replace them.

M. Løvik took over as skipper from Julius Olsen. Among other things, he made several trips carrying coal from England to Port Nolloth in South Africa. On its last voyage in December 1911, the ship sprang a leak in the Bay of Biscay and had to seek shelter in Lisbon, where it was subsequently scrapped and sold. The once so proud vessel ended its days as a coal tramp in Portugal.

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Billedtekst: The frigate "Atlantic" (Picture from the collection of Kjell-Egil Løvås)