Rey Alonso

Type:

Dampskip, hvalkokeri
steam ship, whale processing factory.

Off.no (IMO):

1106869

Flagg (flag):

NOR

Havn(port):

Haugesund

Byggeår (year built):

1897/08

Bnr (Sno):

724

Bygger (yard):

Palmerís Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.

Eier (owner):

A/S Larviks Hvalfangerselskap, Haugesund.

Disponent (manager):

H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund.

Klasse (Class).:

LR +100A1

Tonnasje (Tonnage):

7.166 brt, 5.512 nrt.

Dimensjoner (size):

Loa: 461í-Lbp: 445í–B: 52,2í–D: 35,4í–Dypg.: 27í06”.

Lasthåndteringsyst.
(cargo handling.)

Fangstutstyr.
(catching equipm.):

Navigasjonsutstyr:

Radiopeileapparat (direction finder), ekkolodd, radar.

Manøversystemer
(syst. for manouvering)

Dekksmaskineri
(deck machinery):

Kommunikasjon (comm.):

Kallesignal (Call sign.):

GFMT

Fremdrift (propulsion):

1 x stempel dampmaskin, (steam reciprocation), type triple exp. 3-sylindret, syl. diam.: 30,0”–50,75“–81,5“, slag/stroke: 54,0”. 3.340 IHK (664 NHK). Bygget av Palmerís Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.

Fart/forbr. (speed/cons.):

12,5 knop. (Service speed 11,4 knop/10 knop loaded). Forbruk/Consumption: 48 t/døgn.

Hjelpemaskineri (aux):

Tot. el. kraft (el. power):

Kjele(r) (boiler):

3 x dampkjeler (boilers), tungoljefyrte dobbeltendede kjeler.
2 x dampkjeler (boilers), single ended.
Totale heteflater (HS) 15.929 ft². Arbeidstrykk 180 psi. Bygget av Palmerís Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd, Jarrow-on-Tyne, England.

Bemanning (crew):

Historikk:

1897 Bygget som emigrant- og lasteskip MONTCALM av Palmerís Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd Jarrow-on-Tyne, England for British-African SS Co. (Elder, Dempster Shipping Ltd), Liverpool. Sjøsatt 17/05, levert 01/08. Gikk jomfruturen med avgang 03/09 fra Avonmouth, England til Montreal, QC, Canada. Var som ny designet for emigrantbefordring vestover og kvegtransport i retur.
1900 Benyttet som troppetransportskip under Boerkrigen i Sør-Afrika. Gikk også flere turer mellom New Orleans, LA, USA og Cape Town, Sør-Afrika. Hovedsakelig lastet med hester og esler.
1903 Solgt i april til Canadian Pacific Railway Co., Liverpool, England.
1914 Overtatt av det britiske admiralitetet utpå høsten og lagt til ankers i marinehavnen i Scapa Flow, Shetland som RFA MONTCALM ”forkledd” som slagskipet HMS AUDACIOUS for å narre tyske raidere. (Dette slagskipet gikk imidlertid på en tysk mine og sank utenfor Donegal, Irland allerede 27/10).
1915 Benyttet som Naval Store Ship.
1916 Solgt i februar til Fredrick Leyland & Co. Ltd, Liverpool.
Videresolgt i oktober til Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd, London, England. Ombygget til tankskip. Omdøpt til CRENELLA.
1917 Overtatt i oktober av The Shipping Controller i forbindelse med WWI.
Torpedert 26/11 utenfor den irske sydvest kysten men kom seg i havn og ble reparert.
1919 Tilbakelevert eierne i november.
1920 Solgt i oktober til Velefa Steamship Co. Ltd, London.
1923 Solgt i september til Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S (Chr. Nielsen & Co.), Larvik. Ombygget til hvalkokeri ved Hølen Mek. Verksted, Larvik. Omdøpt til REY ALONSO.
1924 Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S solgt til H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund i mai. Fanget med tre hvalbåter ved Gibraltar.
1925 Utleid til hvalfangerselskapet Soc. Espanola Corona Lta (H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund), Vigo, Spania. Fortsatte med fangst rundt Gibraltarstredet til og med 1926.
1927 Solgt til Anglo Norse Co. A/S, (Hans Borge), Tønsberg. Omdøpt til ANGLO NORSE. Fanget ved de antarktiske Syd-Shetland øyene og i Weddellhavet.
Lastekapasiteten var oppgitt til å tilsvare 41.800 fat.
1929 Ble i august overført til Falkland Whaling Co. Ltd, (Hans Borge), Jersey, UK. Omdøpt til POLAR CHIEF. Fanget i Antarktis frem til krigsutbruddet.
1941 Rekvirert i juli av Ministry of War Transport (MOWT) (Chr. Salvesen & Co., Leith, Scotland), London. Omdøpt i november til EMPIRE CHIEF.
1946 Som et ledd i gjenoppbygging av fangstflåten etter WWII, ble det nær 50 år gamle skipet innkjøpt i august av Chr. Salvesen & Co., Leith. Omdøpt til POLAR CHIEF. I bruk som tank- og transportskip mellom Vestfold via UK til landstasjonen i Leith Harbour på Syd-Georgia.
I sin bok Salvesens hvalfangst formidler rederisjefen Sir Gerald Elliot sine inntrykk av skipet: -”...leaking oil tanks could not be trusted to carry whale oil…” – ”… on her last voyage from Aruba-home leaving a trail of leaking oil behind her as she crossed the Atlantic …” –
(På full fart:) ” … burning so much oil that most of her cargo would be used up by the time she reached her destination …”.
Skipet hadde også sine gode sider, og Sir Gerald fortsetter: ” … despite, or perhaps because of, her age (she) was a cosy ship …” - ” … the dining saloon had still the originally mahogany panels intact. Several of the officerís cabins opened directly out into the saloon.” – ”… Polar Chief was a capsule of whaling history…” – ”… a little more than a floating museum…”.
1952 Ankom 29/04 til W. H. Arnott, Young & Co. Ltd, Dalmuir, Scotland for hugging. Flyttet til West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co., Troon, Scotland for hugging.

History in English:

1897 Built as emigrant- and cargo ship MONTCALM av Palmerís Shipbuilding & Iron Co. Ltd Jarrow-on-Tyne, England for British-African SS Co. (Elder, Dempster Shipping Ltd), Liverpool. Launched 17/05, delivered 01/08. Maiden voyage was 03/09 from Avonmouth, England to Montreal, QC, Canada. Were designed for emigrant trade westward and returning with cattle.
1900 In service as troopship during the Boer War in South Africa. She did several voyages from New Orleans, LA, USA to Cape Town, South Africa carrying horses and mules.
1903 Sold in April to Canadian Pacific Railway Co., Liverpool, England.
1914 Taken over by the Admirality in Autumn and anchored in Scapa Flow, Shetland as RFA MONTCALM disguised as the battleship HMS AUDACIOUS to frighten German raiders. (HMS AUDACIOUS was mined and sunk 27/10 off Donegal, Ireland).
1915 Used as a Naval Store Ship.
1916 Sold in February to Fredrick Leyland & Co. Ltd, Liverpool.
Re-sold in October to Anglo-Saxon Petroleum Co. Ltd, London, England. Converted to a tankship. Renamed CRENELLA.
1917 Taken over in October by The Shipping Controller.
Torpedoed 26/11 off the south west coast of Ireland but managed to reach port and was repaired.
1919 Reverted to owners in November.
1920 Sold in October to Velefa Steamship Co. Ltd, London.
1923 Sold in September to Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S (Chr. Nielsen & Co.), Larvik. Converted to a whale process factory at Hølen Mek. Verksted, Larvik. Renamed REY ALONSO.
1924 Larvik Hvalfangerselskap A/S sold to H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund. Catched with 3 whalers off Gibraltar.
1925 Leased to til hvalfangerselskapet Soc. Espanola Corona Lta (H. M. Wrangell & Co., Haugesund), Vigo, Spain. Continued catching off Gibraltar to end of 1926.
1927 Sold to Anglo Norse Co. A/S, (Hans Borge), Tønsberg. Renamed ANGLO NORSE. Catced near the Antarctic isles of South Shetlands and in the Weddell Sea.
Cargo capacity said to be 41.800 barrels.
1929 Transferred in August to Falkland Whaling Co. Ltd, (Hans Borge), Jersey, UK. Renamed POLAR CHIEF. Catched in Antarctic until WWII.
1941 Taken over in July by Ministry of War Transport (MOWT) (Chr. Salvesen & Co., Leith, Scotland), London. Renamed in November to EMPIRE CHIEF.
1946 Sold in August to Chr. Salvesen & Co., Leith. Renamed POLAR CHIEF. Used by Salvesenís The South Georgia Co. for carrying fuel oil and Leith Harbour crew between Norway, UK and Leith Harbour, South Georgia.
Sir Gerald Elliot gives in his book about Salvesen his own thougths about the ship: -”...leaking oil tanks could not be trusted to carry whale oil…” – ”… on her last voyage from Aruba-home leaving a trail of leaking oil behind her as she crossed the Atlantic …” –
(On full speed:) ” … burning so much oil that most of her cargo would be used up by the time she reached her destination …”.
But the ship also had her good points, Sir Gerald continues: ” … despite, or perhaps because of, her age (she) was a cosy ship …” - ” … the dining saloon had still the originally mahogany panels intact. Several of the officerís cabins opened directly out into the saloon.” – ”… Polar Chief was a capsule of whaling history…” – ”… a little more than a floating museum…”.
1952 Arrived 29/004 at W. H. Arnott, Young & Co. Ltd, Dalmuir, Scotland for breaking. Moved to West of Scotland Shipbreaking Co., Troon, Scotland for demolition.