"KOMPAGNIET"

Om livet i ØK - EAC skibe.

Side 92

What you can see written in blue, is translation of the story on this site, about the training ship SS København.

Translated by marine engineer: Jesper Th. Petersen Seattle.

OBS! - Sidste nyt nederst på siden.

Last news at the bottum on this site.

S/S KØBENHAVN

Verdens største skoleskib.

The world’s largest training (sailing) ship.

Størrelsesforhold: S/S Danmark foran S/S København. Picture - size proportion: S/S Danmark (the current Danish training ship) in front. S/S København.

København søsættes.
København launching.

Skoleskibet København tilhørende ØK, var en femmastet bark (med en B&W dieselmotor 508 HK som hjælpemaskine) søsat 1921, og var verdens største sejlskib.

Fører på skibets første rejse (26. oktober 1921 – 7. november 1922) var kommandørkaptajn og teknisk direktør i Det Østasiatiske Kompagni baron Niels Juel-Brockdorff.

Skibet blev bestilt i 1913, og skroget stod færdigt i 1915, men grundet 1. verdenskrig blev skibet ikke færdigbygget. Skroget blev slæbt til Gibraltar, omdøbt til "Black Dragon" og blev brugt som kuldepot.

Efter 1. verdenskrig blev et nyt skrog bygget efter de oprindelige tegninger, og skibet blev endelig færdigbygget.

Under kaptajn Hans Ferdinand Andersen forsvandt skibet sporløst i december 1928 eller i januar 1929 med 59 mand om bord efter at have forladt Buenos Aires med kurs mod Australien.

Hvad der forårsagede Københavns forlis er aldrig blevet opklaret.

The training ship København, belonging to EAC, was a 5-masted bark (with a B&W 508 hp Diesel engine as its auxiliary engine) launched in 1921, being the world’s largest sailing ship.

The master on the maiden voyage (26^th October 1921 – 7^th November 1922) was Captain Commander and technical director in the East Asiatic Company (EAC) Baron Niels Juel-Brockdorff.

The ship was commissioned in 1913, and the hull was completed in 1915, but because of World War I the ship was not completed. The hull was towed to Gibraltar, renamed the "Black Dragon" and used as a coal depot.

After World War I, a new hull was built according to the original drawings and the ship was finally completed.

Under Captain Hans Ferdinand Andersen, the ship disappeared without a trace in December 1928 or in January 1929 with 59 men on board after leaving Buenos Aires heading for Australia.

What caused the København shipwreck has never been resolved.

København for anker.
 København at ancor.

Besøg til det nye skib.
Visit to the new ship.

Interessen var stor.
The interest was great.

Kong Christian d. X. inspicerer besætningen.
King Christian X inspects the crew.

København for fulde sejl.
København at full sails.

14. december 1928 sejlede Skoleskibet København fra Argentinas hovedsted Buenos Aires med kurs mod Adelaide, hvor det var forventet omkring 2 måneder senere. Det kom aldrig frem.

Godt en uge senere telegraferede Skoleskibet "Alt vel om bord". Det var den sidste melding. Siden da har ingen hørt noget fra verdens største sejlskib. Forliset udløste en stortstilet eftersøgning, men der er aldrig fundet nogen druknede eller vragrester.

Østasiatiske Kompagni's karismatiske direktør Etatsråd H.N. Andersen lagde meget vægt på uddannelsen af skibsofficerer. For at styrke uddannelsen, og formodentlig også for at vise omverden, at ØK var blandt de førende rederier, byggede man skoleskibet København.

H. N. Andersen mente ikke at motorskibe kunne give søfolk den krævede hårdførhed og modighed. Den 5 mastede bark, var verdens største sejlførende fartøj, og blev søsat 24. marts 1921 i Skotland.

Første rejse var jorden rundt, og den indledes i oktober 1921 og afsluttedes 7. november 1922.

På det 10. togt lastede hun byg i Argentina som skulle til Adelaide i Australien. Da hun ikke meldte tilbage efter 2 måneder på søen, begyndte ØK i al diskretion, at eftersøge skibet. Først 28. maj fik man en brugbar melding. En missionær havde den 21. januar 1929 set et meget stort skib, som svarede til København ved Tristan de Cunha (beliggende i Sydatlanten mellem Sydamerikas og Afrikas sydspids).

On 14 December 1928 the training ship København sailed from Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, heading towards Adelaide, where it was expected about 2 months later. She never arrived.

A week later after the departure the training ship wired: "Everything well on board". That was the last message. Since then, no one has heard anything from the world's largest sailing ship. The shipwreck triggered a large-scale search, but no drowned or debris has ever been found.

The East Asiatic Company's charismatic director Councillor H.N. Andersen placed a lot of emphasis on the training of ship officers. In order to strengthen the training, and presumably also to show the outside world that the EAC was among the leading shipping companies, the training ship København was built

H. N. Andersen did not believe that motorships could provide seafarers with the required hardness and patience. The 5-masted bark was the world's largest sailing ship and was launched 24^th of March 1921 in Scotland.

The first voyage was around the world, and it started in October 1921 and ended 7. November 1922.

On the 10^th voyage she was loading barley in Argentina, and was going to Adelaide, Australia. When she did not show up after 2 months at sea, the EAC began, in all discretion, to search for the ship. Not until the 28^th of May, did they get a useful message. A missionary had the on the 21^st of  January 1929 seen a very large ship, which corresponded to København at Tristan de Cunha (located in the South Atlantic Ocean between South America and Africa's southern tip).

Mast and sail in water (unknown vessel)

Skibet havde tilsyneladende været i havsnød. Disse informationer gjorde at man intensiverede eftersøgningen, men da en finsk reder kunne meddele ØK at deres 4-mastede bark Ponapee havde passeret Tristan de Cunha netop den 21. januar, brast håbet.

Det siges, at H.N. Andersen græd da han fik meldingen om at det var Ponapee som var set ved Tristan de Cunha. Dagen efter blev eftersøgningen indstillet og der blev aldrig fundet spor efter København. 60 besætningsmedlemmer gik ned med skibet.

The ship had apparently been in distress. This information made it possible to intensify the search, but when a Finnish owner could announce that their 4-masted bark Ponapee had passed by Tristan de Cunha just on 21^st of January, hope burst.

It is said that H.N. Andersen wept when he received the announcement that it was Ponapee which had been seen at Tristan de Cunha. The next day the search was cancelled, and no traces were found of København. 60 crew members went down with the ship.

Inserted Mail received 10. October 2014.

Hi.

Maybe you think this story should be in the "Snow sailor"

It is from the Ærø newspaper from 3^rd of January 1930.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Two young Danish sailors were hit by a shunting engine (locomotive) an evening in Buenos Aires in 1928. One died immediately whereas the other had the leg ripped off and came to the hospital, where gangrene later took his life.

The Danish seamen's priest, Svend Nielsen, on the spot, executed the funeral. In the port, S/S København’s crew and cadets followed the ship boy to the grave in the foreign soil.

The priest built his funeral speech over the words: "There is only one step between me and death" and with that speech he also addressed  the many young Danes who were present.

The day after – 14. December 1928 – the København left Buenos Aires and later disappeared.”

Sincerely,

Der har siden været en del diskussion omkring grunden til Københavns forlis. Forskning har vist at byg giver problemer, såfremt fugtigheden øges. Engelsk lov forbød skibe at tage byg som bulk-last. Normalt var det en tommelfinger regel, at man kunne laste 10-14% af byglasten som bulk. Andre formodninger er, at København kunne have ramt et isbjerg.

There has since been a lot of discussion about the reason for the København shipwreck. Research has shown that barley creates problems if moisture is increased. English law banned ships from taking barley as bulk cargo. Usually, it was a thumb rule that one could load 10-14% of the barley load as bulk. Other presumptions are that the København could have hit an iceberg.

København ved kaj.
København at berth.

Mail fra Mogens Ottesen.

Hej Willy.

Jeg har nyligen sendt en mail til James Glass på Tristan da Cunha, da han og en kollega, muligvis har fundet vragresterne fra skoleskibet ”København”, og vil fortsætte dykningerne ved Cave Point når det igen bliver sommer på øen til okt – nov.

Af de forskellige fotos af nagler og et stokanker – kan det tyde på et nittet jernskib med stokankre, og dem var der ikke så mange af før 2. verdenskrig.

Dimensionerne kan også meget vel passe – du kan jo prøve at studere billederne som jeg har vedhæftet som en fil.

Fik mail fra Norman Glass på Tristan da Cunha her til aften - det var ham som fandt vraget.

Mail from Mogen Ottesen

Hey Willy.

I have recently sent an email to James Glass at Tristan da Cunha, as he and a colleague, possibly may have found the wreckage from the training ship " København ", and will continue diving at Cave Point when it again becomes summer on the island in Oct – Nov.

From the different photos of the nails and a stick anchor – it could indicate a riveted iron ship with stock-anchors, of which there were not that many before World War II.

The dimensions may fit well – you can try to study the images that I have attached as a file.

Motiv af stigelignende genstand.
Ladder-like subject.

Kan tænkes, at det er en af de jernlejdere, som gik fra lugekarmen og ned i lastrummene evt. via mellemdækket - de havde oftest disse korte mellemrum mellem trinene husker jeg fra min Ø.K. tid.

Jeg har drønet op og ned af disse mange gange, da jeg var i god træning fra entringerne om bord i skoleskibet "Danmark", hvor førstestyrmand Otto Bentsen kom med opildnende tilråb, hvis det gik for langsomt.

Is it possible that it could be one of the iron ladders which went from the hatch sill and down into the holds between decks – they often had these short gaps between the steps I remember from my EAC time.

I have been rushing up and down these many times as I was in good training from the climbing the shrouds on board the training ship "Danmark", where first mate Otto Bentsen came up with inflammatory language if we were  too slowly.

.

Her ses det elektriske lossepil til forlugen på Brodækket.

the electrical winch for the front hold at the bridge deck.

.

Vinduesramme på bestikhuset ved siden af Jakobs lejderen på agterparten af bestikhuset lige foran agter lugen.

window frame at the navigation house next to Jacob's ladder at the aft end of the navigation house right in front of the aft most hatch.

.Del af belægningen rundt kortbordet i bestikken ???

Part of the coating around the map table???

En udtaget nagle, som skal undersøges nærmere.

A removed nail which must be examined further.

Et af de 2 fundne stokankre.

One of the 2 found stock-anchors.

.

Three pictures of the bow – The figurehead is Bishop Absalon, founder of Copenhagen in 1167

De gode øboere agter at fortsætte dykningen efter "København" når vinterstormene har lagt sig.

Så vil de opmåle vraget mere nøjagtigt, og tage nogle flere fotos - det bliver ganske spændende at følge.

The good islanders intend to continue the diving after "København" when the winter storms have settled. They will measure the wreckage more accurately and take some more photos – it will be quite exciting to follow.

Her er et udklip af dykkernes tekst:

Here's a clip of the divers ' text:

På vores andet dyk, undersøgte vi et større område omkring vraget, hvor vi fandt 2 store ankre 03:57 meter (10 til 13 fod) på tværs på havbunden. kan disse ankre tilhøre vraget? Eller har vi fundet beviser for et andet fartøj, der har mødt sin skæbne mod klipperne i en af ​​de barske storme, der ofte rammer klippeøerne Tristan?

Vi er ved at løbe tør for luft, men vi gør en kort pause til at fotografere de store ankre før vi må tilbage til overfladen og hjem igen.

Da vi sprang over bølgerne i vores båd, kunne jeg ikke lade være med at spekulerer på, hvad var historien om dette skib, og hvordan kom hun til at møde sin tragiske afslutning, strandet mod klipperne i Tristan?

“On our second dive, we examined a larger area around the wreck, where we found 2 large anchors 03:57 meters (10 to 13 feet) at the seabed. Can these anchors belong to the wreck? Or have we found evidence of another vessel that has met its fate against the rocks in one of the harsh storms that often hits the rocky islands of Tristan?

We are running out of air, but we are making a short break to photograph the large anchors before we have to get back to the surface and home again.

The divers in their boat.

Jeg har sendt dem nogle informationer om skoleskibet, samt avisudklip, kopier m.v.

Jeg har en teori om, at der er opstået brand i maskinrummet ved juletid i 1928, og på det tidspunkt havde man jo kun spulevand at slukke med, derfor lå agterskibet tungt i søen, da det strandede på Tristan, hvilket jeg har skrevet til Norman Glass.

Mindst en af bådene ser ud til at være kommet i vandet under branden om bord, idet en ekspedition i september 1935 på en øde strand omkring 400 miles nord for Swakopmund Sydafrika, fandt en smadret redningsbåd med syv blege skeletter.

Det er ikke endeligt bevist, at de overlevende var fra "København", men kranierne var "nordiske" og uniformer og bådvragdele blev beskrevet som værende af skandinavisk oprindelse.

De strandede søfolk , der nåede kysten - landede i et område uden kilder til rent vand, og det formodes at de er døde af dehydrering, da to lig fandtes flere kilometer inde i ørkenen.

Jeg talte i 60'erne med en bådsmand, som fra en Ø.K.-bekendt, havde erfaret, at der stod KØBENHAVN i nogle af huebåndene, som man fandt i båden i det nuværende Namibia.

Dette måtte dog ikke komme frem i pressen, for ikke igen at rippe op i katastrofen, som havde taget meget hårdt på H.N. Andersen, og han havde stor magt over pressen i 30'erne.

Der er dem som mener, at han aldrig genvandt sin velkendte lederstil igen efter "København"s forlis.

Kan du evt. bruge noget af disse udsagn til "Snesejleren" - er du velkommen, og jeg bidrager gerne med yderligere oplysninger m.v.

Du har jo oplagt en masse flotte billeder af "København" på "Snesejler"-sitet, som jeg jævnligt besøger af nostalgiske årsager, da sitet er "second to none", som gamle Churchill sagde i sin tid.

Det ser ikke ud til, at mange i den danske søfartspresse har vist interesse for fundet ved Tristan, men det skal nok komme, hvis det viser sig at vraget er fra "København."

Mogens Ottesen.

I have sent them some information about the training ship, as well as newspaper clippings, copies etc.

I have a theory that there has been a fire in the engine room at Christmas in 1928, and in those days you had only a spray of water to extinguish, therefore the stern was heavy in the sea when it stranded on Tristan, which I have written to Norman Glass.

At least one of the boats seems to have come in the water during the fire on board, as an expedition in September 1935 on a deserted beach around 400 miles north of Swakopmund South Africa, found a smashed lifeboat with seven pale skeletons.

It has not been conclusively proven that the survivors were from " København ", but the skulls were "Nordic" and uniforms and boat parts were described as being of Scandinavian origin.

The stranded sailors who reached the coast – landed in an area without sources of clean water, and it is presumed that they have died of dehydration, as two bodies were found several kilometers inside the wilderness.

I spoke in the 60s with a boatman who, from an island friend, had learned that København was written in some of the hat name-bands which were found in the boat in the present Namibia.

This did not, however, appear in the press, not to rip up in the disaster, which had been taken very hard by H.N. Andersen, and he had (after all) great power over the news in the 30ties.

There are those who believe that he never reconquered his well-known leader style after the " København " shipwreck.

You may be able to use some of these statements for the "Snow Sailor" – and you are welcome to do so, and I am happy to contribute with additional information etc.

You have shared a lot of great pictures of " København " on the "Snow Sailor" site, which I regularly visit for nostalgic reasons, since the site is "second to none", as Old Churchill said in his time.

It does not seem that many in the Danish maritime press have shown any interest in the findings of Tristan, but it will come if it turns out that the wreck is the "København".

København at berth.

Udklip af en mail.

Jeg skriver til dig på baggrund af genudsendelsen af DR2's dokumentar Forliset om Skoleskibet København for nogle uger siden. Du har jo en side om skibet på snesejler.dk som jeg fandt frem til i min søgning efter oplysninger om København.

Jeg undres lidt over at det skulle kunne lade sig gøre for et så stort skib i nyere tid, at forlise uden et eneste spor, som det jo fremgår skulle være tilfældet i diverse kilder og hjemmesider.

På den baggrund er det interessant at læse indlægget fra M. Ottesen som snesejler.dk har postet på siden, og jeg har søgt lidt på informationerne.

Ganske rigtigt kan man i 2 artikler i Sydney Morning Herald og The Advocate fra 24. september 1935 læse, at man havde fundet en redningsbåd og 6 skeletter formodentlig tilhørende skoleskibet København på en kyst i Namibia.

Den oplysning fremgår ikke nogen andre steder i senere beskrivelser af forliset, og så vidt jeg husker ej heller i dokumentaren på DR2.

Det synes jeg er en besynderlig omgang med virkeligheden.

Det er ligeledes interessant at læse på hjemmesiden for øen Tristan da Cunha om fundet af et stort skibsvrag der ikke er identificeret i 2011, og med beskrivelser/billeder af detaljer som meget vel kunne stamme fra et skib af Københavns størrelse.

Især også når man husker på, at en præst på øen insisterede på, at det var en 5 master han så i havsnød d. 21. januar 1929.

Nu tænker jeg så på om du skulle have nyere informationer i sagen da jeg oprigtig mener at man på baggrund af fremkomne oplysninger (som ØK måske ikke har været interesseret i at kom frem i tidligere tider) bør undersøge nærmere.

Med venlig hilsen

Nino Chieu.

Part of the text from an email.

I am writing to you on the basis of the re-broadcast of the DR2's (Danish TV 2) documentary on the training ship København a few weeks ago. You have a page about the ship on “snesejler.dk”  which I found in my search for information about København.

I am somewhat surprised that it would be possible for such a large ship to founder in recent times without a single track, as is evident in various sources and websites.

On that basis, it is interesting to read the post from M. Ottesen which “snesejler.dk” has posted on the page and I have researched a little on the information.

Quite rightly, in two articles in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Advocate from 24^th of May. September 1935 you can read that a lifeboat had been found, together with six skeletons, on a coast in Namibia and presumably associated with the training ship København.

That information does not appear anywhere else in later descriptions of the shipwreck, and as far as I remember neither in the documentary at DR2.

I think this is a peculiar way of treating reality.

It is also interesting to read on the website of the island of Tristan da Cunha, about the finding of a large shipwreck, not yet identified in 2011, and with descriptions/pictures of details which could well originate from a ship of København’s size.

Especially when you remember that a priest on the island insisted that it was a 5-master he saw in sea time on 21. January 1929.

Now I am thinking about whether you should have more recent information on the matter as I sincerely believe that on the basis of the information obtained (which EAC may not have been of interested in having published in the past), should be investigated.

Sincerely,

For anker på floden i Bangkok.

København ved kaj.
København at berth.

29. januar 2015.

Fra Mogens Ottesen som er primus motor i sagen, har jeg modtaget følgende tekst og billeder af effekter, som dykkerne på Tristan da Chuna har fundet i havet ved Cave Point.

" Så er der ultimo januar 2015 tikket nyheder ind fra Tristan ang. skoleskibet "København", og det er jo fortsat spændende, hvad der dukker op ved Cave Point.

Jeg har nyligen modtaget en del mails og billeder fra Tristan, hvor der har været et par dykninger her i januar, og der påtænkes lignende i februar, når svømmedykkerne igen får tid, da de p.t. er på Gough Island, for at foretage inspektioner til forskellige data om dyrelivet m.v. på disse fjerne øer.

Vejret har også været ugunstigt for dykninger i en periode p.g.a. af kraftige dønninger fra SV.

Hvis læserne måtte have nogle bud på, hvad billederne kan tænkes at forestille -  hører jeg gerne nærmere herom inden jeg igen kontakter de brave tristanboere, som jeg gennem årene har hjulpet med nogle informationer m.v. "Down Under"

I spænding ventende "snesejler"

29^th of January 2015.

From Mogens Ottesen, the “prime mover” in the case, I have received the following text and pictures of the effects that the divers at Tristan da Chuna have found in the sea at Cave Point.

"At the end of January 2015, news from Tristan regarding the training ship " København " has ticked-in, and it is still exciting what emerges at Cave Point.

I have recently received a number of emails and pictures from Tristan, where there have been a few dives in January, and it is planned to do similar dives in February, when the scuba divers again get time; they are currently on Gough Island to conduct inspections of various data on Wildlife, etc. on these distant islands.

The weather has also been unfavorable to divers for a period of time due to strong dwells from SW.

If any readers have some suggestions as to what the images show, I would like to hear from you, before I again contact the brave Tristan people who, over the years, have helped with some information, etc. from "Down Under"

In tension waiting "Snow Sailor"

Til venstre, ligner spanter ........ til højre stort anker.
left, looks like hull ribs ................. right, a big anchor.

Ligner store bogstaver: O og D.
looks like the letters: O and D.

Lille anker, (måske relevant)
Small anchor (maybe relevant)

Om effekterne stammer fra S/S København er endnu uvist, men måske vil der snart dukke flere oplysninger op, idet dykkerne planlægger nye dykker-ture i februar 2015.

Whether the effects originate from S/S København is still to be determined, but perhaps more information will soon emerge, as the divers are planning new dives in February 2015.

Sejlene rebes.
The sails are hauled.

13. Maj 2015.

Angående et skibsvrag som er fundet i Det Indiske Ocean.

Umiddelbart kan jeg ikke genkende noget, som indikerer at det skulle have relation til "S/S København".

Ankeret synes at tilhøre et mindre og ældre fartøj, og der var ingen kul om bord i skoleskibet "S/S København", da Bolinder hjælpemotorerne klarede strømforsyning og opvarmningen incl. kabyssen, så på sin vis var det et moderne skib.

Ellers intet nyt fra Tristan, og nu er efterårsstormene sat ind, så der sker næppe meget de næste måneder.

Hvor ville det være godt, om man kunne anvende en sådan undersøisk søge drone ved Cave Point, hvilket jeg foreslog Danmarks Radio, men det ser ud til, at DR helt er bakket ud af projektet.

Jeg og en fotograf samt en journalist var indstillet på at skulle besøge øen, og Norman, så det blev naturligvis en stor skuffelse, da DR bakkede ud af opgaven.

Sidst jeg hørte fra Normann, kunne han oplyse at den del af vraget, som er fotograferet ligger på blot 10 til 20 meter vand, så opgaven skulle være overkommelig for en søgerobot, som heller ikke er så afhængig af vind og ikke mindst strøm, som er farlig og lumsk for selv lokalkendte dykkere.

Muligvis er skibets bovspryd lokaliseret, men det er endnu ikke fotograferet. Jeg har sendt forskellige dessiner om maskinerne og bovsprydet m.v. - og Normann er ligeledes overbevist om, at det er skoleskibet "København", som er strandet ved Cave Point, og knækket i mindst to dele omkring spant 60 - 62.

Hvorfor Ø.K. ikke i juni 1929 gav sig bedre tid til at undersøge øens SV-kyst - er for mig en gåde, når omkring 100 øboere på tæt hold så et kæmpe barkskib drifte sydøstover i en afstand af blot 400 meter fra klippekysten, hvilket Ø.K. var vidende om på det tidspunkt.

De gode tristanboere fandt rent faktisk også noget vraggods i dagene efter strandingen, hvilket åbenbart også skulle hemmeligholdes.

Der blev bjerget nogle rugbrøds kasser i træ, som bageren havde stående ovenpå kabystaget. Kabyssen lå i styrbords side udfor 3 lugen.

Endvidere noget træværk i den Ø.K.-gule farve, som flød ved Cave Point eller var drevet i land.

Dette træværk kan stamme fra den afskærmning, som var monteret omkring brødkasserne, men jeg er ikke helt sikker.

Antagelig er meget vraggods sikkert drevet til havs, da der gik nogle dage, inden øboerne fik kæmpet sig frem til Cave Point.

Senere fandt  Tristanboerne også en strandet Engelhardt-båd, som man forsøgte at slæbe tilbage til bygden med nogle af de gamle robåde.

Det kulede op fra SV, og søen rejste sig, så man måtte opgive, selv om det ville have været en fin reservebåd at have på Tristan da Cunha.

Den værste skrøne- er den om "Ponape"s passage af Stony Hill Point den 21. januar 1929 i en afstand af 5 - 6 sømil.

Oplysningerne er korrekte ifølge skibsdagbogen, men tillæg dertil afstanden fra bygden på ca 12 km - 14 km.

Ingen person vil på en afstand af 20 - 25 km- med nok så god en kikkert ( hvilket man iøvrigt ikke havde på Øen) - vil kunne udtale sig om sejlføring - antallet af ombordværende både - personer om bord eller det hvide bælte på skibsskroget, som Tristanboerne i enighed gjorde rede for overfor Kaptajn H.K. Kristensen fra Ø.K.

Han fremviste også et fotografi af "København", og der var stor enighed om, at netop var dette skib, som man havde observeret nogle måneder tidligere.

Øboerne blev naturligvis skuffet over resultatet af Ø.K.s undersøgelse, hvor man ikke troede på, hvad øboerne havde observeret hin februardag i 1929, selv om de var habile fiskere og søfolk, og kendte besejlings forholdene omkring Tristan da Cunha.

Derfor er jeg fortsat overbevist om, at strandingen skete omkring den 10. februar 1929, hvor skoleskibet er kommet til øen som vinddriver, og strandet ved Cave Point, hvor det blev slået til vrag.

Håber på en endelig og snarlig afklaring af skoleskibet "København"s skæbne.

Med maritim hilsen.

Mogens Pilemand Ottesen 

Navigatør Emeritus.

13^th of May 2015.

More from Mogens Ottesen

About a shipwreck found in the Indian Ocean.

I do not for sure recognize anything that indicates it should be related to the København.

The anchor seems to belong to a smaller and older vessel, and no coal was used onboard the training ship København, as the Bolinder auxiliary engines took care of the power supply and heating incl. the galley, in fact it was a “modern” ship.

Otherwise nothing new from Tristan, and the autumn storms have now stated, so hardly much happens in the next few months.

How great it would be if one could use such an underwater search drone at Cave Point, which I suggested Danmarks Radio, but it seems that DR has completely backed out of the project.

A photographer and I, as well as a journalist, were prepared to visit the island and Norman, so it was of course a big disappointment when DR backed down from the task.

The last time I heard from Norman he told that the part of the wreck which is photographed is found in just 10-20 meters of water debt, so the task should be affordable for a search robot, which is also not so dependent on wind and not least the current, which is dangerous and treacherous even for local divers.

Possibly the ship's bow is localized, but it has not yet been photographed. I have sent various designs on the engines and the bowsprit, etc. – and Norman is also convinced that it is the training ship " insidiously ", which is stranded at Cave Point, and broken in at least two parts around ribs 60-62.

Why the EAC in June 1929 didn’t took more time to examine the island's SW coast – is a mystery to me when about 100 islanders from a close distance of just 400 meters from the Cliff coast saw a giant bark ship drift SE. a fact the EAC was knew about at the time.

In fact, the good Tristan residents also found some wreckage in the days after at the beach, which apparently had to be kept a secret.

Some rye bread boxes in wood were salvaged, which the baker had standing on top of the galley roof. The galley was on the starboard side of the 3rd hatch.

Furthermore, some woodwork in the EAC-yellow color was seen floating at Cave Point or even came ashore.

This woodwork could stem from the shielding that was mounted around the breadboxes, but I'm not quite sure.

Presumably, a lot of wreckage was drifting back to sea, as it took a few days before the islanders got up to Cave Point.

Later, Tristan Islanders found a stranded Engelhardt boat, which they tried to tow back to the village with some of the old rowing boats.

Wind blew up from SW, and the sea level rose, so you had to abandon it, even though it would have been a nice spare boat to have on Tristan da Cunha.

The worst hoax-is the about "Ponape" 's passage of Stony Hill Point on 21st of January 1929 at a distance of 5-6 nautical miles. The information is correct according to the logbook, but you have to add the distance from the settlement of approximately 12 km-14 km.

However, no person will, at a distance of 20-25 km – even with very good binoculars (which, incidentally, they did not have on the island) – be able to comment on the sails, the number of persons on board or the white belt on the hull, which the Tristan Islanders in unity told to Captain H.K. Kristensen from EAC.

He even presented a photograph of the København, and there was a strong consensus that this was exactly the ship that had been observed a few months earlier.

The islanders were, of course, disappointed by the outcome of the EAC investigation, which did not believe in what the Islanders had observed in 1929, although they were capable fishermen and sailors, and knew the navigation conditions around Tristan da Cunha.

Therefore, I remain convinced that the beaching did happen around the 10th of February 1929, when the training ship came drifting to the island and stranded at Cave Point, where it was beaten to a wreck.

I hope for a final and speedy clarification of the destiny training ship København.

With maritime greeting.

Mogens Ottesen

København ved kaj.
The training ship København at berth.

NYHED - August - 2017.

NEWS – August – 2017.

Kilde:Bent Mikkelsen i blad nr. 8 - August 2017 - Maritime Danmark.

ER SKOLESKIBET
KØBENHAVN FUNDET ?

Måske vraget af skoleskibet KØBENHAVN på bunden af det sydlige Indiske Ocean.
Perhaps the wreck of the training ship København at the bottom of the southern Indian Ocean.

Mysteriet omkring Østasiatiske Kompagnis skoleskib Københavns forlis er måske kommet et skridt nærmere en opklaring. 88 år efter, at skoleskibet forsvandt med tab af hele besætningen er det måske blevet lokaliseret på bunden af havet i den sydlige del af Det Indiske Ocean. Det er sket i forbindelse med omfattende eftersøgning af det Malaysiske fly MH 370, der måske fløj i en bane sydpå fra Malaysia i stedet for nordpå mod Kina.

Den meget intensive eftersøgning efter vraget eller vragdele (især flightrecordere) fra Malaysia Airlines fly MH 370, der forsvandt i marts 2014 på en flyvning fra Kuala Lumpur til Beijing i Kina med 239 personer om bord, har afsløret et vrag på havbunden i den sydlige del af Det Indiske Ocean.

I første omgang blev der lokaliseret noget menneskeskabt og af metal på havbunden 3700 meter under vandoverfladen. Længden og den øvrige profil kunne til en forveksling ligne et vrag af et fly, hvor vingerne var slået af.

Det viste sig dog at være et skibsvrag. Det blev konklusionen efter, at et autonomous unterwater vehicle blev sendt ned sammen med et kamera fra det norske offshoreskib Havila Harmony. Billederne og undersøgelserne i øvrigt viste et langt slankt sejlskib, der tydeligvis står med flere master med ræerne intakte. Ikke umiddelbart noget navn at se på billederne, der blev offentliggjort af Australian Transport Safty Bureau. Længden på skroget og bredden (det er et forholdsvis slangt skrog) kunne tyde på, at det var København.

Der er ikke offentliggjort noget specifikt findested, men eftersøgningen er i lang tid sket i et område i den sydlige del af oceanet baseret på beregninger af, hvornår MH370 ville løbe tør for brændstof og derfor ville styrte i havet. Den teori fik ny næring i 2015, da der blev fundet en vragrest fra et fly, som skyllede i land på øen Reunion, som ligger øst for Madagascar. Vragresten er senere blevet indentificeret som en del fra Airbus-fly af samme type som MH370

Der er p.t. ingen oplysninger om, hvorvidt vraget vil blive undersøgt nærmere, da eftersøgningen fortsat gælder det forsvundne fly og dets sorte bokse for, at disse kan kaste et nærmere lys over flyets forsvinden. Der har været mange teorier om, hvorfor flyet ændrede kursen 180° rundt og fløj sydpå i stedet for den planlagte rute nordpå fra Malaysia.

SKOLESKIBET
Skoleskibet København forsvandt et eller andet sted på en rejse fra Buenos Aires i Argentina til Adelaide i Australien i ballast, hvilket vil sige med sand i lasten. Det skete i dagene efter 14. december 1928, da skibet afsejlede fra den argentinske havn med kurs mod Australien syd om Afrika og gennem de brølende 20'ere (det var dog i sommerhalvåret). Sejladsen var beregnet til at tage 2 måneder, men da skibet ikke var nået frem i slutningen af februar 1929, blev det efterlyst, og der bredte sig en uro blandt de pårørende i Danmark. Skoleskibet forsvandt med en besætning på 59 personer, hvoraf de 45 var kadetter under uddannelse til søfarende i ØKs flåde af fragtskibe. Den aller sidste kontakt med København skete 22. december 1928, da skoleskibet var i telegrafisk kontakt med den norske damper William Blumer på position 33° 44S - 34° 23V - sådan cirka halvvejs mellem Sydamerika og Afrikas sydspids Kap Det Gode Håb. Der meldte skoleskibet København alt vel om bord og fortsatte rejsen mod Australien for at laste korn.

Da skibet stadig ikke var nået frem til Adelaide i begyndelsen af marts 1929, blev der sat gang i en efterlysning på den måde, at der blev sendt telegrammer til havne og agenter på den sydlige halvkugle for at skaffe nye informationer. Hjemme i Danmark forsikrede Øst Asiatiske Kompagni, der endnu havde stifteren H.N.Andersen i spidsen alle de pårørende om, at der ikke umiddelbart var grund til at være urolig. Der blev forklaret, at skoleskibet kunne være forsinket af vindstille områder, ligesom det kunne være det modsatte, hvor skibet havde ligget underdrejet på grund af storm eller på grund af tågebanker og/eller sejlads mellem isbjerge.

EFTERSØGNING
Tingene udviklede sig ikke positivt for ØK eller de pårørende. Der kom ingen informationer om skibet og slet ingen positionsmeldinger om anløb af Adelaide. I begyndelsen af april 1929 besluttede Østasiatiske Kompagni at udruste en eftersøgning efter skoleskibet, der var rederiets stolthed på niveau med Selandia, der var verdens første dieselmotorskib.

Ekspiditionen, der blev ledet af kaptajn H. K. Christensen, der tidligere havde gjort tjeneste på København, fik stillet rederiets motortankskib Mexico til rådighed. Tankskibet var i 1920 den allerførste nybygning fra Nakskov Skibsværft, der også var stiftet af Østasiatiske Kompagni. Skibet på 4.450 DWT blev sendt sydpå og reelt sejlede den samme rute, som var planlagt for København: Fra Buenos Aires til Adelaide. Det skete dog med afstikkere til relevante øer og afstikkere på begge sider af den planlagte kurs. Alt sammen uden resultat eller så meget som bare en stump, der kunne genkendes fra København. Intet blev fundet fra skibet.

Østasiatiske Kompagni måtte 6. september 1929 officielt meddele, at eftersøgning efter skoleskibet måtte opgives og skibet blev anset for forlist med tabet af de 59 i besætningen (14 voksne og 45 kadetter). den officielle søforklaring blev afholdt i København 15. oktober 1929 uden at der blev kastet nyt lys om skibets forsvinden.

I årene efter har der været talrige teorier om, hvad der kunne være gået galt om bord på København og det faktum, at der stadig ikke er fundet vragdele efter det store sejlskib, men alt sammen uden at det har ført til noget resultat. Ikke før det omtalte skibsvrag blev fundet på havbunden ved hjælp af moderne offshore teknologi.

SEJLSKIB
København blev bygget 1921 af Ramage & Ferguson i Leith i Skotland som nybygning nr. 256. Det målte 112,40 meter i længden - 134 meter, hvis bovsprydet blev regnet med. Skibet havde en bredde på 15,0 meter og en dybgang på 8,20 meter. Skibet var en 5 mastet bark. det vil sige 4 master med fuldsejl, der hænger på ræer, mens den agterste mast havde bermudasejl og med et totalt sejlareal på 4.744 kvm. Det var ikke et fuldt sejlskib, idet skibet var udstyret med en dieselmotor på 640 hk, der i tilfælde af vindstille kunne drive skibet frem med 6 knobs servicefart. København havde en tonnage på 3.840 brt og en dødvægts tonnage på 5.125 dwt. På sin næstsidste rejse lossede København en last cement fra ØKs egen cementfabrik i Nørre Sundby til Buenos Aires.

Det kan umiddelbart undre, at ØK, der ellers var pioner i bygning af skibe med dieselmaskineri, lod et sejlskib bygge i 1921. Det hænger dog sammen med uddannelse af egne officerer. Det var sådan, at unge søfarende skulle have sejltid i et sejlskib for at kunne tage en styrmandsuddannelse. denne regel affødte, at ØK valgte at bygge eget skib, ligesom DFDS i 1915 overtog barken Viking (nu museumsskib i Göteborg) og at flere franske sejlskibe blev overført til dansk flag. Det var de såkaldte Havre-barker (fordi skibene var ejet i Le Havre), som for fransk regning blev drevet fra Marstal, fordi der var villige søfarende til at bemande disse skibe, hvor de franske søfarende hellere ville sejle i damp- og motorskibe.

By Bent Mikkelsen – Danish Maritime’s magazine from August 2017

Has the training ship København been found?

The very intensive search for the wreckage or parts (especially flight recorders) from Malaysia Airlines MH 370, which disappeared in March 2014 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in China with 239 persons on board, has uncovered a wreck on the seabed of the Southern part of the Indian Ocean. Initially, something man-made and of metal, has been located on the seabed at 3,700 meters below the water surface. The length and the profile could, to a great extent, resemble the wreckage of an aircraft where the wings were knocked off.

However, it turned out to be a shipwreck. It was concluded after an autonomous underwater vehicle was sent down together with a camera from the Norwegian offshore ship Havila Harmony. The pictures and surveys also showed a far slim sailing ship, which clearly stands with several masts and its yardarms intact. A name was not immediately seen at the pictures that have been published by the Australian transport Safety Bureau. The length of the hull and the width – it is a relatively slim hull – indicates that it could be the København.

No specific location of the find has been published, but the search has for a long time taken place in an area in the southern part of the ocean based on calculations of when MH 370 would run out of fuel and therefore would plunge into the sea. This theory was given new nutrition in 2015 when a wreck part was found from a plane that washed ashore on the island of Reunion, which lies to the east of Madagascar. The wreck part was later identified as part of an  Airbus aircraft of the same type as MH 370.

There is currently no information on whether the wreck will be examined further, as the search continues to apply to the missing aircraft and its black boxes in order for them to shed a closer light on the disappearance of the aircraft. There have been many theories as to why the plane changed the course 180 degrees and flew south instead of the planned route north from Malaysia.

The training ship.

The training ship København disappeared during a voyage from Buenos Aires in Argentina to Adelaide in Australia in ballast, which is to say they had sand in the cargo holds. It happened in the days after 14^th of December 1928, when the ship sailed from the Argentine port with a course towards Australia taking her south of Africa and through the roaring 40’ties (it was, however, during the summer months in the southern hemisphere). The voyage was intended to take two months, but when the ship did not arrive at the end of February 1929, it was searched for and there was concern among the relatives in Denmark. The training ship disappeared with a crew of 59 people, of which 45 were cadets in training to become seafarers in the EAC fleet of cargo ships. The very last contact with the København was on the 22^nd of December 1928, when the training ship was in telegraphic contact with the Norwegian steamer William Blumer at position 33° 44S – 34° 23V – roughly halfway between South America and the southern tip of Africa’s Cape the Good Hope. The training ship København announced everything well on board and continued the voyage towards Australia to load grain.

When the ship had still not reached Adelaide at the beginning of March 1929, a search was initiated in the way that telegrams were sent to ports and agents in the southern hemisphere in order to obtain any kind of information. At home in Denmark, the East Asiatic Company, which had yet its founder N. H. Andersen heading the company, assured all the relatives that there was no immediate reason to be worried. It was explained that the training ship could be delayed by calm winds, just as it could be the opposite where the ship had been in a hove-to situation due to storms, fog banks and/or navigation between icebergs.

The search.

Things did not develop positively for the EAC or the relatives. No information was provided on the ship and no position reports on entry into Adelaide at all. In early April 1929, the East Asiatic Company decided to equip a search for the training ship, which was a company pride at the same level as Selandia, the world's first seagoing diesel engine ship.

The expedition, led by a Captain H. K. Christensen, who had previously served onboard the  København, was given access to the shipping company's motor tanker Mexico. The tanker was in 1920 the very first new building from Nakskov shipyard, which was also founded by the East Asiatic Company. The ship, at 4,450 DWT, was sent south and actually sailed the same route planned for the København: from Buenos Aires to Adelaide. However, it happened with stops at relevant islands to both sides of the planned voyage course. It was all with no result and not so much as just a stump that could be recognized being from the København. Nothing was found from the ship.

The East Asiatic Company had to, on the 6^th of September 1929, officially announce that after search for the training ship had to be abandoned and that the ship was considered to have sunk with the loss of the 59 crew members (14 adults and 45 cadets). An official maritime inquiry was held in Copenhagen on the 15^th of October 1929 without a new light on the disappearance of the ship.

During the years after there has been numerous theories about what could have gone wrong on board the København and the fact that no wreckage parts was never found after the large sailing ship, but all without it has led to any results. Not until the aforementioned shipwreck was found on the seabed using modern offshore technology.

The sailing ship København.

The København was built in 1921 by Ramage & Ferguson in Leith, Scotland as new building Nr. 256. She measured 112.40 meters in length – 134 meters, if the bow sprit was counted, the ship had a width of 15.0 meters and a draught of 8.20 meters. The ship was a 5-masted bark. That is, four mast with sails hanging on yardarms, while the aft mast had a schooner sail, with a total area of 4,744 sqm. It was not a “full sailing ship”, since the it was equipped with a diesel engine of 640 HP which, in the event of calm winds, could move the ship forward with six knots service speed. The København had a tonnage of 3,840 GRT and a deadweight tonnage of 5,125 DWT. On the penultimate voyage, the København had unloaded a cargo cement in Buenos Aires from EAC's own cement factory in Nørre Sundby Denmark.

It may be surprising that the EAC, who was otherwise a pioneer in the construction of ships with diesel machinery, allowed a sailing ship to be built in 1921. However, this is linked to the training of own officers. In those days, young seafarers had to undergo sailing time onboard a sailing ship in order to be able to take a mate's training. This rule led to the decision of the EAC to build its own ship, just as DFDS in 1915 took over the bark Viking (now the museum ship in Gothenburg) and that several French sailing ships had been transferred to the Danish flag, the so-called Havre-Barks (in Danish meaning “Oat Barks”), as these ships were owned in Le Havre, but managed on a French account from Marstal in Denmark. Here they had seafarers who were willing to man the ships, whereas French seafarers would rather sail with steam and motor ships.

Kilde:Bent Mikkelsen i blad nr. 8 - August 2017 - Maritime Danmark.

For translation:
Thanks to marine engineer. Jesper Th. Petersen Seattle.

Mange mennesker har sendt mig spørgsmål om nyt vedrørende KØBENHAVNs forlis og MANGE TAK for det, det er godt at vide at så mange mennesker er interesseret i den sørgelige historie om det gamle skib KØBENHAVN.

Men desværre er der endnu intet nyt.

De institutioner som er/var involveret i projektet, har meddelt at de ikke ser sig i stand til at foretage sig yderligt, med mindre der kommer afgørende nyt i sagen.

Det er en bekostelig affære at undersøge et skibsvrag som man ikke ved hvor er, og derfor må man nok erkende at mysteriet fortsat vil være uløst i en ukendt fremtid.

Many people send me questions concerning news from KØBENHAVNs wreck and THANK YOU VERY MUCH for that, it is good to know that so many people are interested in the sad story of the old ship KØBENHAVN.

But unfortunately there is nothing new.

The institutions that are/were involved in the project have announced that they do not see themselves able to do anything further, unles there is essential news in the case.

It is a costly affair to investigate a wreck when you do not know where it is, and so we must admit that the mystery will remain unsolved for some unknown time.

Se også de andre sider !!!