THE LOST KOBENHAVN

Evening Star, Issue 22142, 24 September 1935, Page 9

THE LOST KOBENHAVN

POSSIBLE GLUE TO MYSTERY LIFEBOAT FOUND ON WEST AFRICAN BEACH Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, September 23. The ‘Morning Post’s 1 Johannesburg correspondent says: “ Whitened skeletons in a desert and a wrecked ship’s boat are believed to be all that remain of tho Kobenhavn, which was lost en route to Australia with 60 souls in 19,28. An expedition returning from Southwest' Africa says it encountered, 400 miles north ofi Swakopmund, one skeleton, and then six skeletons seven miles away. Half a ship’s lifeboat lay smashed on the beach. The party apparently took refuge from biting winds, and sent one of their number in search of water, of which the nearest was 50 miles away. There was nothing to identify the remains with the Kohenkavxi, except a piece of naval cloth and the fact that the boat was of the Scandinavian type. The skulls were apparently Nordic. The Danish Consul is investigating in the hope of solving one of tho greatest modern sea mysteries.”

[The Kobenhavn has not been heard of since she left Montevideo, River Plate, on December 14, 1928, for Australia to load grain for Europe. In addition to her officers and crew, tho ship had about 70 cadets. Her course should have taken her across the South Atlantic and through the “ roaring forties ” to Australia. She was a fivemasted barque with an auxiliary engine of 650 horse power. Her engines wore required only to drive her in and out of port and through calm seas at a maximum speed of six knots. In the event of the ship having been dismasted in stormy weather her engiuese would not have been of much assistance. The voyage from the Plate to Australia could have been completed in 40 days. Vessels were sent from Capo Town to search for missing ships in the Antarctic on several occasions.}