WORLD TRAMPING

Hokitika Guardian, 2 April 1932, Page 6

WORLD TRAMPING

0. A. KNUD EX’S DETURN

TANKER’S VOYAGES,

WELLINGTON, April 1

An extraordinary story of many voyages to many parts of the world, including even the Antarctic, was told by the chief officer of the Norwegian motor-tanker 0. A. Knudsen, which arrived at Wellington on Tuesday morning with a cargo of fuel-oil from Curacao, after an absence of more than three years from this port.

Built in Glasgow in 1925, the 0. A. Knudsen spent the first 18 months of her sea-going career in carrying fueloil from California to Chile. In February, 1927, she was chartered by the Union Company, and she made 13 voyages in just under two years from San Pedro to Wellington, travelling some 160,000 miles between the two ports and carrying about 165,000 tons of fuel-oil.

TO FAR DISTANT PORTS. Leaving Wellington on January 6, 1929. the O. A. Knudsen returned to San Pedro, whence she made five voyages to Toeopiila, Chile, with fuel-oil. Then she ran two voyages from the Californian port to Buenos Aires, via the Magellan Strait. From Buenos Aires the tanker went in ballast to Las Piedras in Venezuela, whence she made two voyages to New York. Next, O. A. Knudsen made two trans-Atlantic voyages carrying fueloil from Curacao to Shellhaven in the mouth of the Thames. The second occasion brought her a brief respite, when she proceeded to Gothenburg in Sweden for an extensive sur\ ey and refit, which occupied some weeks. Several of her officers and men who had been serving in her since her maiden voyage were able to revisit their homes in Norway. The chief officer, Mr M. Midhoe, whose home is at Falnaes, near Stavenger, spent five weeks with hi s wife and small daughter, whom he had not seen lor over four years.

Leaving Gothenburg, the O. A. Knudsen proceeded in ballast to Cartagena in Colombia, South America, where she loaded fuel-oil for Buenos Aires. Between May, 1930, and January, 1931, the ship carried five cargoes of oil from Talarn, Peru, to the River Plate (Buenos Aires and Campnna), making ten traverses of the Magellan Strait.

PORT OF SPAIN TO ANTARCTICA

The next voyage of the O. A. Knudsen was strange and adventurous one. 'Proceeding from Buenos Aires, the ship went ,to Port of Spain, in the island of Trindad, off the coast of Venezuela, and loaded a full cargo of nearly 13,000 tons of fuel-oil for British and Norwegian whaling ships in the Antarctic. Leaving Port of Spain on February 22, 1931, the O.A. Knudsen proceeded down the Atlantic and across the Southern Ocean to longitude 40 degrees East, and latitude 07 degrees south, which brought her to the edge of the pack ice. Here she met the factory ship Southern Princess which had visited the Ross Sea and New Zealand the previous year). After supplying that ship with fuel, the O. A. Knudsen proceeding to the westward along the edge of the icefields, fueling in turn the factory skips Southern Empress, Hektoria, Strom bus, and Skytteren. The tanker encountered many blizzards and narrowly missed icebergs and patches of field ice. Her furthest south was 68 degrees, and she crossed the Antarctic Circle on her way north in longitude 10 degrees east. She proceeded to Cape Town and subsequently to Walfisch Bay (South-west Africa) where she pumped the remainder of her cargo into the returning whalers on Anri! 18.

After leaving the African coast the O. A. Knudsen proceeded to Oruba, a small island near Curacao, and loaded for Teneriffe. Thence she went to Gibraltar, where she was dry docked. Back across the Atlantic she went once more, this time to Beaumont, Texas, where she loaded for Buenos Aires-

BUENOS AIRES TO BATOUM By this time the economic hurricane had driven hundreds of oil tankers of! the seas to swing idly at moorings in “lay-up” berths. But there was no rest for the O. A. Knudsen, for her owners found profitable charters even in the midst of the world trade depression. Her next voyage was a long run of 32 days in ballast from Buenos Aires to Batoum, the Russian oil port in the Black Sea. The tanker proceeded by way of the Strait of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus to Batoum, where such members of her crew as went ashore found numb to interest, hut not to enamour them in studying the life in the Bussin u port under the Soviet. regime. From Batoum the (). A. Knmlswi took a full cargo of fuel-oil to Antwerp. Rotterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm.^

CHRISTMAS IN SWEDEN. Last Christmas Eve found the ship hack at Gothenburg, where she underwent another survey. In accordance with the rules of the new international load-line convention, the Plimsoll mark of the O. A. Knudsen was raised nearly 12 inches, increasing her deadweight loading capacity L<> 13,180 tons. At the same time, in view of her deeper loading, her bulwarks were cut away and “skeletonised” to eii able the ship to clear her decks quickly of Watei in heavy weather.

BACK TO NEW ZEALAND. Prom Gothenburg the O. A. Knudsen proceeded once more to Port of Spain, Trinidad, where she loaded a full cargo for Buenos Aires. Alter discharging in the River Plate, the ship called at Pernambuco, Brazil, lor orders, anil greatly to the delight of her officers and crew she was ordered to Curacao to load fuel-oil for Wellington. “We are very pleased f<> conic back to New Zealand,” said her chief i..iieer, Mr Midboe. “It is a good country to come, to, although our stays in port are very short.” 4he 1). A. Knudsen has been engaged hv the Union Company on time charter for twelve mouths carrying lurl-oi! to Wellington.

'l’lie 0. A. Knudsen, alter making her passage of 729!) miles iron) Curacao, has actually travelled 236,209 miles in her world voyaging ;sime she left Wellington on January 6. 1929. Her master is Captain Kent Bringdal, who was chief officer when the ship last visited Wellington, he having succeeded Captain .1. Baakc, who js now in command of the tanker Anna Kninlseii, which lie look Irnm Curacao to the Antarctic on her maiden voyage two years ago. Mr M. ,M id hoe, chief officer, was ..formerly third mate of the O. A. Knudsen and (he child’ engineer, Mr S. Olsen. was formerly second. Cap La in Bringdal. and his boatswain, Mr Westvik, have served continuously i" the ship since she was Iniilt in 192.».