 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Albatros |
| Builder | Kalkman, Capelle aan den IJssel |
| Launched | 1899 |
| Home port | Amsterdam |
| Identification |
|
| Status | in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 119 tonnes gross |
| Displacement | 170 tonnes |
| Length | 40 m (131 ft 3 in) |
| Beam | 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) |
| Height | Air draught 28.75 m (94 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion | 415 m2 (4,470 sq ft) Sails, 160 hp (120 kW) Hundested 2 cylinder diesel engine |
| Sail plan | Ketch |
| Speed | 6 kn (11 km/h) |
| Capacity | 15 passengers |
| Crew | 4 crew |
| Notes | Was the last commercial sailing ship in Europe. |
Albatros is a sailingketch built in theNetherlands in 1899. Trading as a cargo sailing ship until 1996, she is now used as a training vessel.
| Time period | Owner |
|---|---|
| 1899 – 1920 | Johannes Muller |
| 1920 – 1941 | Cap. Lolk |
| 1941 – 1980 | Cap. Rasmussen |
| 1980 – 2020 | Antonius Brouwer |
| 2020 - now | Robert Richardson |
Albatros was built atCapelle aan den IJssel in theNetherlands in 1899 as aNoordzee Klipper (North Seacutter) orGalliot. Her first captain was Johannes Muller ofMiddelharnis,South Holland, who used her to transport cargo between the Netherlands and theBaltic states. In 1920,Albatros was sold to Captain Lolk fromSvendborg,Denmark, who installed an 80hp engine in 1933. In 1941, Lolk sold her to Captain Rasmussen fromHobro. During theSecond World War,Albatros was used tosmuggle Jews and political dissidents fromNazi-occupied Denmark to neutralSweden. Weapons for theDanish resistance were also smuggled back into Denmark on the return journey.
Her rigging was reduced in 1964 and the rivetted steel below the waterline replaced with welded steel.[1] A more powerful 160 hp engine replaced the old 80 hp engine. Rasmussen retired in 1978, andAlbatros was laid up inCopenhagen.
In 1980, Antonius "Ton" Brouwer boughtAlbatros, and madeAmsterdam her new home port. She was restored underGermanischer Lloyd supervision between 1983 and 1987 and recommissioned as a sailing cargo ship.[2] Her first cargo after restoration was soya beans toMacduff, Scotland.
Between 1987 and 1996, she could often be seen atWells-next-the-Sea delivering her regular cargos ofsoya beans. With the closure of Wells as a commercial port in 1996,Albatros's career as a cargo ship was finally over. The final load of 100 tons of soya beans was delivered on 5 September 1996.[2] At the time it was claimed that she was the last sailing ship carrying commercial cargo in Europe.[3][4] During this time, her cargos also includedcorn,phosphates andtimber. Apart from the regular run betweenGhent and Wells,Albatros visited ports in theChannel Islands,Denmark,England,Estonia,Finland,Germany,Norway,Poland,Scotland andSweden, sometimes making faster passages than motor driven ships.[5]
Albatros was converted to a passenger ship in 1997-98. Between 1998 and 2000, she was chartered and rebuilt byGreenpeace and used as a sailing classroom in an environmental education program. In 2001, she returned to Wells, andThe Albatros Project was created to support her upkeep. The ship established a programme of passenger and training voyages as well as private charters and events at Wells.[1][2] While on theThames Estuary on 22 August 2004, a passenger on boardAlbatros died when he fell from the rigging. An investigation was carried out by theMarine Accident Investigation Branch, which found shortcomings in the regulatory requirements for foreign passenger vessels operating in the UK, as well as in the safety management regime and manning ofAlbatros.[6]
From 2005, sailing trips were gradually replaced by the development of the ship as a bar, restaurant, music venue andbed and breakfast at her Wells berth.[7]