[OPP]

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=9-o6KBxoIaY&mode=related&search=[/youtube]


[align=center]East Indiaman Götheborg[/align]
[align=center]From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/align]

The East Indiaman Götheborg (Swedish: Ostindiefararen Götheborg) is a large wooden sailing ship, a replica of the East Indiaman Götheborg (an archaic spelling of Göteborg: Gothenburg). The original sank off Gothenburg, Sweden, on the 12 September 1745 while approaching its home harbour after returning from her third voyage to the Far East. All sailors survived, but the ship was lost.


The Swedish East India Company

The Swedish East India Company was established 14 June 1731, its purpose to trade in East Asia. The company followed the Portuguese, the Dutch, the Danish, the French and the English. The company got a 15 year monopoly on the trade and the goods exchanged were Swedish timber, tar, iron and copper against silver, tea, porcelain and silk. The company was situated in Gothenburg, while most of the ships were built in Stockholm, among them the vessel that has now been made a replica of.

The company existed for 82 years and its vessels made 132 expeditions with 38 different ships. Even though the company in the end went bankrupt it made an enormous profit in most of its years of operation and it has influenced Swedish history in a number of ways.


The Götheborg revived

When the wreckage of the vessel Götheborg was found in 1984 the idea emerged of making a replica of the vessel. The keel for the replica was laid the 11 June 1995. The vessel was built using traditional means and is as close to the original as possible. One small change is that the height of the deck is 10 cm more as today's seamen are taller than their ancestors.

While the exterior remains true to the original, the interior is highly modern. The perhaps most important differences are electricity and propellers powered by diesel engines. The engines are however only intended for port navigation and in emergency situations. In reality they have been used also in unfavourable winds since there was a timetable for the China trip. Other enhancements include electronic navigation and communications equipment, modern crew facilities (kitchen, lavatories, washing machines, desalination equipment, ventilation, refrigerators etc.), watertight bulkheads and fire protection (fire sprinkler systems, fire hydrants etc). Most of this new technology is necessary to pass national and international safety regulations.

The vessel was launched 6 June 2003 with great festivity, and the Swedish Royal Family were represented. 10 tons of ropes were to be used in rigging the vessel, together with some 1,000 blocks and 1,800 m² sail, all produced as in the "old days". The first trial under sail was 18 April 2005.

The project has so far cost some 250 million SEK ($30 million), some 40% from public funds and the rest from sponsors.

The voyage to Southeast Asia and China

After various tests and achieving its safety certificates from Det Norske Veritas the vessel sailed for China in October 2005, as the original vessel did, but it did not follow the same route. The vessel berthed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, and then left for Hout Bay today before continuing on its voyage. The voyage took about one and a half years. The vessel returned to Gothenburg June 9, 2007, welcomed by the president of China, Hu Jintao, who has visited Sweden mainly for this reason, and by the King and Queen of Sweden, Carl Gustaf and Silvia. The ship was also welcomed by thousands of private boats, and a hundred thousand spectators on shore.

Among the harbours visited were Cadiz, Recife, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. The total list of legs with cities and distances are listed below.

* Leg 1 - Gothenburg to Cadiz - 2,400 nautical miles
* Leg 2 - Cadiz to Recife - 3,100 nm
* Leg 3 - Recife to Cape Town - 4,200 nm
* Leg 4 - Cape Town to Fremantle - 4,900 nm
* Leg 5 - Fremantle to Jakarta - 1,800 nm
* Leg 6 - Jakarta to Guangdong - 2,000 nm and Shanghai - 900 nm
* Leg 7 - Shanghai to Hong Kong - 800 nm and Singapore - 1,800 nm
* Leg 8 - Singapore to Chennai - ? nm
* Leg 9 - Chennai to Djibouti - ? nm
* Leg 10 - Djibouti to Alexandria and Nice - ? nm
* Leg 11 - Nice to London - ? nm
* Leg 12 - London to Gothenburg - ? nm

The route to China followed approximately the 18th century original route (although in the 18th century, they usually avoided ports to avoid pirates). The journey home took the shortcut through the Suez Canal while they during the 18th century had to go back around South Africa.

Facts about the ship

* Length: 40,9 m
* Total length including bowsprit: 58,5 m
* Beam: 11 m
* Sail area: 1,900 m²
* Draugth at the stern: 5.25 m
* Draugth at the bow: 4,75 m
* Ballast: 400 tonnes
* Displacement (weight of ship and load): 1,150 tonnes
* Engines: 2 Volvo Penta 2x22 kWh, with a combined output of 1,100 horsepower (820 kW). Four fuel tanks with a total capacity of 36.000 litres.
* Average speed: 5 to 6 knots (9 to 11 km/h), with a max. engine speed of 8 knots (15 km/h)
* Crew: 80, of whom 50 are trainees
* Bunkering: Food for 80 people for 60 days and spare for another 30 days
* Navigation and communication equipment: GPS, radar and Satcom B (a Inmarsat B terminal)
* Desalination equipment capable of producing 18.000 litres of fresh water during a 24-hour period.
* 14 cannons (for salute). The original ship had 30, both six- and threepounders for self-defence against pirates and hijackers.

[Brenda]

What a beautiful ship!

I would love to see that one!

[OPP]

Brenda wrote:

What a beautiful ship!

I would love to see that one!

We had a U-boat from Holland visiting Gothenburg, I think it was yesterday.

Here it is:

[Brenda]

Do we have U-boats?

I like the old Indiaman better!

[OPP]

Not as graceful perhaps but it has some charm I'm sure.

[OPP]

Here's a picture of Götheborg which outshines the rest, I think.

[Brenda]

Oh man! That is absolutely gorgeous! Can you imagine those days? 300 some years ago... Sailing the 7 seas on a ship like this?

(and not having anything decent to eat, but don't say that, that will ruin the romance )

[OPP]

It would be the dream of all dreams come true just sailing with this one.

[OPP]

The real world must seem so distant when sailing on one of those for months at end to exotic places around the world.
They even encountered real life pirates and got millitary escort through some waters.
Ah well... one can dream.

[Brenda]

Can you imagine that? Sailing in a desolate sea, and then get robbed by pirates? With one eye?

This is another beauty, the Amsterdam:

[OPP]

I couldn't care less about cars but these ships are just so.. graceful and proud.
Has it been out to sea?

[OPP]

[align=center]The Götheborg tallship leaving Nice[/align]
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=nlR5kIQ1ZJ8&mode=related&search=[/youtube]

[Brenda]

I don't really know...

I can't really make it out of this link, but on Sail 2005, it was sailing through the Noordzee Kanaal, which I live next to.

this is a linkto pictures of that event.

[OPP]

Are all these ships in the event? Some real beauties among them.

[Brenda]

Yep! I hope they will be there in 2010 too!