18 Whaling Season 1960/1961

This Airmail letter, to Gunner Kragemo, was sent from Hvittingfoss on 17.12.1960, to the agency Creole Petroleum Corporation in Judibana Estado Falcon Venezuela. The Gunner was most probably on board the whale catcher Thorørn, catching for Thorshøvdi this season. Rate: letter up to 20 grams abroad was 90 øre, from 1-4 - 1959 to 1-1-1969. Airmail rate, for middle and South America between 1-8 - 1953 and 1-7-1971 was 50 øre per 5 grams. Total postal value 190 øre. The weight of this letter was most likely 10 gram. Hvittingfoss is a village in the Kongsberg municipality.

The motor tanker Thorskog would pick up fuel oil in Judibana Estado Falcon Venezuela,  and then go to the whaling grounds, where they ship meet the factory ship Thorshøvdi with fuel oil and mail. Then she would take the whale oil from it  factory ship, and back to Leaving Europe.

M/T Thorskog, build 1951 at Greenock D.Y.& Co. Ltd., Greenock, owner: Shipping company Thor Dahl, Sandefjord

Letter  was written on the whaling ground and delivered to a transport ship coming down with fuel oil and bringing whale oil (and mail) back to Europe. The transport ship visited Dakar (sea port in Senegal) and delivered all the letters in a bag to the post office in Dakar.

468 refers to the sender's slop chest number on the expedition. Br. 2 means that this is letter number 2 the sender has written to the receiver.

Letter were cancelled 14.IV.1960 with the Federation du Mali cancel. Federation du Mali was a short-lived union between the two French colonies Senegal and French Soudan under the name Federation du Mali. The union was formed in 1959. After the union got independence in 1960, it was dissolved. Senegal took its old name -- Senegal, while French Soudan took the name Mali. Airmail letter from Dakar to Norway. 

Thorshøvdi and her whale catchers

Normal rate would to be: - airmail rate of 1 -8-1953 to 1-7-1971 was 50 øre per 5 gram. - Rate abroad from 1-4-1959 to 1-1- 1969 was 90 øre to 20 grams. - Total 140 øre. The foreign rate was inexplicably not calculated for this letter. 

Letter was sent by airmail to Anton Nilsen who was a shooter (the one who shot the whales) aboard Whaler Southern Author. This whaler worked in the 1960/61 season for factory ship Southern Venturer. The letter was sent via Bryde & Dahls Hvalfangerselskap A / S) a shipping company in Sandefjord, where motor tanker Thorshavn (II) was registered. The Thorshavn II became chartered as a transport ship by Chr. Salvesen & Co to go to Southern Venturer with fuel oil and whale oil return to Europe. Presumably Thorshavn (II) take fuel oil on Aruba / Curaçao. The shipping company delivered the letters in one collection envelope or (for larger quantities) in a mail bag, on the post office in Sandefjord. This one sent the collecting envelope or mail bag with letters by airmail to Aruba / Curaçao. Christian Salvesen was Scottish whaling, transportation and logistics company with a long and varied history.  

Southern Venturer 1945-1962, built 1945, tonnage 14493 br.t, owner Sevilla Whaling Co Ltd. Leith, Scotland. Stamp booklet, published 2001, by Sandefjord Filatelistklubb in collaboration with the Whale Museum in Sandefjord.

Whale catcher Southern Author

Oil Tanker Thorshavn II

Kolbjom Karlsen sent this letter, to his wife, 2 JA 1961, postmarked in Gryteviken, postage paid with 1 shilling SG 69. In the seasons 1959/60 and 1960/61 he wintered in the harbor of Leith. The reason for this was that between whale seasons the catchers of the factory ships Southern Harvester and Southern Venturer stationed in Leith harbour. All maintenance work between seasons was carried out on the old whaling station Stromness which Salvesen bought after the Second World War to maintain both the Leith Harbor catchers and the catchers on the two factory ships. At Stromness (the walking distance between the two stations was 45 minutes, by boat 10 minutes) there were two floating docks and a large workshop. It was cheaper to keep the catchers in South Georgia than to sail them home. One or two crew members per whaler were chosen to overwinter for extra pay and a promise of employment for the following season.

Southern Harvester was a floating whaling factory operated by the Christian Salvesen shipping company in Leith in Scotland through the company The South Georgia Co. Ltd. She was a sister ship to the "Southern Venturer" which had been delivered a year earlier, but had increased tonnage and machinery. Southern Harvester operated pelagic whaling in the Southern Ocean for 17 consecutive seasons, from 1946/47 to 1962/63. The catch was carried out with between 9 and 14 whalers.