14 Whaling Season 1955/1956

This airmail letter, sent from Svarstad 12.11.1955 to Bjarne Stensholt, worked on board of whale factory ship  “Norhval” or one of her catchers. “Norhval” was built at the Furness shipyard U.K. in 1945, and  she was at the yard in 1955 for some repairs before leaving for the whaling ground. From about December 1. she would be engaged in the catching of sperm whales. The catching of baleen whales (blue-, fin- and sei-whales) started that season January 7. 1956.

  
Twin screw whale facrory ship “Narhval” 1945-1962. 


Airmail letter from Rolf E. Berg sent to his family in Hasle. He was working on the factory ship “Kosmos IV” who for some reason was due to visit Willemstad Curacao at the agency S.E.L. Maduro & Sons. This letter was sent on 22.X.1955.


 

Whale factory ship Kosmos IV, the former German Walter Rau, built in 1937 at the Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, was the last Norwegian factory ship sold to Japan, and became the Kyokusei Maru. In 1951 this ship was almost completely rebuilt and re-engined by Kyler Howaldswerke. Owners Kosmos whaling company Sandefjord.

The Kosmos whaling company was based in Sandefjord, Norway, and owned and managed by the Sandefjord ship owner Anders Jahre. This fleet was typical of all the Norwegian and British pelagic whaling fleets which voyaged the Antarctic waters in the years immediately preceding and following the Second World War.

S.E.L. Maduro & Sons with offices in Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao remained focussed on the development of shipping and transportation activities. In this manner it became a leading company in this field in the area.

Airmail letter, sent from Teie 4-12-1955, to Ole Amundsen, gunner on the whaling ship H/B Busen VI, station Husvik Harbor South Georgia, This letter, via Messrs. Maclean & Stapleton S.A. shipping agency based in Montevideo Urguay. There was the supply tanker “Nancie”, which sailed between various South American ports and South Georgia. Rate, letter abroad, 90 øre, + airmail rate 1 x 50 øre, total rate 140 øre. This letter was therefore insufficiently franked, but was still received on the Busen VI without any problems.


1925 Built as whalecatcher BUSEN ​​6 by Kaldnes Mekaniske Værksted, Kaldnæs, Tønsberg for A/S Tønsberg Hvalfangeri. 1932 Hired by Star Whaling Co. Ltd, London, England. Working for the whaling factory ship SVEND FOYN. 1941 Hired by the Royal Navy in September. Renamed HMS RAINSTORM (FY 1920). Used as a minesweeper. 1946 Returned to owners. Renamed BUSEN ​​6. Operating in Husvik harbour. 1948 Used as a buoy boat. 1949 Laid up as reserve boat in Husvik harbour. Also used to test cod trawling in South Georgia. 1955 Convicted, probably in Husvik harbour.

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