9 Whaling Season 1939/1940


Letter sent from Cape Town South Africa 20.XI.1939 via Oslo 18.12.1939 to Tonsberg Norway. Sender is A Andreasen, who was working on whale factory ship “Pelagos” that was on that moment at Cape Town. In 1939, the Airmail rate to Europe was 1/- per ½ ounce (28.3 grams) or part there of. So, with 8 x 3d stamps making a total of 2/-, (12 pennies in a shilling, 24 pennies in 2/-), the letter was rated at 2/- because it weighed over one ounce but under two.


PELAGOS was built at Harland & Wolff in 1901 as the ATHENIC for Shaw Savill & Albion's service from London to Wellington, NZ. Sold in May 1928 for use as a whale factory ship to Bruun & von der Lippe, Tønsberg and converted at Smiths Dock, Tees and renamed “Pelagos."


Whale factory ship “Pelagos” Owner, Hvalfangerselskapet Pelagos A/S, Tønsberg, manager: Svend Foyn Bruun, Tønsberg







 

This letter sent from Oslo 16.01.1940. Addressed to the secretary of the Argentinean company Da Pisca based on Gryteviken. The letter was sent at the time a transport ship / tanker was about to leave Norway and directly to sail to Gryteviken. The rate was 30 ǿre in 1940. This was probably the last letter to Gryteviken South-Georgia before WW2. This letter arrived in Gryteviken 01.03.1940. Cause: Norway was at war with Germany since April 9, 1940 and after that all contact with the whaling stations was immediately stopped.



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