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.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

18 Whaling Season 1960/1961

Image
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 ...
Read more

1 History

Image
  The development of the modern whaling I show you my collection on the postal history of whaling from 1904 to 1964. For questions and/or remarks , you can send me a mail: a.ruijne@hetnet.nl   The old way of hunting whale was based at small row-boats, and the whaler threw a small harpoon with his hands. This capture method became improved by Svend Foyn, a man from Tønsberg, in the years 1860-1870. His method implied the use of strong steam powered whaling boats armed with small grenades shot from cannons. This method renewed the whale hunting. Old type of whaling By using a steam boat, not only for the hunting but also in the processing of the whale, leaded up to an industrialization of the whole way of whaling. The companies that was established for using the new type of hunting whale, did have the same goal as all other industry; producing as much as possible in short time to achieve maximum of profit. This gave big income for the owners, but did also lead to dramatic cons...
Read more

6 Whaling Season 1929/1930/1931

Image
Letter from Olav Reppesgård, who works at Prince Olav Harbor station, sent from Gryteviken 8-NO-30 to his wife in Sandefjord, arriving 10-XII-30.   Shipped from Prince Olavs Havn, postmarked at Gryteviken post office. Letter, sent by Arnt Olaf Westby, from Stromness station, postmarked at the post office at Gryteviken 13-OC-1930. He sent the letter to his wife Julie Westby Myrvoll in Sandefjord, arrival 10-XI-1930. Back of letter sent, from Stromness station, this was his eighth letter to his family. H/B Castberg was the whale catcher on which he was an engineer. DS"Chr. Castberg" was a steel whaler built in 1929 by Smith's Dock Co. Ltd. in Middlesbrough, England, for Hvalfanger A/S Sandefjord. The ship was named after whaling pioneer Christopher Castberg. The boat was handed over to Vestfold in 1934 Whaling Company Ltd and was named "Vestfold II" It continued whaling until 1941 when it was leased to the Royal Navy for use in minesweeping. Letter sent to Anders ...
Read more