"The Ships"
When Ships Die.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have had the good fortune
to serve on ships navigating the Far East.
Especially on the "Emma
Jebsen" we had long periods of fixed trading routes between ports in
Japan - Taiwan - Hong Kong - Philippines - Singapore - Port Klang and
Penang.
For a long period of time we
only sailed between Hong Kong and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, sometimes with a "detour"
to Japan, Keelung and Manila in the Philippines.
This service between Hong Kong
and Kaohsiung took exactly 1 week, - and when you week after week stay
a couple of days in the same port, you get a fairly good idea of what is
going on.
In those days, the port of Kaohsiung was the scene of the biggest scrap yard in the world, - and that gave us fantastic possibilities to see ship after ship coming in to "die". All sorts of ships, - cargo ships, navy ships, tankers and passenger ships, - everything.
One day a classic and well known
passenger ship lined up along the scrap yard pier.
It was the "Niuew Amsterdam",
- and just behind her was another great looking classic, - the "Homeric".
"Nieuw Amsterdam" I knew about
since that very beautiful classic liner from HAL, was well known in shipping
circles, - but the "Homeric" did not ring any bells, although it was quite
clear, that this was "full blood", - an exceptionally beautiful and first
rate classic liner -, but later I found out, that behind the anonymous
name "Homeric" was in fact the "Queen of the Pacific", - Matson Line's
famous S/S "Mariposa"!
Also 2 classics from the yard
of John Brown & Co. at the Clyde were there, - the "Patria" and the
"Imperio".
In other words: I had
struck gold, - if this expression can be used when great ships are going
to die - - - -
I decided on the spot, that
since we came to Kaohsiung so often, this was a splendid opportunity to
experience how great ships die, and by photographing the process week by
week it would be a unique record of how these famous and once great ships
go from classic and famous passenger liners to heaps of scrap iron!
The first series of photos
of the scrapping process, I took on July 8th. 1974 - and the last pictures
I took in Sept. 10th. 1974. That means, that scrapping of the two
big ships took only about 2 months, - then they were gone, - converted
from great and famous passenger liners to nothing!
In addition there were of course a constant flow of all sorts of other ships, classic cargo ships, a "Victory" ship and a real T-2 tanker and navy ships.
Today???? Well, - there
is no trace left of this former huge scrapping industry in Kaohsiung.
Where once was worn out ships
and heaps of scrap iron is now an industrial area, - a large section occupied
by a big tank farm.
Please "enjoy" my series from
the long gone scrap yard in Kaohsiung, - and watch the "death" of two great
and famous liners.
It is now all history, - and
a very interesting one -, but also a very sad story, because sailors hate
to see fine ships die!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1974-04-036
Left to right: "Homeric" ,
"Nieuw Amsterdam" and "Patria".
A fine trio of classics waiting
to die - - -
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-037
Holland - America Line's "Nieuw
Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-038
Holland - America Line's "Nieuw
Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-039
Holland - America Line's "Nieuw
Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-040
"Homeric", - ex. the famous
Matson liner "Mariposa", - the Queen of the Pacific.
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-041
"Homeric", - with "Nieuw Amsterdam"
in front-
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-043
"Nieuw Amsterdam" with"Homeric"
partly hidden behind, - and to the right, - the forward section af "Patria".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-044
"Imperio" in front, - still
looking fully intact. In the background, right, - "Sgt. Archer T. Gammon",
- a Victory ship serving US Navy.
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
"Sgt. Archer T. Gammon":
Built in Richmond, California
in 1946 as a Boulder Victory class ship type VC2-S-AP2. Displacement:
15589 tons, - LOA.: 455' , - Beam: 62', - Draft: 29'2"
Propulsion: Steam turbine
8500 Shp., - 15,5 knots.
1974-04-045
"Nieuw Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-046
The bow of "Homeric" and to
the right the remains of "Nieuw Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-047
To the left, -he bow of "Homeric"
and to the right the remains of "Nieuw Amsterdam".
In-between in the background:
"Imperio".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-048
To the left, - the remains
of "Homeric" and to the right the remains of "Nieuw Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-049
"Nieuw Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-050
"Homeric" .
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-051
"Neiuw Amsterdam".
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-052
"Homeric" .
- a sad sight of the former
S/S "Mariposa"
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-054
"Nieuw Amsterdam" .
- an equally sad sight of the
former proud ship -
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
1974-04-055
"Homeric" and "Nieuw Amsterdam".
Take note of the classic dry
cargo ship behind "Nieuw Amsterdam"!
She is "St. Constantine", -
the former Norwegian classic "Hoegh Cairn" built in 1958 -, caught fire
in the Pacific, - now waiting to be scrapped.
Photographed in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan in 1974.
(Photography by Karsten Petersen ©)
Continue HERE
for part two.
Back to "Ships
Photos"
Back to "The Ships"
Page initiated: Dec.07 2012