Vacation in Finland

Last look down the valley before heading to Nice and my flight to Finland

Sail training ship Fennia

Having visited Falklands I came over the information by accident in a pub that a Finnish sailing vessel, FENNIA, had in early 1900's limped into Port Stanley jury rigged after having been partly demasted in a severe storm. 

Poster of shipwrecks around Falklands

Captain Arthur A Soderlund

As I was visiting Tristan da Cunha a colleague of mine had told me there is a Finn buried over there. Before the port was the local cemetery so I requested to stop there to have a look.

Eventually I found the grave after some walking about the graves and the stone said Arthur A Soderlund had been buried there after an accident working on the South African fishing vessel Frances Repetto.

 

Lawhill print by robertcarter.com

Wilhelmine in media

As Wilhelmine was resuscitated and moved about she broke the news barrier and below are few articles published by Finnish papers that I've freely translated below in chronological order. 

Kimito nyheter 24.11.2020:

Main picture of article in Kimito news.

Upper box: "Wilhelmine departing for new waters 24th nov 2020"

Lower box: "The ships bell was left behind as a memento in the old home port"

Text by Sinikka Paulin, Translation (to Swedish) by Ingrid Sandman, Picture by Camilla Lundström.

Main article 24.11.2020

The last sand freighter left the shore of Pederså

The steel hulled Wilhelmine was built in the north German town of Stade in 1953. Then about 30 years later she arrived Porvoo commune at the end of the 80's into Finnish ownership. 

The following years she freighted sand in the waters of Bay of Finland from Vålax to Ruoholahti in Helsinki. The over 50m long Wilhelmine were in those days the largest sand feighter and got the nickname "The Borgå fleet beauty". 

From Vålax the vessel was sold to new ownership and arrived Pederså in 1999. Now her task was to freight sand and gravel in the Turku archipelago, she also brought grain and sugarbeets from Åland islands. 

In 2009 the ships owner was pensioned and the ship was left on the beach of Pederså. She was indeed a real landmark and elicited interest from passersby both ashore and on water. In the past Wilhelmine wouldn't have been the only ship in Pederså. Especially during 1940-50's and also in the 60's the village was inhabited by up to 30  skippers and their families and at best there were ships at almost every shoreside. It was an important source of income in those days that faded away as times changed. 

At the end of this year Wilhelmine changed ownership again and on tuesday 24th November she started her engines after a long rest period and left her homeport. Only the ships bell was left home as a memory. The melancholic homestay waved goodbye to the vessel and even neighbours had gathered on their jetties to bid farewell to the vessel that steamed by in the late autumn sunny morning. Her destination was Pargas where she will stay over the winter. Come spring and Wilhelmine will have new challenges.

Turun Sanomat, 21.07.2021 

The last coaster of her kind is leaving our waters

Even use of Wilhelmine as a museum before scrapping had been discussed because in Europe there is only a handful left in their original condition.

By Elina Malkamäki

Piece of Baltic sea freight history disappears this summer when the 1953 built Wilhelmine leaves Finnish waters.

The last coaster that has been kept in her original condition is leaving her berh in Pargas for her final voyage in end of July for Danish shipbreakers. At the same time any plans for using her long history as a museum are wrecked.

- Similar vessels handled most of the freight in all of the Baltic sea. These days similarly preserved vessels are only a handful left in Europe mourns Mr Hannu Vartiainen, a Master mariner from rauma and ex Director of the Rauma maritime museum.

He is part of a group of maritime professionals that during this spring has been looking for a way to save the vessel for the future generations.

Mr. Vartiainen has a vision that Wilhelmine could be restored to a working freighter in the Aura river and be used for example for meetings or other events.

- As the last of her kind in Finland she would have been worth conserving as none have been kept before. The situation is similar to that of s/v Sigyn when Åbo Akademi decided to save her in 1939. Today nobody is questioning why she is sitting in Aura river, Mr Vartiainen outlines.

The German made Wilhelmine has been tentatively discussed about with Museum authority and maritime museum Forum Marinum. According to Mr. Tapio Maijala, the Director of Forum Marinum, the museum authority was open for negotations regarding the takeover of the vessel.

The effort stranded because Vartiainen and his group did not manage to raise the 35000EUR salesprice that would have been necessary to buy Wilhelmine from her current Owner.

- Wilhelmine could have been taken over as a donation but he authority was not ready to purchase the vessel, says Mr Maijala.

In case the vessel would hve been taken as a museum ship then Forum marinum would have taken care of her annual maintenace and expenses.

Also according to Mr. Maijala the old freighter would have been worth preserving.

- The vessel represents excellently the family owned shipping culture of it's time.

To take new museum ships into use is rather rare due to the initial costs, he remarks.

- Another way of preserving her history and spirit is by photographic documentation.

Wilhelmine has been also photographed accordng to Mr. Maijala.

To refit the vessel into an operational museum vessel would cost about 100.000EUR tells Mr Vartiainen.

The currently registered pleasure craft has had several owners in Finland. As a freighter transporting cargoes she was used last about 10 years ago in the archipelago, the current owner had planned to employ her in the Åland archipelago.

- The pandemic mixed up the deck and put a stop to the project. Suddenly there was no use for her and she was put up for sale, tells Mr Vartiainen.

Fact box on upper right:

In freight traffic over 10 years ago

+ The vessel was built 1953 in the German city of Stade to a local shipping owner, Mr Theodor Oltmann.

+ The vessel visited Finland during the years tens of times collecting timber cargoes.

+ In 1961 the ship was extended by 8m and that increased her deadweight to 550 tons. (n.b. in fact 650t)

+ The 51m long vessel was sold to Finland in 1987.

+ She has had several Owners.

+ At the end of 80's she was set on the route Borgå-Helsinki where she delivered building materials to the capital.

+ In 2001 she was sold to Kimito. Until 2009 she was transporting sand in the archipelago from one island to another.

+ In the end she was left on the Pederså shore for 11 years.

+ The current Owner bought the vessel from the widow. He was going to refit her for cargo traffic in the Åland islands.

+ Wilhelmine was moved to Gunnarsnäs port.

+ Ship was recently sold to a Danish shipbreaking company where she is meant to sail at end of July 2021.

+ Equivalent vessels has not been mu before in Finland. Similar coasters can be found as museums 3 in germany and one in Netherlands.

+ In 2007 Wilhelmine came into the headlines when she was causing havoc on the ferry routes. the coast guard found the helmsman under influence (TS 30.05.2007).

Sources: Hannu Vartiainen  

Turun Sanomat, online, 4.8.2021

1/3

Mystery sponsor could have saved coaster Wilhelmine

By Venla Rakkola

2/3

According to current Owner of Wilhelmine the sponsorship was wrecked by the maritime museum Forum marinum. The Director of Forum marinum denies the allegations.

The last Finnish coaster that has remained in her original state, the Wilhelmine built in 1953, left on Saturday from Pargas on her last voyage to Danish shipbreakers. She is meant to arrive by Friday 6th August 2021.

Until the last moment it looked like Wilhelme would not be needed to be cut up for scrap. After the Turun Sanomat article published (see above) earlier a possible sponsor who was interested in saving Wilhelmine, was in contact with the maritime museum Forum marinum and the current owner Mr. Jan Rautawaara. His only term was that he would get the right to use the ship a couple of times a year for his own venues, Mr. Rautawaara tells.

- Marinum refued this arrangement, they said this is not how they operate. The sponsor then said he won't buy a ship and then give it away if he would not be even allowed to visit it, says an exasperated Mr. Rautawaara.

3/3

The sponsorship of Wilhelmine was not wrecked because of them according to the director of Forum marinum, Mr. Tapio Maijala.

One possible sponsor was in touch with Mr Maijala after the earlier Turun Sanomat article but the talks did not concern the terms of the sponsorship.

- He just wanted to confirm facts based on the Turun Sanomat article, e.g. costs, drydocking and the role of Forum Marinum in this whole business. It was all discussed in mutual understanding and the sponsor was satisfied with the information he received, says Mr Maijala.

According to Mr Maijala he is the only one in the Forum Marinum organisation with authority to discuss the situation of Wilhelmine. 

There has not been any denial of private venues via anyone else.

- I'm sure that it (the sponsorship) could not have fallen on this issue as I have at no point even discussed the matter with anyone, says Maijala.

The former Director of Maritime museum of Rauma, Mr Hannu Vartiainen, says that with the scrapping of Wilhelmine Turku and Finland loses a lot (historically).

The hope of saving the vessel lived until the last moments.

- She was cleaned up spick&span because the thoughts were that any last minute sponsor might turn up. Perhaps a bit poor analogy but almost like in tv series when the deathrow inmate is waiting for a last minute pardon, Mr Vartiainen says.

He has also talked with the possible sponsor by telephone.

- I did tell him that he has an excellent opportunity when the vessel is in Pargas and it can be visited. It springs into my mind that perhaps he did not see the forest because of the trees and only thought that it is a very rusty old ship, Mr Vartianen muses.

Whatever the reason,  now the story of Wilhelmine is at an end, she must be taken to Denmark during Mr Rautawaara's holidays lasts. In autumn the transit would have made it very difficult due to inclement weather. 

- It is a nice trip but we're all a bit sad that she will be cut into pieces, says Mr Rautawaara.

Turun Sanomat, print version, 4.8.2021

By Venla Rakkola

Saga of Wilhelmine ends despite interest

Text is the same as above apart from changed headline.

Latest update, Turun Sanomat 24 August 2021:

Print version 

From the online version, picture caption:

"In case Wilhelmine would have been museumed at Aura river she would probably have looked something like this"

By Venla Rakkola

Historical freighter scrapped in Denmark

Parts of Wilhelmine ends up in another Danish sailingship project

Part of the Finnish Maritime heritage has soon been chopped into pieces of scrapmetal.

The 1953 built Wilhelmine, the last coaster still in her original state was sailed from Pargas to Denmark in the beginning of last August.Part of the vessel has already been scrapped and in the beginning of this week the rest of her will be dragged on dry land and cut up. 

- The ship is cut up alongside as much as possible. When se gets lighter she floats higher. The she is dragged ashore and the rest is cut up, tells Captain Hannu Vartianen from Rauma, also former director of Rauma maritime museum.

Mr Vartiainen mentions that scrapping was much easier in the old days. The ship was set alight and when the fire had burned out the remaining metal was cut up. According to regulations of today the vessel is cut up and then sold.

- The price of steel is pretty high at the moment, tells Mr Vartiainen.

Part of the historical freighter will anyhow be preserved. According to Mr Vartiainen some parts are used for a sailing ship project in Denmark.

In the 1950's the shellplates and decks were riveted together. These days ships are welded together.

- The riveted part gives an impression the vessel is question is much older than it actually is. It is a purely cosmetic matter, not financial, because a riveted seam is much costlier than an ordinary metal plate, says Mr Vartiainen.

In addition to the riveted seams also Wilhelmines masts and railings are taken for the same project.

The old chart tables and wooden furniture has been saved from Wilhelmines interior. The freighters brass portholes and main engine will be sold onwards.

- The main engine is still quite good. At least it was proven that one could sail from Pargas to Denmark with it, smiles Mr Vartiainen.

The last coaster of Finland in her original state was long attempted to be saved as museum. 

- We do have museum ships in Finland but not a single freighter.

The previous owner of Wilhlmine, Mr Jan Rautawaara has donated various documents from the freighter to the maritime museum of Wischhafen in Germany. Wilhelmine was in her day built near Wischafen in the city of Stade.

Among the donated items there is the original German flag, old charts and logbooks. The museum of Wischafen is arranging a remembrance exhibition for Wilhelmine where all the items are on display.

Fact box:

Coastal freighter Wilhelmine

- Built in the German city of Stade in 1953 for a local ship owner Mr Theodor Oltmann.

- Wilhelmine was sold to Finland in 1987.

- The vessel was sold to Kimito in 2001. Until 2009 she was transporting sand in the archipelago.

- In 2007 Wilhelmine was in the headlines when she caused several risky situations on various shipping lanes. The coast guard found an inebriated helmsman onboard.

- Finally she was tied up at a beach in Kimito for 11years.

- The previous owner to the scrapyard bought the vessel in October 2020 from the family estate with an idea to refit her for traffic to Åland islands.

Below are short postings by Jan Rautawaara on LinkedIn that we're copied and translated at least by Ålands Sjöfart on their media channel as they appeared:

Wilhelmine in history

Obviously as Wilhelmine was built in 1953 and sailed 30+ years under German flag in Europe before she was bought to Finland in the 80's a lot had time to happen to the people that sailed her and to Wilhelmine herself.

Waalhafen 1970's, courtesy of Shipnostalgia by "oktoon"

Originally she was launched with a tdw of 440t and then extended in 1961 to 550tdw, which was the size she was until the end. 

Courtesy of Wikipedia

One interesting tidbit from her German era was that the Mate eventually married the daughter of Captain Theodor Oltmann. This is testimony to how close knit the life onboard was back then as a livelihood and lifestyle or perhaps the Mate played safe. 

Still the offspring of the Oltmann's remember Wilhelmine as one comments on an article in LinkedIn:

On 27th June 1985 according to NY Times she collided with a west German submarine just off Kiel canal:

Courtesy of NYTimes

Courtesy of LATimes

Surprisingly the accommodation survived almost untouched but as time went by she lost her derricks,  the winches for them, the original wooden lifeboat, the horn, the standard compass on the monkey island, her Deutz main engine and other loose bits and pieces as she changed owners. 

Below are pictures courtesy of Jan Rautawaara who took time to dig in his archives when he was a deckhand onboard in late 90's as well as he visited maritime museums in Wischafen and sent pictures from there. They are all below in no particular order and I let the pictures speak for themselves. 

German tonnage cert