Recycling

Libra af Stockholm

(credit: Frankie Fouganthin)

Part 1: Libra af Stockholm

This is a bit of a back to front story, hope you enjoy it. 

The historic Swedish vessel Libra af Stockholm (originally named Lurö) was built in 1934 at Karlstad Shipyard. Detailed records and heritage status are maintained by the Sjöhistoriska museet.

Libra af Stockholm was the first steel ship designed and built at Karlstad shipyard. The ship was initially galeas-rigged and had auxiliary machinery, measuring roughly 26 meters in length and 6 meters in width. The hold was specially designed for transporting sugar. In 1939 the ship was sold to Denmark. During her time as a Danish freighter, the ship twice hit a mine! Once so badly that she sank, but was salvaged and after renovation sold to Norway. In Norway she operated as a freighter for half a century under the name Libra. In 2007 Libra returned to Sweden, where she is now used as a residence and sailing vessel.

Very recently my friend Captain Juha Pokka spotted the schooner Libra af Stockholm alongside and went for a ship visit as one does when moored in a world class heritage port of Mariehamn among tall classic sailing ships. Then as it happens he was shown to the engine room and lo and behold, what did he find there?

Libra af Stockholm

(credit: Christina Helsted Larsen)

In the middle of the engine room was the ships pride and joy, the small orange energy pill propelling the vessel forward when there was no wind or the occasion asked for it. Juha immediately recognized the engine and told the Owner's of it's history, not only had it worked on Wilhelmine but also on Nora in her life. The Owner's of Libra af Stockholm had acquired the engine from the Fornaes Shipbreakers in Grenå, Denmark. The same place where we left Wilhelmine to be chopped up and recycled back in 2021. This then spurred this post to reminisce a bit of Finnish shipping history...

Juha Pokka rejoined with the old trusty Scania

The Owners of Libra af Stockholm had naturally overhauled the engine completely and then given it a fresh coat of paint before fitting it in the engine room. The engine looks brand new now despite being a quarter of a century, and then some, old workhorse but still going strong it seems. Long may the engine serve Libra af Stockholm. I still remember myself how we serviced it and was coaxing the engine to life after having stood still for the best part of 10 years onboard Wilhelmine. It is a Scania DSI 11 with Twin Disc gearbox that was produced from the 1980's until 1990's. 

The Scania engine at the workshop pre installation on Libra af Stockholm

The Scania engine ready for shipping to Libra af Stockholm

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Part 2: Wilhelmine

Wilhelmine in ship shape condition, 2007

(credit: Henrik Åkerberg)

m/v Wilhelmine in Kalmar 2021

Long story short was that Capt Jan got Wilhelmine for a reasonable price from the owners widow and we resuscitated her for a possible refit (bottom needed redoing) but covid put pay to those plans as regional governments froze all infrastructure projects and she would have not had any work to do. She was offered up for sale to many parties, even museums, but in the end when push came to shove all the would be stakeholders vanished up in thin air. So, the following summer it was time for tough decisions and she was eventually sailed to Denmark for scrapping, it was a pity as she was still in her 1953 getup. Even the original paintwork could be seen under the many layers that had been painted on her. For the full story, click the link.

Capt Jan resuscitating the Scania after 10 years of sleep

When we had done all things possible, changed oil, poured oil on the rockers, checked fluids, changed filters, we then connected the new batteries we had also bought and installed. If memory serves me right we also put some hundred liters of diesel in the tank for moving her to Pargas marina and so we cranked the engine. At first she only coughed but on the second attempt she already sputtered to life and started like she had never stood still. I would say a pretty good coaxing job we had done with this result.

Changing a thermal valve

We then took her out of her berth for a short spin and noticed the engine is cooking after asking more power and we discovered that the thermally activated valve had expired and so we had to make the trek to closest Scania warehouse for the relevant spare and we changed that. The subsequent trials went well and we then just waited for the right weather window to sail her across the archipelago to Pargas.

Old impeller

Then the next summer in Aug 2021 we were realizing the decision of her scrapping. Jan had contacted the breaker and had a deal ready and so we three signed on and took Wilhelmine on her last voyage south like a dying elephant on the savanna going for the boneyard. After some 5 days we arrived Fornaes Shipbreakers in Grenå and bid our farewells on 5th Aug 2021. The crew parted and went their separate ways and so Wilhelmine was recycled. I heard later that some of her railings had been sold and obviously now also the main engine, nice to know some parts still lives on. The wheel went to the widow as I understand. I have on my shelf the brass mouth piece and whistle to the engine room.

Jan & Juha on the engine resuscitation

Originally Wilhelmine had had a Deutz engine that the previous owner, Mr Torvald Lindström, had taken off in 2001 and replaced by the Scania from his other vessel Nora that I'm guessing was getting tired and so he scavenged the main engine before scrapping her himself and using the steel to reinforce the pier at his home beach. It may have also been difficult to find spares for the Deutz engine due to its age so also another simple solution for a 'can do' man. 

Wilhelmine's engine room

Mehukatti for the engine

Airing engine

Wilhelmine's engine room

The Scania engine 

(credit: Bendt Nielsen)

The former Scania home on Wilhelmine in Denmark

(credit: Fornaes Shipbreakers)

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Part 3: Nora

M/s Nora

(Credit: Owe Ehlén, Jomala Möckelö 1999-07-07)

Then, prior to Wilhelmine the same engine had also been installed on m/s Nora, this was in the mid 1990's when he acquired the engine as brand new. As per below Mr Torvald Lindström had still listed both ships for service in the Finnish Maritime index 2009-10, Wilhelmine had still details of her old Deutz engine but this must have been outdated information. It was this year that he lost the Class and the license to use Wilhelmine for work due to her many deficiencies and so she sat off his house for the next 10 years waiting for better days that never came, but back to Nora, her long and distinguished history below.

Listing

Ownership and registry timeline m/s Nora

1964 : The vessel transitioned from a Russian cable barge named KA I into a proper coastal carrier. She was registered to Laivanisännistöyhtiö Nora (The Nora Shipping Partnership) based in Bromarv, Finland.

1966: Purchased by Kaino Virta, a small-scale regional Finnish shipowner. Kaino Virta was known in coastal trade circles; around this time, he also owned other coasters, such as a vessel named Maria based out of Turku.

1967: Sold briefly to Sörjer Lindh.

1969: Acquired by Helmer Lundström, a prominent family name in southwestern Finnish coastal shipping, changing her homeport to Västanfjärd. 

1987: Ownership was transferred within the family to Torvald Lundström, and her official homeport changed to Kimito (Kemiö).

The Scania records still show that the engine was purchased in 1994 for Nora

Trade and final fate

According to historical accounts, m/s Nora spent her later decades serving as a reliable coaster. Local dockworkers recall her frequently unloading cargoes like limestone (kalklass) in regional ports such as Bartsgårda (Åland), where skipper Torvald Lundström operated the onboard Bröyt X2 excavator to discharge the cargo. I read on FB that one summer they transported 60 full loads in total.

The vessel was listed with alternative measurement adjustments over her long life: 337 dwt, 200 GT, and 105 NT. She remained actively registered in the Finnish Illustrated List of Ships for nearly a century until 2011, after which she disappeared from active records, signaling her retirement after 98 years of service.

There seems to be no official record what exactly happened to her but the people in the know say that she was scrapped in situ at his home and the remaining steel plates used to reinforce the jetty that he had there, but before that happened the Scania engine was put into Wilhelmine! This took place around 2001, a year after he had bought Wilhelmine from Mr Alfons Widestam. 

m/s Nora in 05/1984

(credit: Petri Sipilä)

m/s Nora in 1970 (Turku, next to the Barker textile factory)

(credit: Bernt Fogelberg)

m/s Nora

Unknown photographer, private collection