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ERIKA DAN, 1958, OXDY-A/231, Esbjerg, IMO: 5105477
1958: built at Werft Nobiskrug # 604, Rendsburg, Germany
for Rederiet OCEAN A/S in Esbjerg – owned by J. Lauritzen-A/S, Copenhagen.
1958: built at Werft Nobiskrug # 604, Rendsburg, Germany
for Rederiet OCEAN A/S in Esbjerg – owned by J. Lauritzen-A/S, Copenhagen.
Polar ship – dry cargo and refrigerated cargo - ICE CLASS= 1A
Launched= 21-01-1958 - Delivered= 11-04-1958
L= 90,95 m - LPP= 86,50 m - B= 14,02 m - D= 6,85 m
BRT= 2637 - NRT= 1341 - TDW= 3045
B & W – Diesel type 550-VTBF-110 - Effect= 2.900 Bhp – 3220 Ihp – kW 2135 ….. Speed= 14,5 Knots, Control Pitch Propeller
She was rebuilt into an expedition-vessel in 1959, thereafter she could include 36 passengers in her accommodations. There were also made working space for scientist-offices and labs. Etc. etc.
1958-1962: She traded in various areas in her active life at sea as you can read about further down. Beside the other trades later mentioned in this text, she here in her first active years was also occupied with the trade of bringing forests-products out of Finland. J. Lauritzen had for a long period of years been the holder of huge contracts for bringing a lot of cargoes from Finland all year round. Mostly it was delivered to European countries. Especially UK have had a lot of visits of the ships from J. Lauritzen delivering different forest product cargoes from Finland/Sweden like timber, pulp, cellulose, paper etc. Many times they picked up a return-load for the journey back to Scandinavia. These cargoes could for example be coal, china clay etc picked up in the southern parts/ports of UK…
1962-1967: Signed on a 5 year contract for a bareboat charter for The Royal Greenland Co.
1967: The charter-contract was extended for another 5 years
XX-05-1973: She was laid up in Copenhagen.
22-11-1973: sold to the company of Rasheed Enterprises, Sharjah, in the United Arabic Emirates & r/n “AL RIAZ”. Take over at Aarhus.
05-01-1974: sank in Biscay Bay in heavy weather.
Erika Dan had several trips to the Antarctica, after she had been rebuilt as an expedition-ship.
Thereafter she was chartered out for approx. 10 years to KGH and supplied Greenland with all its necessities through all ten years.
She was Greenland’s lifeline regarding supplies, goods, cargo, dry-frozen- & cooled cargo.
She was also able to bring passengers both to and from Greenland but also bringing passengers from one place in Greenland to another.
She was laid up in Copenhagen in May of 1973 - and was sold late in November of 1973.
Her new owner did not get much pleasure from her; she sank in The Bay of Biscay in beginning of January in 1974, during her first voyage for her new owners.
She was on route from the River Tees to Mauritius and the Persian Gulf. She ran into a severe gale force storm with heavy seas/waves in The Bay of Biscay. She sprang a leak and got water flooding into her engine room and the situation went from bad to worse.
She sank at position 44?37’N / 8?54’W, on a depth of 1000 meters with a cargo of Tees-India, fertilizers & vehicles on deck. All her crewmembers were saved by an Argentinean ship that came to their aid.
This “life-report” of the Erika Dan is not all any way near complete or finished and if any you out there in the big world have anything to add like further data, info, stories and/or remarks I will be very happy to receive them and I’ll add them into/onto this report….
Same thing goes for pictures, drawings, paintings etc. I will be very happy for any kind of response to my work of researching the life of Erika Dan…
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