MAREK GRZYBOWSKI write to ” Blue Economy” : Pommern – Museum Ship in Mariehamn ( Photos )

The four-masted barque Pommern  (formerly Mneme to 1908) is moored at Mariehamn Harbor, on the Åland Islands. This is near the Maritime Museum in Mariehamn.

The ship was built in 1903 in Glasgow, Scotland at the J. Reid & Co shipyard. The first owner was the German shipping company F. Laeisz. The company  was founded in 1824. It is the family-run shipowner. The company operates to this day and uses its almost 200 years of experience in shipping.  The fleet of about 30 vessels managed by the F. Laeisz Shipping Group has a size of more than 1.0 mio. TDW. F. Laeisz founded the HAPAG (Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt Aktiengesellschaft)  together with other Hamburg-based companies in 1847.

The barque Pommern had received by Greece as war reparation in 1921. In 1923 she was acquired by Gustaf Erikson (1872– 1947) from Mariehamn in the Åland Archipelago. Erikson began his career as a sailor at the age of 9. He became a captain on a sailing vessel at 19 and sailed between ports in the North Sea. He was a captain of many 3 and 4 mast sailing ships. Erikson specialized in buying and operating windjammers. They were cargo ships transporting bulk goods: coal, mineral resources (including guano, ore), wood, and grain.  Windjammers reached 16 knots and steam ships 9 knots at this time. Windjammers also did not require a supply of coal and fresh water for boilers.

Erikson competed in maritime trade by transporting goods in sailing ships in the Steam Age. Erikson was the owner or co-owner of about 90 ships in 1913-1947. He specialized in grain trading from South Australia. ‘Of the 13 ships which took part in the 1939 grain race, 10 were Erikson ships’ – wrote Eric Newby in „The Last Grain Race”. The Great Grain Race is a windjammer race from the grain ports of South Australia in the Bay of Spencer to the ports of Europe. Time was caught at Lizard Point, Cornwall. Windjammer traveled from Australia to Europe via Cape Horn for about 100 days. Pommern took first place in Grain Race twice: between Wallaroo–Falmouth ports (105 days) in 1930 and  with Passat (Erikson ship) between Victoria–Falmouth ports (94 days).

The Pommern is the only four-masted merchant sailing ship in the world still in its original state – inform the Åland Maritime Museum. Pommern has carried timber from Scandinavia, saltpetre from Chile and grain from Australia. Her last commercial voyage was done in 1939 and since 1952 Pommern has been a museum ship. Today the ship is owned by the Town of Mariehamn, but is managed by the Åland Maritime Museum Trust.  

Barque Pommern  general info:

Name:       Mneme (1903-08), Pommern (since 1908)

Owners: F Laeisz, G. Erikson, Municipality of Mariehamn

Builder: J Reid & Co

Launched:         1903

General characteristics: Iron-hulled sailing ship, 2,376 GRT (2,114 NRT)

Length, Beam, Draught: 95 m, 13 m, 7.5 m

Propulsion:       Sails, 3,420 m2 (36,800 sq ft)

Complement: 26

photo: Marek Grzybowski