L'Avenir

A four-masted steel barque built in 1908 by R.C. Rickmers, Geestemünde. Her dimensions were: 87.35×13.62×7.55 meters [278'2×44'8×26'5] and tonnage: 2738 GRT and 2074 NRT.

1908: Launched at the shipyard of R.C. Rickmers, Geestemünde, for Soc. Anon. Maritime de Belge S.A., Antwerp as a sail training ship.
1909 February 9 - May 23: Sailed from Wallaroo to Falmouth in 103 days.
1911: A radio transmitter and receiver was installed as the first ever installed in a sailing ship.
1911: Sailed from Port Talbot to Antofagasta in 68 days.
1914 June: Laid up at L'Havre at the outbreak of the First World War.
1915 May 6- June 20: Sailed from L'Havre to New York in 45 days under command of Captain Audenaerdes.
1917 March 28 - July 2: Sailed from New York to Melbounre with a cargo of kerosene in cases.
1918 April 22 - July 23: Sailed from Port Townsend to Manila with general cargo.
1919 April 19 - October 24: Sailed from San Francisco to Ipswich. Captain Williams joined the ship together with 48 apprentices. Had to put into Bahia August 12-26 for repair of a leak.
1926 May 4 - August 22: Sailed from Geelong to Lizard in 110 days with a cargo of wheat. This was the fastest passage for the 1926 season.
1932: Sold to Gustav Erikson, Mariehamn. The steam winches were replaced by electrical winches. Her first master for the new owner was Captain Nils Ericsson.
1937 June: Sold to Hamburg Amerika Linie for £ 10.000 and was renamed Admiral Karpfanger.
1938 February 8: Sailed from Port Germain, Australia, for Hamburg with a cargo of 3500 tons of wheat. After having radioed her position 51°S and 172°E on March 1 and "all well" she was not heard of again.

References:

Four- and five masted ships, general references.
Albert, Alfred: Nachbauempfehlungen für Schiffe der Zeit der Tiefwassersegler: L'Avenir.
Das historische Schiff als Modell. Band 2, Herford, 1987. pp 62-69, ill.
Athén, Sture: Hougomonts utresa till Australien 1927/28 och hur hon förlorade riggen och fick söka nödhamn i Lissabon.
Longitude 15, Stockholm,1979. pp 62-77,ill.
Heikkenen, Helge: Berättelsen om sköna L'Avenir.
Longitude 9, Stockholm, 1974. pp 52-61, ill.
Heikkinen, Helge: Önskeskeppet. Skolskeppet L'Avenirs segling runt jorden år 1933-1934.
Ekenäs Tryckeri AB, Ekenäs, 1974. -8vo, 127 pp, ill.
Lindqvist, Bertil: Erik Bengts, storredare i Eckerö. Sjöhistorisk Årsskrift för Åland 1988-89, Mariehamn, 1990.
Papp, David: Ålands största skeppsbyggmästare - Lars Hansson Holmström.
Ålands Sjöfart årg. 46, Mariehamn, 1984. pp 9-11, ill.
Schander, Carl-Otto: Mest om skepp försvunna med man och allt.
Longitude 3, Stockholm, 1968. pp 5-20, ill.

Updated 2003-05-27 by Lars Bruzelius.

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