USS City of New York
USS CITY OF NEW YORK
B/as SAMPSON 1885-Nor
1927-USS CITY OF NEW YORK
lost 1962.
link here for her history ;
http://www.mcguinnessonline.com/irishsailor/city_of_new_york.htmk here for history;
From an old slide unknown copyright holder.
B/as SAMPSON 1885-Nor
1927-USS CITY OF NEW YORK
lost 1962.
link here for her history ;
http://www.mcguinnessonline.com/irishsailor/city_of_new_york.htmk here for history;
From an old slide unknown copyright holder.
I think you could well trust her in your bath RHP, she's Commander Richard Evelyn Byrd's 1928-1930 Antarctic Expedition ship, formerly the Norwegian steam sealer Samson of 1885. She was built for the ice. Her hull was made of thick spruce and oak, of the finest growth. The ribs, also of oak, were placed very close together and sheathed with a layer of heavy planking both on the inside and out. Her sides were 34 inches thick, growing to 41 inches near the keel.
From the West Sea Modelling Company website:
The famous polar exploration ship USS CITY OF NEW YORK was originally built as a sealing barkentine named the SAMPSON, launched in Arendal, Norway in 1885. Of very stout construction, her hull was up to 34 inches thick in some places! Lingering stories suggest that she was the "mystery ship" seen on the night RMS TITANIC sank. Many witnesses claimed to have seen lights of an unknown ship near TITANIC that fateful night. SAMPSON purportedly was engaged in illegal sealing operations at the time and location TITANIC went down. The belief is that the crew of SAMPSON was startled by the fast approaching ship firing rockets. Thinking it to be a revenue cutter, the poachers fled. In tragic irony, it was actually the ill-fated TITANIC firing distress rockets after it had struck an iceberg!
After a long career as a sealer, SAMPSON was purchased in 1927 for the U.S. Navy by Admiral Richard E. Byrd to be used as his polar exploration flagship. En route New York for refit she was nearly lost in a severe storm crossing the Atlantic. With her steam engine inoperable, the transit ended up taking 3 months instead of 3 weeks! But finally she arrived in her new namesake port where she was rebuilt and ship-rigged as the CITY OF NEW YORK.
Newly fitted out, the USS CITY OF NEW YORK departed New York on August 25, 1928 bound for New Zealand. Arriving there on November 26th, she took on additional supplies and set out for Antarctica. Upon reaching the pack ice on January 1st 1929, CITY OF NEW YORK located a suitable spot for an Antarctic base. The newly established base was named Little America, where it actively remains to this day! After CITY OF NEW YORK unloaded her cargo she attempted exploration trips through the ice. But in the face of severe weather, the ship was forced to abandon such attempts. She departed for New Zealand in mid-February, barely making it out of the ice pack in time. After refueling from a supply ship she pushed north through terrific gales and was nearly lost. She laid up for the winter in New Zealand. Undaunted, CITY OF NEW YORK sailed south on January 5, 1930. But again, she ran into heavy weather from the start, and only reached pack ice after great difficulty. There she was hit by a 100 mph hour gale. With her engine straining, she was driven backwards onto the ice shelf. To save her rudder the captain swung her broadside and she rode out the gale pinned to the ice. The storm encased the CITY OF NEW YORK in over 200 tons of dangerous ice topside. With a normal displacement of only 500 tons, tired crewmen were forced to set about the laborious task of chipping away the ice for fear of capsizing! CITY OF NEW YORK finally arrived at Little America on February 18th. Evacuation of personnel still at the base commenced immediately, and within 24 hours the ship was headed north again.
Upon returning to her homeport, CITY OF NEW YORK was replaced on future Antarctic explorations by the famous ex-whaler, the USS BEAR. CITY OF NEW YORK became a floating polar research museum, touring the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes. World War II brought great need for shipping. To help meet that need CITY OF NEW YORK was rerigged as a 3-masted schooner, stripped of her engine and reentered service in 1944 out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. But by 1947 she was deemed to be too slow. So her topmasts were removed, her bowsprit was shortened and she was fitted with an engine. Thus she became a motor schooner, carrying lightened sail.
The venerable ship finally met her fate in 1962 when, as she was being towed out of Yarmouth Harbor, Nova Scotia, the tow line parted and she drifted onto Chebogue Ledge. She quickly took on water and sank.
Model: http://www.westsea.com/tsg3/itemlocker/02pixlocker/02-07INCASE.JPG
Three pictures halfway down on this Norwegian page: http://home.no/ifurre/dikkedokken.html
From Norges Handelsflaate (Norwegian Merchant Fleet) - 1912: sealer/wooden steamer "SAMSON" of Trondhjem. Signal: HVQP. Built Arendal - 1885. 506,96 grt. 147,9 feet. Steam engine 70/350 nhp/ihp.
Owner: A/S Sælfanger-d/s "Samson," manager Aug. Fosse, Trondheim.
The ship seem to have been originally owned by Smith & Thomsen in Arendal, to have been sold to Trondhjem in 1900, and from there on gone to Russia. During WW1 she was stationed on New Foundland to report through wireless on ice conditions for transports to Archangel and Murmansk. From Russia she then went to Tromsø, from where she went to Byrd and the USA.
The Titanic incident seems to be wholly based on the "confession" of one crewmember on his deathbed, and lights seen on the Titanic.
From the West Sea Modelling Company website:
The famous polar exploration ship USS CITY OF NEW YORK was originally built as a sealing barkentine named the SAMPSON, launched in Arendal, Norway in 1885. Of very stout construction, her hull was up to 34 inches thick in some places! Lingering stories suggest that she was the "mystery ship" seen on the night RMS TITANIC sank. Many witnesses claimed to have seen lights of an unknown ship near TITANIC that fateful night. SAMPSON purportedly was engaged in illegal sealing operations at the time and location TITANIC went down. The belief is that the crew of SAMPSON was startled by the fast approaching ship firing rockets. Thinking it to be a revenue cutter, the poachers fled. In tragic irony, it was actually the ill-fated TITANIC firing distress rockets after it had struck an iceberg!
After a long career as a sealer, SAMPSON was purchased in 1927 for the U.S. Navy by Admiral Richard E. Byrd to be used as his polar exploration flagship. En route New York for refit she was nearly lost in a severe storm crossing the Atlantic. With her steam engine inoperable, the transit ended up taking 3 months instead of 3 weeks! But finally she arrived in her new namesake port where she was rebuilt and ship-rigged as the CITY OF NEW YORK.
Newly fitted out, the USS CITY OF NEW YORK departed New York on August 25, 1928 bound for New Zealand. Arriving there on November 26th, she took on additional supplies and set out for Antarctica. Upon reaching the pack ice on January 1st 1929, CITY OF NEW YORK located a suitable spot for an Antarctic base. The newly established base was named Little America, where it actively remains to this day! After CITY OF NEW YORK unloaded her cargo she attempted exploration trips through the ice. But in the face of severe weather, the ship was forced to abandon such attempts. She departed for New Zealand in mid-February, barely making it out of the ice pack in time. After refueling from a supply ship she pushed north through terrific gales and was nearly lost. She laid up for the winter in New Zealand. Undaunted, CITY OF NEW YORK sailed south on January 5, 1930. But again, she ran into heavy weather from the start, and only reached pack ice after great difficulty. There she was hit by a 100 mph hour gale. With her engine straining, she was driven backwards onto the ice shelf. To save her rudder the captain swung her broadside and she rode out the gale pinned to the ice. The storm encased the CITY OF NEW YORK in over 200 tons of dangerous ice topside. With a normal displacement of only 500 tons, tired crewmen were forced to set about the laborious task of chipping away the ice for fear of capsizing! CITY OF NEW YORK finally arrived at Little America on February 18th. Evacuation of personnel still at the base commenced immediately, and within 24 hours the ship was headed north again.
Upon returning to her homeport, CITY OF NEW YORK was replaced on future Antarctic explorations by the famous ex-whaler, the USS BEAR. CITY OF NEW YORK became a floating polar research museum, touring the Atlantic coast and Great Lakes. World War II brought great need for shipping. To help meet that need CITY OF NEW YORK was rerigged as a 3-masted schooner, stripped of her engine and reentered service in 1944 out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. But by 1947 she was deemed to be too slow. So her topmasts were removed, her bowsprit was shortened and she was fitted with an engine. Thus she became a motor schooner, carrying lightened sail.
The venerable ship finally met her fate in 1962 when, as she was being towed out of Yarmouth Harbor, Nova Scotia, the tow line parted and she drifted onto Chebogue Ledge. She quickly took on water and sank.
Model: http://www.westsea.com/tsg3/itemlocker/02pixlocker/02-07INCASE.JPG
Three pictures halfway down on this Norwegian page: http://home.no/ifurre/dikkedokken.html
From Norges Handelsflaate (Norwegian Merchant Fleet) - 1912: sealer/wooden steamer "SAMSON" of Trondhjem. Signal: HVQP. Built Arendal - 1885. 506,96 grt. 147,9 feet. Steam engine 70/350 nhp/ihp.
Owner: A/S Sælfanger-d/s "Samson," manager Aug. Fosse, Trondheim.
The ship seem to have been originally owned by Smith & Thomsen in Arendal, to have been sold to Trondhjem in 1900, and from there on gone to Russia. During WW1 she was stationed on New Foundland to report through wireless on ice conditions for transports to Archangel and Murmansk. From Russia she then went to Tromsø, from where she went to Byrd and the USA.
The Titanic incident seems to be wholly based on the "confession" of one crewmember on his deathbed, and lights seen on the Titanic.
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