Olympic Challenger was a conversion from a wartime T2 tanker, originally named Oregon Trail. She was converted to a whale factory in 1950 but sold along with the rest of Onassis fleet in 1955. She came to Japanese owners and operated until 1972.
There have been two vessels called "Willem Barendsz". I remember the last one I had to do business on board in Rotterdam Waalhaven (inward clearance as I worked for Vinke and Co, the Owner of the ship) on her final voyage, it must have been 1968 and I was only a teenager.
Together with a colleague and a police detective we carried 800.000 guilders on board to pay out the crew, a couple of hundred of crewmembers were left at the time.
We used a rope ladder when the ship manouvered into the Waalhaven.
Those were the days......
The equivalent of above funds must be couple of millions today.
Hallo Jan,
I too remember your time with the Willem Barendsz, you people coming on board with the money etc,
I belong to the Catcher personnel 2nd Engineer 1962/1963 o/b the AM4 Top boat that season, with C/E Sigterman.
my 1st Catcher was the new AM 8 built in Rotterdam 1961 a long time ago now, I sailed as 3rd Engineer with C/E Blok or Blokker it’s a long time ago.
My father B.Steur and brother in low W. Schoemaker sailed o/b the Willem Barendsz many years.
Any body interested in reading this little nostalgia can get in touch with me via email: nolsteur@hotmail.com
The 2nd Willem Barendsz was build in 1955 by Wilton-Fijenoord Schiedam for Ned. Mij. voor de Walvisvaart, Amsterdam. Her subsequent story goes like that:
10/65: Sold to South Africa and converted into a fish-factory.
1973: Sold to for Won Yang Fisheries Co., South Korea, renamed Yu Sin.
1978: Renamed Gae Cheog No 1.
1981: Renamed Gae Cheog.
1988: To Alaska as Ocean Pioneer.
No further information available to me.
As for the first ship - built in 1931 as oil tanker Pan Gothia - she has been renamed Bloemendael in 1955 and sold in 1960 to Japan and renamed Nitti Maru. She was scrapped in 1966.
Hi Aristo,
Do you know when Willem Barendsz I got her name? You stated possibly built as oil tanker Pan Gothia, and renamed Bloemendael in 1955. Relased her name to WB II.
Greetings from New Zealand.
The 2nd Willem Barendsz was build in 1955 by Wilton-Fijenoord Schiedam for Ned. Mij. voor de Walvisvaart, Amsterdam. Her subsequent story goes like that:
10/65: Sold to South Africa and converted into a fish-factory.
1973: Sold to for Won Yang Fisheries Co., South Korea, renamed Yu Sin.
1978: Renamed Gae Cheog No 1.
1981: Renamed Gae Cheog.
1988: To Alaska as Ocean Pioneer.
No further information available to me.
As for the first ship - built in 1931 as oil tanker Pan Gothia - she has been renamed Bloemendael in 1955 and sold in 1960 to Japan and renamed Nitti Maru. She was scrapped in 1966.
Ahoy,
The 2nd WILLEM BARENDSZ
After 1988:
In 1996 South Korea
In 1996 renamed GAE CHEOG
In 2000 for demolishing at Xinhui-China
-------------
As for the 1st WILLEM BARENDSZ: She was renamed NITTI MARU 1960 and renamed in 1964 NICHEI MARU and scrapped at AIOI-JAPAN in 1966
-----
Btw, there was a 3rd WILLEM BARENDSZ, launched in 1940, and resold/renamed to Greece as STELIOS IMO:5389920
Aristo and Ruud.
Thanks for your additional information.
Just a correction from my side. The year was 1964 and not 1968.
It was the second Willem Barendsz I refer to as she was sold that year.
Perhaps she was laid up for a while but I remember quite well it was her very last call in Rotterdam when I boarded.
Maatschappij Walvisvaart of Amsterdam was a subsidiary of Vinke and Co.
The latter had several "companies" incl. the very well known Maatschappij Houtvaart.
I worked for Vinke and Co from 1961 to 1964 incl. so I was mistaken on 1968.
Jan
I read on the internet that a whale factory named Bromendar was bought in March 1961 by Nitto Hogei Co. (now Del Mar Co.) and renamed Nichiei Maru .
I know that the 1st WILLEM BARENDSZ was renamed BLOEMENDAEL in 1955 to release her name to the 2nd WILLEM BARENDSZ.
Is the vessel referred as BROMENDAR a mispelling of BLOEMENDAEL or was it a different ship?
We got a bit side tracked from the Onassis fleet to the Willem Barendsz, anyway.....
Hereby two photos of the "old" Willem Barendsz (ex Pan Gothia), source: Vinke and Co.
First photo shows the conversion at ADM and second photo she was renamed after active duties for "De N.V. Nederlandse Maatschappij voor de Walvisvaart" (Aristo: Try and pronounce this in one breath....)
Interested to read your post. I was looking for info on the Willem Barendzs as my father sailed on her until he drowned (Amsterdam 1963 or 4, I think). Vinke were very good to my mother, sending her a parcel and greetings for many years at Christmas.I am very surprised to see she was sold so soon afterwards.I don't know what he would have done as he loved his life on board. I also sailed on her from Capetown to Holland as ayoung child.
some of the whale catchers from the olympic challenger were leased to the argentine whaling station on south georgia at grytiken. They were named otari maru 1 2 3. They were sailed to Japan in 1957 I was a crew member. The delivery crews, norwegians, were flown back to oslo.
Was in Capetown in the fifties we were on the Plate run The Willem Barendzs called in on her way home after a season down in the Antartic,those guys knew how to party joined them in the Carlton hotel upstairs some day that was
My grandfather-in-law worked on the Willem Barendsz about 50 years ago, we have a sperm whale tooth that was carved by him. What's interesting is that on the back is hand carved Vinke and Co, I presumed that was the ship owner or company that operated the boat. It was great to read your confirmation. He lived in Vlaardingen, Holland at the time. Perhaps he knew your father!
My grandfather Reijer van Teijlingen also was on WB. He was one one of the factory ship's "catcher vessels". I also still have a sperm whale tooth that I got from him (uncarved though). I think he called it a "potvis". He would have sailed at around the time your grandfather-in law was on the ship. (50 years and a bit more ago.) Kind regards from New Zealand. (Jester)
Vinke and Co, Ship's agents Rotterdam, formerly ship owners from way back. In Rotterdam van Ommeren was the, "Wet", agent and Vinke the, "Dry", agent. this was in the mid 1990s. All the other agencies used to listen and, "kowtow", to the Big Fish.
Billie,
The situation must have changed in the 90's then?
I remember very well that Vinke and Co were the exclusive agent for Onassis (I worked in their office with my desk next to Kimon Onassis - a cousin of you know who), also agent for Livanos and I even boarded several vessels of Niarchos as Owner's agent, so the big 3 of the 60's and beginning 70's..
Those companies mainly operated tankers although they also owned bulkers.
I also remember when Onassis changed their topside colour from white to black. All their vessels had a special dark green colour on the decks.
Todate all those agencies bundled in one big group now called Burger Ship's Agent.
Regards,
Jan
Things were changing, on the Rotterdam waterfront, from about 1990, but I had to stop working in 1994 so I don't know what happened after Nov 4 of that year. I do remember Vinke as the exclusive agent for Onassis, I also did a few jobs for Vinke as a ship repairer.
HI ALL, I am writing my family history for my daughter and grandson. Came across a note from my since passed-away aunt "Toen Opa en Oma (Pieter en Roelina Cornelissen) in 1968 bij mij waren zouden zij met de WILLEM BARENDSZ van Curacao naar Kaapstad varen ….maar toen overleed opa(Hart stilstand). Dit stuk zouden zij meevaren als gast van de VNS Direkteur…. en Japie Rhoda was toen Kaptein op de Willem Barendsz. Zodoende hadden Opa en Oma noch contact met hem. "
this WB 1968seems to clash with any info that is available on the Internet. Could SHIPS NOSTALGIA please verify
which WB my aunt refers to ;
supply me with the relevant WB photo;
does a route-map/time schedule of that or similar route exist ;
photos of the two men mentioned exist on the VNS records.
thanking you
antoon cornelissen
Gordon's bay
South Africa anjosrtb@gmail.com
HI ALL, I am writing my family history for my daughter and grandson. Came across a note from my since passed-away aunt "Toen Opa en Oma (Pieter en Roelina Cornelissen) in 1968 bij mij waren zouden zij met de WILLEM BARENDSZ van Curacao naar Kaapstad varen ….maar toen overleed opa(Hart stilstand). Dit stuk zouden zij meevaren als gast van de VNS Direkteur…. en Japie Rhoda was toen Kaptein op de Willem Barendsz. Zodoende hadden Opa en Oma noch contact met hem. "
this WB 1968seems to clash with any info that is available on the Internet. Could SHIPS NOSTALGIA please verify
which WB my aunt refers to ;
supply me with the relevant WB photo;
does a route-map/time schedule of that or similar route exist ;
photos of the two men mentioned exist on the VNS records.
thanking you
antoon cornelissen
Gordon's bay
South Africa anjosrtb@gmail.com
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