Feuerland (ship)
.jpg) Feuerland under full sail (c. 1927)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Hamburg | |
| Name | Feuerland |
| Namesake | Tierra del Fuego |
| Owner | Gunther Pluschow |
| Port of registry | Hamburg |
| Builder | Krämer, Vagt and Beckmann |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Maiden voyage | 1927 |
| Refit | 1946 |
 StanleyUnited Kingdom | |
| Name | Penelope |
| Namesake | Penelope |
| Acquired | 1929 |
| Commissioned | 1929 |
| Decommissioned | 2006 |
 StanleyArgentina | |
| Name | ARA Penelope |
| Namesake | Penelope |
| Commissioned | 7 May 1982 |
| Decommissioned | 14 June 1982 |
| Notes | taken over by the Argentine Navy |
| BüsumGermany | |
| Name | Feuerland |
| Namesake | Tierra del Fuego |
| Commissioned | 2006 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | ketch |
| Tonnage | 50 GRT |
| Length | 16.2 m (53 ft) |
| Beam | 4.88 m (16.0 ft) |
| Depth | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Decks | 1 |
| Installed power | 220 NHP |
| Speed | 5 knots (9.3 km/h) |
| Complement | (as ARA Penelope): 6 |
Feuerland (from 1929 to 2006 Penelope ) is a two-masted ketch built in 1927 at the Krämer, Vagt and Beckmann shipyard in Büsum, Germany. It was commissioned by the German naval officer and aviator Gunther Plüschow. The sailboat was specially built to explore Patagonia. In 1929 Feuerland was sold to a land owner in the Falkland Islands and was renamed Penelope. After more than fifty years of inter island service, the vessel was seized by the Argentine Navy and used as an auxiliary transport ship during the Falklands War. In 2006 Penelope became once again Feuerland when acquired by German skipper Bernd Buchner and shipped back to Germany, where she was declared a national monument. Feuerland is set for rebuilding as a museum ship as of 2025.
Features
[edit]The sailing ship was designed as an ocean-going fishing boat. Since Plüschow was familiar with the weather conditions in the South Atlantic from his previous voyages, the builders used oak wood for the frames and planking. Every part is oversized. This ensures multiple safety features, to the point that there is a tight frame spacing every 55 cm (22 in) and an 8 cm (3.1 in) thick planking at the waterline; interior lining and strong stringers provide additional sturdiness. Thanks to its strong construction, the ship successfully withstood the storms and drifting glacial ice in the fjords of Tierra del Fuego.[1] As built, Feuerland measured 16.2 metres (53 ft 2 in) along the deck, with a beam of 4.88 m (16 ft 0 in), a draft of 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) and a sail area of 100 m2 (1,100 sq ft).[1] The vessel's propulsion consisted of a Caterpillar 3208 8-cylinder V-engine creating 160 kilowatts (220 hp).[2]
Feuerland
[edit]In November 1927, Gunther Plüschow began his Tierra del Fuego's expedition to the southern tip of South America. His journey included stops in England, Portugal, the Canary and Cape Verde Islands before he crossed the Atlantic to Brazil. There, he visited German emigrants in port cities like Bahia and Rio de Janeiro, as well as the German emigrant colony of Blumenau.[1] From Brazil, Plüschow traveled to Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan, where he acquired a Heinkel HD 24 W D-1313 seaplane,[1] shipped there on the steamer Planet.[3] After assembling the aircraft, Plüschow and his co-pilot and cameraman Ernst Dreblow became the first to fly over the Darwin Range, a southern extension of the Andes, to the Argentine town of Ushuaia.[1] This flight also carried the first airmail to the world's southernmost city.[3] The expedition's success was largely due to the support of the Feuerland, which served as a crucial base ship for refueling, repairs, and shelter from the region's harsh weather. The unique aerial photographs taken during these flights were vital for subsequent research into this previously unknown area.[1]
Facing a lack of funds, Plüschow was compelled to conclude his expedition in early 1929. To finance the remaining flights, aircraft storage, and his return to Germany, he sold his ship to James Hamilton, an English sheep farmer who owned lands in Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands.[4] Captain Günther Plüschow and his cameraman died in 1931 during an aerial survey mission over Lago Argentino in Argentine Patagonia. His plane experienced a wing collapse during a landing approach, causing it to invert. Dreblow fell out and his parachute failed. Plüschow, also wearing a parachute, was dragged down with the plane after his parachute snagged on the tail.[4]
Penelope
[edit]Renamed Penelope, the ketch was operated by Plüschow's helmsman, Paul Christiansen, and engineer Seppl Schmidt for the Hamilton family until the late 1930s. During this time, she completed multiple voyages between the Chilean mainland and the Falkland Islands, with her final journey to the South American mainland occurring in June 1938.[1] Stranded during a period due to an engine failure, Penelope was acquired and refitted by the Falkland Islands Government in 1946, and was eventually bought by the Falkland Islands Company (FIC) in 1967.[2] Stranded during a period due to an engine failure, Penelope was acquired and refitted by the Falkland Islands Government in 1946, and was eventually bought by the Falkland Islands Company (FIC) in 1967.[2]
ARA Penelope
[edit]At the time of the 1982 Argentine invasion, the Penelope, which main task was to ferry livestock through the Falklands channels and coves, was ordered to transfer children from the Stanley boarding hostel across Falkland Sound to their homes in West Falkland.[5][6] The sailing ship was crewed by her skipper, Finlay Ferguson, and four others.[7] While heading to the Falklands Sound, the ketch was overflown by two unidentified aircraft.[6] After evacuating more children from Darwin to Port Howard, Penelope remained moored at Speedwell Island,[8] the usual area of operations for the sheep-carrier sailboat.[6] In that location she was spotted on 6 May by ARA Bahía Buen Suceso,[9] which was conducting a visual and radar surveillance mission while heading to Adventure Sound from Fox Bay.[10] After the report was confirmed by ARA Monsunen, Penelope was seized by a platoon of Argentine Marines who were flown in by helicopter some hours later. An Argentine prize crew took care of the vessel the following day.[9] Ferguson and the chief engineer were retained by the Argentine Navy for a week in order to instruct the new personnel on the ship's operation. The other three former crewmembers were airlifted to Port Stanley.[7]
One of the Argentine crew, naval conscript Roberto Herrscher, who was incorporated partly due to his English proficiency, later wrote a chronicle of his days on board Penelope.[11] During that time, Penelope participated in the search for survivors of ARA Isla de los Estados, sunk by the frigate HMS Alacrity off Swan Island on 11 May.[12] Ferguson and the engineer were landed at Egg Harbour, near Goose Green, on 13 May.[13] The next day, while at anchor at Fox Bay, Penelope was lightly damaged in the course of the attack of a package of Harriers on the Argentine merchant ship Río Carcarañá. The ketch assisted other ships to unload the disabled freighter, and on the night of 22 to 23 May she transported Argentine Army commandos on a reconnaissance mission[12] to Carcass Bay.[14] On the night of 26 May, while Penelope was at anchor, awaiting to load supplies from ARA Bahía Buen Suceso,[12] Argentine positions and the pier at Fox Bay were shelled[15] by HMS Plymouth. The naval gunfire was directed by a Special Boat Service (SBS) team.[16] Herrscher states that the small sailboat was violently rocked by the blasts, which shattered the cabin windows, and that he had a narrow escape when one splinter pierced a fuel tank just a few inches from where he was laying face down.[15] On shore, an Argentine conscript died from the accidental discharge of another soldier's rifle while taking cover.[17] The loading of supplies, consisting of 30 fuel drums, concluded by the end of May. Penelope and her cargo reached Port Stanley on 2 June, when she had been presumed lost from some time. The finding of diesel fuel in a cove allowed the small vessel to complete her trip.[12]
In 1989, the FIC sold Penelope to Finlay and Bob Ferguson. Seafarer and farmer Michael Clarke bought the ketch in 1993.[18] The vessel was stationed at Westpoint Island, facilitated the transport of ornithologists and scientists to the western islands. These islands, distinguished by their unique avian colonies, represent one of Earth's most biodiverse animal habitats.[1]
Second time as Feuerland
[edit]Bernd Buchner, a German skipper, bought the ship to Clarke in April 2006.[4] Captain Buchner attempted to sail the aging ship from Buenos Aires back to its birthplace in Büsum, Germany, with a five-member volunteer crew and a camera team.[19] Although the oak hull had endured the rough South Atlantic weather, in a trip from the Falklands that included stopovers at Comodoro Rivadavia, Puerto Madryn and Mar del Plata,[20] the dilapidated Oregon pine hull began to leak severely by the time they were approaching their destination. To ensure the safety of the ship and crew, they decided to transport the Feuerland as cargo on the container ship Monte Cervantes, which successfully delivered it to Hamburg by the end of June.[19][21]
The ketch, now a historical monument, was in such a bad shape that it was eventually decided that she would be rebuilt in the Flensburg Museum Shipyard. The total cost of rebuilding Feuerland was estimated by 2019 in £1.5 million.[19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h Buchner, Bernd. "Feuerland". Historischer Hafen Flensburg (in German). Retrieved 2025-06-16.
- ^ a b c Ein Mythos kommt helm: Die “Feurland” ist wieder in ihrem Heimatland, VEUS-LOG-Official organ of the Association of European Maritime Journalists, February 2006, pp. 14-15
- ^ a b Sabella, Bruno (2022-08-11). "El piloto alemán Gunther Plüschow fue el primer hombre en sobrevolar la isla de Tierra del Fuego". Provincia 23 (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ a b c ""Feuerland", a piece of Falklands' history returns to Germany". MercoPress. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ "Penguin News Update". MercoPress. 24 September 2004. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
- ^ a b c Bound, Graham (2007-07-01). Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story. Pen and Sword. ISBN 978-1-78346-047-2.
- ^ a b Herscherr, p. 67
- ^ Bijl, Nick van der (2022-04-15). The Unseen Falklands War. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-3981-0164-7.
- ^ a b Mayorga, page 313
- ^ Comisión de Análisis de Acciones de Combate (1983) Conclusiones - Fase IV: Componente Naval. Armada Argentina, p. 97 (In Spanish)
- ^ "Voyages of the Penelope – Südpol Editorial". Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ a b c d "Secc. histórica - Acción de los buques del Apostadero Naval Malvinas". www.apostaderomalvinas.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ Herrscher, p.174
- ^ Herrscher, p. 79
- ^ a b Herrscher, pp. 91-93, 104-105, 112-113
- ^ Biggs, Si (2020-05-26). "NGS in Fox Bay - SBS and 148 Bty". RoyalMarinesHistory. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
- ^ Herrscher, pp. 101-102
- ^ ‘’Malvinas en la Universidad: Concurso de Ensayos 2012’’. (2013) Ministerio de Educación de la Nación. Subsecretaría de Gestión y Coordinación de Políticas Universitarias. Buenos Aires, p. 58.
- ^ a b c Hansa (2019-04-01). "Zweites Leben für »Feuerland«". hansa-online.de (in German). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
- ^ Herrscher, p. 13
- ^ "EED | Los viajes del Penélope, por Roberto Herrscher". EED :: En estos días - Narrar la Patagonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-06-19.
Bibliography
[edit]- Mayorga, Horacio (1998) No Vencidos. Planeta. ISBN 950-742-976-X (in Spanish)
- Herrscher, Roberto (2007) Los viajes del Penélope. La historia del barco más viejo de la Guerra de Malvinas. Tusquets. ISBN 978-987-1210-58-9 (in Spanish)