Viking (barque)

The Viking (better known by the ship type as a prefix, Barken Viking) is a four-masted steel barque, built in 1906 by Burmeister & Wain in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is reported to be the biggest sailing ship ever built in Scandinavia.

Ship history

Viking was originally built as a sail training ship for the rapidly growing Danish merchant fleet. At that time, seaworthiness and cargo capacity were given top priority. One day in July 1909, while carrying a full cargo of wheat from Australia, Captain Niels Clausen recorded a speed record in the ship's log: Шаблон:Convert.

On 25 February 1917, she was sighted and boarded by the German commerce raider Шаблон:Ship. Unusually, the Germans then allowed her to proceed because being Danish, she was a neutral ship. This was something of a lucky escape, because within weeks Germany would return to unrestricted marine warfare, a tactic that would have meant sinking her.

In 1929 she was registered under the Finnish flag, and joined the Åland-based Erikson fleet of tall ships. She was part of Erikson's fleet until 1950. She was about to be scrapped in the late 1940s, but was eventually saved by the Swedish government in 1950 and moored in Gothenburg. Because of the low bridges that separate the tall ship from the open sea, it is unlikely she ever will sail the open seas again.

She participated in several of the Great Grain Races from Victoria, Australia to Falmouth, Cornwall. Barken Viking won the Grain Race of 1948. David James was an apprentice on her voyage around the world in 1937-38, which is described in his biography.

There are only ten four-masted barques and one four-masted full-rigged ship (the Falls of Clyde) in existence, and only five of these still sail (Sedov, Kruzenshtern, Sea Cloud I, Nippon Maru II, Kaiwo Maru II). A few more are still afloat and berthed in various harbors (Peking (New York City), Moshulu (Philadelphia), Passat (Lübeck, Germany), Pommern (Mariehamn, Finland), Nippon Maru (Yokohama, Japan), and Viking).

Viking came to Göteborg, Sweden permanently in 1950, as a home for various shipping organizations, and later became a school of seamanship. Today she is moored at Lilla Bommen as hotel "Barken Viking". The owner is ESS Hotell AB.

Finnish artist Lena Ringbom-Lindén, one of few females on board a ship at that time, sailed on Viking on one of her voyages to Australia. She wrote of her experience in two books, Flicka på skepp ("Girl on Ship") and Skeppet och Lena ("Lena and The Ship").

Cargoes

The Viking's cargos:

See also

Шаблон:Commons category

  • Grain race
  • Moshulu
  • Pommern
  • Tall ship
  • Windjammer
  • Gustaf Erikson

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Listed in the following categories:
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Alexandra Becher
19 February 2015
A great place to spend a night or two. The location is awesome, really close to the train station and Gothenburg Opera. Tasty breakfast with a great variety.
Lars Bull
7 May 2018
Hotel and restaurant on a ship. Bar on top deck in the summer. Offers great view of Gothenburg harbor.
Alexandra Becher
19 February 2015
Great place to stay the night. Great location and friendly staff. Good breakfast and comfy beds.
Catharina Amundsen
24 January 2016
Nice room, cozy to be on a sailingship, instead of the usual, boring hotels that all feels the same. Too bad the bar and restaurant are closed (in January) Room a bit cold
Göran Svensson
1 August 2013
Cool hotel and nice staff. And a "stänkare" whisky on deck in the evening is bleeding cozy.
Erkan Mert
6 January 2016
Good and central interesting hotel, Breakfast is poor
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Map
Lilla Bommens torg 10, 411 04 Göteborg, Sweden Get directions
Fri 8:00 AM–10:00 AM
Sat 11:00 AM–9:00 PM
Sun 10:00 AM–2:00 PM
Mon 9:00 AM–10:00 AM
Tue 24 Hours
Wed 11:00 AM–2:00 PM

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