FROM THE SEYCHELLES

Evening Star, Issue 23146, 21 December 1938, Page 2

FROM THE SEYCHELLES

TWO SAILING VESSELS CARGOES OF GUANO The first of two sailing ships bringing guano from the Seychelles Group, in the Indian Ocean, to New Zealand, the North German Lloyd auxiliary barque Kommodore Johnsen, has reported by wireless that she expects to reach New Plymouth to-morrow. The Kommodore Johnsen, which is tile cadet training ship of the North German Lloyd, has visited New Zealand on several occasions as the Magdalene Vinnen. A steel, four-masted barque, the Kommodore Johnsen was built at Kiel by Knxpps in 1921 for F. A. Vinnen, of Bremen, as the Magdalene Vinnen. being the last square-rigged sailing ship owned by the company. On one occasion she sailed from Port Jackson. Australia, round Cairn Horn to Falmouth with 16.000 hales of wool, claimed to be the largest wool cargo ever carried by a sailing ship. In recent years she made the annual voyage to Spencer Gulf to load wheat for Europe, but because of her auxiliary engine, which gives her a big advantage over the remainder of the fleet, she has never been recognised as an entrant in the famous grain race to Europe. The barque was purchased in 1936 by the North German Lloyd and named Kommodore Johnsen, after one of Germany’s best-known North Atlantic captains.

After loading her guano cargo at Providence Island, the Kommodore Johnsen, commanded by Captain Clausen, left Make, the centre of the Seychelles Group, on October 27 for New Plymouth. If she arrives at New Plymouth to-morrow the voyage will have been made in the good time of 57 days. Under terms of the charter the barque will not begin discharging until January 3, after which she will proceed to Auckland. Also from the Seychelles Group, the British steamer Llandaff reached New Plymouth at the week-end with a guano cargo. She will not begin discharging until January 2. and will proceed to Auckand later in the month to complete unloading. The Llandaff, which was launched at Sunderland_ last year, is equipped with novel engines which reduce operating costs by half. Only two steamers are fitted with the equipment, which, in the case of the Llandaff, results in 15 tons of coal being consumed a day in maintaining a speed of 10 knots, compared with a consumption of 33 tons by the older type of engines installed in a ship of similar size. A third cargo from the Seychelles Group is in the Finnish barque Killoran. The vessel, which should arrive at Auckland in February, was formerly a British barque, and is now a unit of Captain Gustav Erikson’s famous Finnish sailing fleet.