KOBENHAVN SIGHTED OFF TRISTAN DA CUNHA

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19035, 2 April 1930, Page 1

KOBENHAVN SIGHTED OFF TRISTAN DA CUNHA

ISLANDER TELLS STORY OF SEEING VESSEL.

(United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, March 31. “I am confident that it was the Kobenhavn,” said Mr Philip Lindsay, a lay preacher, upon his return from Tristan da Cunha, when referring to the mystery ship which was sighted on January 21, 1929. “She was a five-mast-ed ship with the main mast broken,” he said, “and a broad white band around the hull. She was heading directly for the beach from which we were watching, but when seven and a half miles away seemed to drift further eastwards. The sea was too rough to use the island’s canvas boat. We saw no sign of life. The ship was carrying only one jib and the stern was lowest in the water, being immersed to the white band. We last saw the Kobenhavn within a quarter of a mile of the shore. Several things were afterwards washed up, but no bodies. They must have been all dead before the ship approached Tristan.”

The Kobenhavn was the only fivemasted barque in the world.

The Danish training ship Kobenhavn left Buenos Aires on December 14, 1928, for Melbourne to load wheat. On December 22 she was in touch by wireless with the Norwegian steamer William Blumer. Since that date, except for the story from Tristan da Cunha, the vessel has not been heard of. An extensive search of the Pacific Ocean was carried out by ships specially chartered for the purpose. The vessel was a five-masted barque of about 4000 tons register, fitted with auxiliary motor power. She was built in Leith in 1921 as a training ship for officers of the Danish merchant service. Her total complement was eighty, mostly cadets.