DS/HVB ODD

1912 Built as whale catcher DOMINION I by Porsgrunds mek. Verksted for A/S Dominion Whaling Ltd (T. Dannevig & Co), Sandefjord. Delivered to her owner in June.

Catching for factory PYTHIA at the coast of Congo during summer season together with the catcher DOMINION II and FRIGG.

1913 Catching for factory PYTHIA at the coast of Congo during summer season.

1914 Hired by the Royal Norwegian on 11/12-1914 as patrol vessel. She was taken to Kaldnes mek. Verksted for conversion. Whale gun was replaced by a 65 mm Hotchkiss gun. Taken in to use as patrol vessel in the outer part of the Oslofiord as B/F DOMINION I. She was manned by 13 men. The hire of the vessel had a monthly cost of NOK 1.500 for the navy.

1915 As first in a row of hired vessels a wireless radio station was installed on 10/05-1915.

1916 The rent was changed to daily basis and was paid by NOK 90 a day.

In June same year, together with DOMINION II, she was involved in picking up dead bodies in the outer part of the Oslofjord. The dead bodies were from a battle off the coast of Jylland, Denmark on 31/05-1916, between allied and German forces.

On 19/10 she gets stuck on ground at Skorvesæter. She came off ground assisted by the patrol vessel KOLBIØRN and THORSBERG.

1918 T. Dannevig leave the company A/S Dominion Whaling Ltd, and Chr. Christensen jr took over as manager.

1919 Her navy command ended on 22/09-1919 at 14.45 hrs in Horten.

1920 Sold to a foreign country.

1921 Purchased by A/S Odd. Renamed ODD.

1923 Ingvald Bryde and Lars Thorsen take over as managers for A/S Odd.

1924 In May ODD was sold to Union Whaling Company, South-Africa. Catching from the shore station in Durban, with base on the Bluff.

1949 Run aground at Durban inlet on 22/03-1949, as the steering gear failed. Sank on 15 feet of water closely to the jetty after a failed salvage attempt in the strong gale. Declared as a total loss.

Utdrag av historie fortalt av Allan Jackson, Durban:

       ODD hadde akkurat nådd innløpet til Durban etter en dags leting etter hval. I det ODD skulle entre innløpet oppstod en feil i styremaskinen med det resultat at roret låste seg og ODD svingte til styrbord og gikk på en båe nord for nordre utstikkers bølgebryter. Det var tung sjø den kvelden og ting så skummelt ut for den 14 manns store besetningen. En Hr Wardell, hadde fisket på odden av the Point og hadde åndsnerverelse nok til å få inn snøre og kaste det slik at det falt over dekket på ODD. Besetning festet så et tau til fiskesnøret og Hr.Wardell dro tauet i land med snøret og fikk festet tauet til jernbanelinjen som gikk langs bryggene. Besetningen var så klar til å dra seg i land med egen hjelp. Store bølger slo over dem etter som de dro seg i sikkerhet på land. Alt synes i orden inntil en stor sjø tok tak i to av dem og skylte dem over bord. ODD's kaptein, kaptein Averson, grep øyeblikkelig et tau og hoppet til sjøs og klarte å redde begge to.

       Avisen The Natal Mercury av 24 mars rapporterte at ODD var erklært som total forlist av hennes eiere, Union Whaling Company. Artikkelen sa at fartøyet lå på omtrent 6,5 mtrs dybde 30-40 meter fra bølgebryteren og at bare skorsteinen og masten var synlig.

       Uttalelser fra Wade Kidwell som har dykket i området mange ganger og noterer at de få restene av vraket må flyttes senere i år når innløpet skal utvides. Han sa at han håpet at de gjenværende delene ble tatt vare på.

       I don't suppose we'll ever know how many ships have come to grief in the immediate vicinity of Durban. A number of unlucky vessels have already been mentioned in these page and now, thanks to my informant Wade Kidwell, I can add the oddly-named Union Whaling Company whaler ODD to the list. The sinking of the ODD was reported in the Natal Mercury on 23 March 1949 and Wade very kindly typed typed out the article, and another which appeared the following day, and sent it to me.

       The ODD apparently had apparently arrived off Durban at 7:30pm, on 22 March, after a day spent hunting for whales, and had been attempting to enter the harbour when her steering gear jammed. The vessel then swung to the right and ran aground on rocks just north of the north pier breakwater. The surf was apparently pretty heavy that night and things looked bleak for the crew of the ODD. Luckily for the 14-man crew however, a Mr Wardell, of 46 Gower Street, Umbilo, had been fishing off the end of the Point and had the presence of mind to reel in his line and cast it so that it fell across the deck of the stricken vessel.

       The crew then tied a rope to the fishing line and Mr Wardell pulled the rope to shore where he attached it to the railway line, which runs along the pier. The crew were then able to pull themselves hand-over-hand to shore. Large waves pounded the men as they made their way to safety but all seemed in order until a huge wave swept two crewmen away. The ODD's skipper, Captain Averson, immediately grabbed a rope and dived into the sea, managing to rescue first one and then the other.

       The Natal Mercury of 24 March reported that the ODD had been declared a total loss by her owners, the Union Whaling Company. The article said that the vessel was lying in about 15 feet of water about 20 yards from the breakwater and that only the funnel and mast were visible above the surface. Wade Kidwell tells me that he has dived in the area of the wreck many times and notes that the few remaining pieces will have to be removed later this year when the harbour mouth is widened. He said he hopes that the remains are relocated suitably and I can only echo those sentiments