FLK VESTFOLD

1931 Built as floating whaling factory VESTFOLD (1) by Furness Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Haverton Hill-on-Tees on behalf of Hvalfangeraktieselskapet Vestfold (Johan Rasmussen & Co), Sandefjord.
Building price was £ 303.000 (NOK 5.550.000).
The season of 1931/32 she was laid up in the Mefjorden at Sandefjord.
1932 Arrived port of Sandefjord 15/07. Shifted to the dock 26/07 until 01/08. Shifted from yard 10/08.
In the season of 1932/33 chartered by another Rasmussen-group company, the Viking Whaling Corporation, and the catcher FJORD and ROKK. The company also had the quota of VESTFOLD of 64.480 bbl including quota of the VIKINGEN. By experience, VESTFOLD was a more suitable factory.
Departed from Sandefjord 03/09.
1933 Result of the season 1932/33 was 163.700 barrels of whale oil with 7 catchers.
Heading for the Antarctic Ocean for the season of 1933/34, again with a quota of two factories. Whaling on behalf of both companies. The VIKINGEN was used as transport vessel during the season. VESTFOLD left Sandefjord 02/09 that autumn, heading for the whaling ground in the south. Calling port of Aruba and Walvis Bay. Whaling commence on 25/10. The company had a quota of 81.500 bbl.
1934 At 10 o'clock 21/02 the storm broke out. An uncomfortable monster of a weather. Capture and production were put on hold. Shielding of the ship was initiated. Whales on the plane were rolled overboard. The entire plan of goods on the flange plan disappeared during the storm. The boilers quenched twice as the waves hit the funnel and extinguished the boilers. But the firemen got fire in the boilers again. When the shipping company got a signal of the situation, the vessel got a clear signal to go home. But Captain Jacobsen and his crew decided that the fleet could still be on the whaing ground. The temporary repair for the continuation of the catch was done in a week's time. The factory had a crack that crossed the ship in front of the bridge building. The crack went down to the bottom and split open a 1/2 foot on the main deck. You can almost say that the bow was loose!
The whaling was called off on 25/03. The result for the season 1933/34 was 167,100 barrels of whaleoil. The expedition had a halt of whaling for a total of 6 days after the storm before starting the whaling operation again.
Sold in March to the newly established Vestfold Whaling Co. Ltd., (Johan Rasmussen & Co.), London, as the A/S Vestfold was not able to pay it’s dude. Included in the sale was also 7 catchers and the shore station at Stromness Harbour. All for a price tag of £ 325.000. A/S Vestfold was by then not a whaling company anymore. Registered in London.
Arriving at the ship yard in Sandefjord 23/05. Went in drydock 29/05 until 14/06. Left the yard on 17/07. Return to the yard at Framnæs 07/09 for a new drydocking. Docks out and left the yard 11/09.
From the whaling season of 1934/35 the whaling was on account of the new company.
As cathers was 7 of the previous catchers from the shore station at Stromness. The catchers was renamed as follows: VESTFOLD I (ex NORRØNA , built 1929 ), VESTFOLD II (ex CHR. CASTBERG , built 1929), VESTFOLD III (ex SAMSON I, built 1927), VESTFOLD IV (ex HERKULES I, built 1927), VESTFOLD V (ex FJORD , built 1925), VESTFOLD VI (ex ROKK, built 1925) and VESTFOLD VII (ex. FØIK, built 1925).
1935 Result of the season 1934/35 was 123.600 bbl. whale oil. Arrived in Sandefjord 02/05 and tied up next to the factory VIKINGEN. Used 32 days from the whaling ground to Sandefjord. Went on to Vlaardingen to unload 04/05.
Arrived at the yard of Framnæs 06/08. Went in drydock 22/08 to 02/09 and left for her storage place.
Arrived at the shipyard of Framnæs 06/08. Went in drydock 22/08 to 02/09 and left for storage again.
Departed Sandefjord 02/10.
1936 Result of the season 1935/36 was 114.963 bbl. whale oil and 1.556 bbl. sperm oil. Transferred to the Panamanian register. Registered with Panama City as homeport.
Arrived Framnæs mek. Værksted 22/06. Drydocked 25/08 to 09/09.
A newbuilt catcher, the VIKING VIII came in to use.
Left Sandefjord 14/10 for a new season.
1937 The whaling season 1936/37 was terminated on 07/03. Result of the season 1936/37 was 105.509 bbl. whale oil and 2.149 bbl. sperm oil. Left whaling field for Sandefjord via Dakar. Arrived Sandefjord 08/04. Delivered her cargo to DeNoFa, Fredrikstad.
Arrived port of Sandefjord and the repair yard at Framnæs 30/04.
Hired out as tanker. Left Sandefjord 15/05 for a oil freight from Haifa, Tripoli to Le Havre 23/06. Returned to the port of Sandefjord and the repair yard 02/08. In dry dock from 01/09 to 08/09.
The Norwegian part of company Hvalfanger-A/S Vestfold, pulled out of whaling and went as a pure tanker ship company.
The floating factory left Sandefjord 12/10 heading for Curacao to fill up fuel for operation of the fleet during whaling season. Left Curacao with course for Walvis Bay 30/10 where she met the catchers. Whale catchers for the season 1937/38 were VESTFOLD I (ex NORRØNA , built 1929 ), VESTFOLD II (ex CHR. CASTBERG , built 1929), VESTFOLD III (ex SAMSON I, built 1927), VESTFOLD IV (ex HERCULES I , built 1927), VESTFOLD V (ex FJORD , built 1925), VESTFOLD VI (ex ROKK, built 1925), VESTFOLD VII (ex. FØIK, built 1925), VIKINGEN VI (built 1935) og VIKINGEN VII (built 1936, belonging to Viking Corporation). The catchers left Sandefjord 21/10 via Dakar and arrived at Walvis Bay 16/11 to wait for the factory. The factory VIKINGEN was used as transporter for factory VESTFOLD and THORSHAMMER this season. VIKINGEN left Sandefjord for Curacao 01/11, before proceeding to the whaling ground.
1938 The whaling season 1937/38 the market for whale oil was again on it's lowest, and the expedition suffer from lack of income. The company desided to sell one of the other factories, the VIKINGEN
Arrived at Sandefjord and repair yard 21/06. Drydocked on 05/08 until 12/08. Proceeded to her layup site 14/09.
At the autumn the factory proceed to whaling ground in south for the season of 1938/39, with the catcher VESTFOLD I (ex NORRØNA , built 1929 ), VESTFOLD II (ex CHR. CASTBERG , built 1929), VESTFOLD III (ex SAMSON I, built 1927), VESTFOLD V (ex FJORD , built 1925), VESTFOLD VI (ex ROKK, built 1925), VESTFOLD VII (ex. FØIK, built 1925), VESTFOLD VIII (built 1936) and STAR XIV (carrying norwegian flag, built in 1929).
Left Sandefjord for the whaling ground 01/10.
1939 The season 1938/39 was terminated 07/03. The result was very poor. Her last season as whaling factory. The result was only 66.000 barrels of whale oil, and 3.050 barrels of sperm oil. Called at Walvis Bay and arrived Sandefjord 17/04
Her catchers arrived between 20/04 and 23/04.
Arrived repair yard at Framnæs 31/05. In dry dock 27/06 to 06/07. Shifted from yard to her layup site 10/08.
Whaling manager was Alfred Skontorp in the 1939/40 season. Catchers in operation was VESTFOLD I, VESTFOLD II, VESTFOLD III, VESTFOLD V, VESTFOLD VI, VESTFOLD VIII, VESTFOLD IX and VESTFOLD X.
Catching of sperm whale commenced on 24/11 and baleen whale 08/12
1940 The whaling season was called off on 01/04. Result of the catch was a total of 1.421 whales giving a production of 109.665 barrels whale oil and 3.335 barrels of sperm oil.
Season 1939/40 was her last season as factory. On her way from the whaling ground she called Walvis Bay 17/04.
After discharging in New York, and the rest in Liverpool in England, she were used as a fuel bunker supply vessel during the war.
Put in transatlantic trade as supply ship for bunker oil. Arrived Freetown, Sierra Leone this summer for service as supply and bunkering vessel for the convoys.
1942 Departed Freetown, Sierra Leone at the end of May to start trading oil as tanker between USA and UK.
1943 Torpedoed 17/01-1943 on route from New York, USA to Great Britain. 4 men killed, one from Sandefjord, one from Sandar, one from Stokke and one from Sem.