We shall not forget them.

Men like him



This one, Hans Peter Jürgens, went first time round Cape Hoorn 1939. Ten years before the last true Cap Hoorniers did it. On board Pamir at 11. July 1949.



To make a living they went to sea. Boiled under tropical sun, frozen to the bones round the Hoorn, they did a job, none of us really can imagine.

Wet, soar, cold and hungry, for weeks, and sometimes month, they fought the elements without a chance to escape what nature had to provide.

Much was written, much was said, too much romanticised. Never was it a pleasure to go to sea for earning a living. And still it is not.

Only few of them have ever seen the famous rock at the end of the world.



Often it was not only fighting the elements, it was a race.* Sometimes against the rotten provisions, sometimes against competing ships, sometimes for better prices and a little higher salary.
Salary? In 1908 the British or German sailor could hardly afford a train ticket third class, to go home if the port was further than 200 miles away from home, after being 8 month at sea!

*The grain races were such competition.

http://pamir.chez-alice.fr/Voiliers/Classe_A/Grainwe.htm

Famous names and famous ships went round the Hoorn. Many of them earned their fame just there.

The well known (and not everywhere beloved) Flying P Liners of Ferdinand Laeisz in Hamburg, or the "German devil" Robert Hilgendorf a P Liner captain, 66 times round the rock with a average ETA of two days! (the most successful master around the Hoorn).



The Bounty tried from 23. March until 22. April 1788 to make west, without success. Many assume that it was part of the reason leading to the mutinity. She went east instead, round Africa.

The longest, and finally lucky attempt, was made by "Susanna" owned by Reederei G. J. H. Siemers & Co, Hamburg, she made it east to west in 99 days in Winter 1905. 80 of these days they had Beaufort 10 and above!
Who of us can imagine what that meant?

The fastest trip was achieved by another German ship: "Priwall" under Kapitän Adolf Hauth in November 1938, 5 days 14 hours, from 50° lat to 50° lat (the common way to measure). Interestingly East to West, the "wrong" way.

Impressively, even the modern Tall ships, like "Chersones" did not manage to break the record, but they tried the easier way, west to east!

About 800 ships went under the grey horizon between 50° east and 50° west of the Hoorn, about 10.000 sailors lost their lives in these cold waters. We shall not forget them.



The last one visiting the legendary place:
http://www.sunbounce.com/capehorn/the_cape_horn.html
That was in 2001


Iron men on wooden ships?
No.
Poor chaps, having no chance to study. 8 siblings and a Father crippled in war. Adventurers leaving home at 14. Refugees of a environment of poverty. Clandestines on their way to escape what was after them.

Heroes?
No.
Abused, misused, underpayed, oppressed subjects. Underdogs of a society.

Though, many more of them made a real carreer in the top positions of the industry than the average academic.
Hard life and no chance to cheat, is, what I assume, the reason, they did better than the well pampered.
It seems there is no better touchstone than fighting the elements under canvas, as they did. (steamers were not easier a task in the early days)

I had the pleasure and honour to meet a few of them. Naturally very different by character, but ALL were humble, frank and straight. Wide horizons, open faces, honest answers, value, not words.
Some with a impressively pronounced philosophy about life. Thoughts from a deep insight in real worlds values..........


They formed a association in 1937 to make friends worldwide and closed it down in 2003, due to their high age. The "Amicale Internationale des Capitaines au Long Cours, Cap Horniers" does not exist any longer. Even their homepage is gone. Gone forever........



We should keep them in our minds, tell our children and grandchildren.



We shall not forget them!



Richard

 

Terrific post,Richard-thanks!

 

Well done mate, my Grandfather was a sailor, AB, sailed on a few different boats, but the second last one was the James Craig.

When the Maritime Museum here tried to interview him, (he was one of only three still living), he told em to piss off, there was nothing nice about the bloody old boat and that she was a pig.......so much for the niceties......

....and so it is, long may we remember them, for what they really were....

thanks Apex.

 

You are right Troy,

though, being on a boat forum, I focused on sailors.

 

After looking at my post in the sober light of day, I'd say it's a bit of a thread highjack; I went off on a tangent. So I deleted it. I can say it again another place, another time.

 

Very nice thread, Richard, thanks.
Unluckily I cannot give you any more rep points for the time being...

Best regards.

 

A really lovely thread, thankyou.

And Troy, I really enjoyed your post too, even if *slighty* OT. I hope it re-emerges sometime.

 

Although I'm more for modern stuff, the old boats have a romantic air about them, had elegant looks as well.

One cannot other than envy the old sailors for what some did, took guts. Something not found any more.

 

Modern people have very little appreciation for or knowledge of the contributions made to civilization by the ancient mariners, not only those of the 20th century, whose stories have been briefly touched on here, but also the brave souls who took to sea in days of darkness and either found wondrous new lands or circumnavigated the globe increasing geographical knowledge at great personal cost up to and including in some cases their very lives.

Thank you, Apex1 for starting this thread.

 

I wonder how many would do the same today if there only were space left on this globe. I know quite a few who'd happily get into a boat and go 'somewhere'

 

At first the sculpture looked like a cross, then it took on the shape of a seabird. It is quite a nice work with multiple messages.

 

Its a Albatros Hoyt. The symbol of the "Amicale Cap Hoorniers". And it stands on the rock at Cape Hoorn.

Same place as the memorial monument shown in the last picture.

 

As a boy i knew an old man Capt Stan Banand, who lived down the road, my dad took me round every now & then for years & he would regale us with tales of the sea that kept us spellbound. Around the turn of the century he went to sea aged 14 on an iron three masted ship the City of Newcastle, went round the horn on her & got his masters ticket in square rig just before WW1, went into steam & got torpedoed. Joined the Orient line & became a Captain, got torpedoed twice in WW2 finished up as Commodore of the Orient line retiring in 1958.
He was a tiny man with a deep voice that it was easy to imagine roaring above a howling gale.
He left no family & all his log books & lifetime of seafaring went into a skip when he died aged 97. There are few men made like that these days.

 

Thank you Keith for posting the name! That´s what I meant.

 

Cape Horn Passage to California - Warwick Tompkins (in Wanderbird)1936

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjadS07KnTU

The Cape Horn Road Pt1 - Alan Villiers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufNzunuXMCc

The Cape Horn Road Pt2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqz56XfW8SI&NR=1