Nella Dan

MV Nella Dan at Mawson Ice edge, Antarctica.
History
Denmark
Name:	Nella Dan
Owner:	J. Lauritzen
Port of registry:	Hamburg
Builder:	Aarlborg Shipyard Pty Ltd
Launched:	1961
Refit:	1980
Fate:	Wrecked 1987
General characteristics
Type:	Icebreaker
Length:	75.5 m
Beam:	14.3 m
Draft:	6.268 m
Speed:	12.5 knots
Aircraft carried:	Helicopter deck
Notes:	42 passengers

MV Nella Dan was one of the famous 'Dan' ships of the Danish J. Lauritzen A/S Lines that were almost synonymous with ANARE (Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions) shipping through the early years of Australia's official Antarctic program. Others in the fleet included Kista Dan, Magga Dan and Thala Dan.

Commissioned by Lauritzen with considerable input from the Australian Antarctic Division, Nella Dan was named in honour of Nel Law, wife of the AAD Director of the time, Phillip Law.

Built by the Aarlborg Shipyard Pty Ltd in 1961, she incorporated all the features of her older sisters, the Thala Dan, Kista Dan and Magga Dan. An ice breaker stern, ice fins and ice knife were becoming regular features, but a novel addition was the double hull in the engine room and part of the holds. The ascent to the crow's nest was through the interior of the mast, and the ship supplied its own fresh water with an Atlas generator. At the time of her construction, the Nella Dan was regarded as setting the standard for polar vessels.

Nella Dan sailed to the Antarctic every year she was chartered by ANARE from 1962 to 1987. Her service record remains unchallenged as the longest continuously serving of any Antarctic ship.

The Nella Dan enjoyed the dubious distinction of plunging her passengers into an unexpected seven week stationary sojourn in the ice in 1985, the longest besetment (being surrounded by ice without helm control) ever experienced by any ANARE ship. She was eventually released from besetment by digging the ice away from the hull. At that time, the Japanese icebreaker "Shirase" (11,600t) rushed to assist the trapped vessel. Nella Dan finally followed a trail of the Shirase and got away from the iced-over ocean.

On her last fateful voyage on the evening of 3 December 1987, during resupply operations at Macquarie Island, bad weather blew up. The Nella Dan dragged her anchor and was driven aground just metres off the island. The accident happened while transferring fuel from the ship to the sub-Antarctic station at Macquarie Island. Other cargo unloading had ceased because of strong winds and high seas. A definitive cause of the accident was never determined, it was reported that the Nella Dan dragged her anchor in very heavy seas while at the normal anchorage point in Buckles Bay. The vessel was rapidly washed onto rocks close to the research station it was supplying. Damage to the vessel was immediate and serious, the ships hull was holed in two places and water flooded the engine room. Most of the expedition staff were ashore at the time of the accident, but 17 expedition staff were aboard together with the crew. There were no casualties or injuries to them or the expedition personnel.