Sørlandet (ship)

Sørlandet in Oslo, June 2005
History
Norway
Name:	Sørlandet
Namesake:	Sørlandet
Builder:	Høivolds Mek. Verksted, Kristiansand
Launched:	1927
In service:	1927
General characteristics
Tonnage:	499 tons gross
Displacement:	891 tons
Length:	Sparred Length: 64,15 m
Beam:	6,87 m
Height:	34,2 m
Draft:	4,5 m
Speed:	14 knots (engine) / 17 knots (sails) (can go higher but hull is not made to withstand it)

Sørlandet is the oldest of the three Norwegian Tall Ships and the oldest full rigged ship in the world still in operation.

Sørlandet is a Norwegian heritage vessel and the world’s oldest fully rigged ship in operation. She was built in 1927 at Høivolds Mek shipyard in the city of Kristiansand on the south coast of Norway. “Sister” to Statsrad Lehmkuhl and Christian Radich, she is the oldest of three Norwegian tall ships, the “Great Trio of Norway.”

In 1927 ship owner O.A.T. Skjelbred built Sørlandet for 25,000 pounds sterling. When she was launched she measured 210 feet in length and 577 gross tons. She had no engines. As part of “Sørlandet’s Seilend Skoleskibs Institution,” she played a vital role in the education of young seamen from the southern region of Norway, known as Sørlandet.

On her maiden voyage to Oslo in 1927, Sørlandet was inspected by King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav. Later in the same year, she sailed for London with 90 young men on board as trainee crew. She sailed to Chicago to take part in the World Fair in 1933. Being the first Norwegian training ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, she actually served as the Norwegian pavilion during the exhibition "Century of Progress".

Sørlandet was damaged during World War II and served as an accommodation vessel for German submariners. She was restored and ready to sail in 1948. In 1958 she was equipped with an engine. In 1974 she was no longer used as a public training vessel and was sold to ship owner Staubo. She was registered in Arendal and laid up at anchor in Kilsund for three years. She deteriorated considerably during that time. In 1977 ship owner Skjelbred returned her to the city of Kristiansand. In 1981 a foundation was established; "Stiftelsen Fullriggeren Sørlandet" has been the owner and operator of the vessel since. From 1980 to 1983 Sørlandet was the only operating Norwegian sail training ship, and the first open to men and women of all ages and nationalities. Sørlandet crossed the Atlantic four times in 1981. In addition, she was engaged in a film shoot in New York and made several voyages between Bermuda and Boston.

In 1982, Sørlandet hosted the exhibition "Women of the Coast" whilst visiting some 60 seaside destinations along Norwegian shoreline, sailing as far north as Kirkenes. A total of 83,000 people visited Sørlandet during this tour. In 1986 she once again crossed the Atlantic to take part in the 100th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. From 1986 to 1988 about 500 cadets from the Royal Norwegian Navy got their first life-at-sea experience through six-week courses, sailing and training aboard Sørlandet. In the latter half of the 1990s she was affiliated with the Royal Norwegian Navy, Norwegian Ship Owners' Association and the local public employment office with which she offered six-week courses in sailing and seamanship to bolster the recruitment of young seafarers.