Oldendorff Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 155
was registered in Lübeck in
February 1926 as the MAGNET.
OLGA ELISABETH, the ship
under Lilienfeld & Oldendorff
management, had sunk in 1924.
The owned fleet now comprised
three steamers. Oldendorff added,
in September and November 1925,
the 850 tdw steamers NORDSTERN
and NORDLAND, thereby departing
from ship names ending on ET as
for his first vessels. The following
six ships were all given NORD
names, much in line with the
owner’s style, Nordische Dampfer
Reederei. The ss NORDLICHT
and NORDKAP, purchased until
January 1929, at 840 and 700 tdw
respectively, stayed within the
former size bracket. The ss
NORDMARK (2,008 tdw) and the
ss NORDFELS (1,800 tdw), built
1901 at Rotterdam and 1904 at
Newcastle were decidedly larger
and newer. The vessels found
employment in the North Sea and
Baltic trades. Westbound cargo
consisted of Finnish and Swedish
timber for Germany, Denmark, The
Netherlands, Belgium and Great
Britain. The ships would return to
the Baltic Sea carrying British coal,
salt from Delfzijl and assorted
generals from Hamburg and
Lübeck to Baltic Sea outports.
In those days round voyages took
weeks. Even small ships would
spend two weeks loading timber.
Pre‑slinging was yet to be invented,
and the majority of ports required
ship’s gear with winches operated
by crew members. All that took time
even though ports worked 12‑hour
shifts and Saturdays were considered
normal working days. However, time
was not at a premium. More often
than not it would take several hours
or even a full day to lash the deck
cargo and to cover it with tarpaulins,
to secure the loading gear and to
replenish bunkers. Discharging
operations, i.e. pulling the beams and
boards out from the stow and putting
them into slings went a little faster.
Loading coal in British ports would
normally be accomplished in a matter
of hours, but loaders frequently
had to queue for days for their turn
under the chute used in most British
coal ports. Most of those ports
only had one chute, and sometimes
dozens of ships rode at anchor in
the roadstead awaiting their turn.
Given normal freight rate levels most
voyages produced a profit. By and
large conditions of carriage struck
a fair balance between charterers
and owners, and demurrage clauses
softened the blow when loading or
discharging times were exceeded.
A company
advertisement,
published in the
Lübeck Chamber
of Commerce
journal on 15.11.1927
151
Stevedores loading bagged cargo
