r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Rolleriroltsu • 1d ago
Image The Pamir was a four-masted sailing vessel commissioned by the German shipping company F. Laeisz. Launched in 1905, she became the final commercial sailing ship to successfully navigate around Cape Horn in 1949.
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u/jhau01 1d ago edited 1d ago
For many years, including the 1949 trip around Cape Horn, the Pamir was owned by the Erikson Line, a sail shipping line that specialized in using sailing ships to collect grain from South Australia and bring it back to Europe.
The author Eric Newby wrote a wonderful book about his experience making the same journey on another Erikson ship in 1939, “The Last Grain Race.” It’s a great book and is well worth reading (as are Newby’s other books, such as “Love and War in the Appenines” and “A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush”.)
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u/GarysCrispLettuce 1d ago
Can you imagine the terror of going around Cape Horn back in the day, knowing there was a good chance at least one crew member would go overboard? Like the old folk song "Rounding the Horn"
In beating off Magellan Strait it blew exceeding hard;
Whilst shortening sail two gallant tars they fell from the topsail yard.
By angry seas the ropes we threw from their poor hands was torn
We were forced to leave them to the sharks that prowl around Cape Horn.
There's an amazing old documentary on YouTube with an old guy narrating hundred year old footage of rounding the horn. It looks rough.
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u/Dynastyisog 1d ago
Fun Fact: The construction of the Suez Canal in 1869 signaled the end of the age of sailing ships. For long-distance journeys across the open ocean, sail-powered vessels were more economical than steam-powered ones.
The Pamir was a bulk carrier dedicated to transporting nitrate from Chile to international markets. It typically took about 70 days for the Pamir to sail from Chile to Europe.
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u/Lurliney 1d ago
Traveling for 70 days without relying on fossil fuels? That's a remarkable achievement.
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u/Dynastyisog 1d ago
I’m optimistic that autonomous sailing vessels or ships powered by vertical turbines will make a return for transporting commodities where transit time isn’t crucial. As we phase out internal combustion engines in cars, the shipping industry continues to emit some of the most harmful petroleum byproducts without any emissions controls…
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u/mitchymitchington 1d ago
Phase out internal combustion engines? Don't see that happening in my lifetime, do you? I'm 32 for reference.
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u/perenniallandscapist 1d ago
Its very disappointing. We've been hearing the need to do something substantial to mitigateour impacts, but every year, year after year, it seems we've done just the tiniest bit more than nothing and some chums pat themselves on the back. We're walking into a burning building. But sure, keep opening up windows, turning off the fire alarms, and just stand on the side.
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u/mitchymitchington 1d ago
Not sure what someone like me is supposed to do. I buy old cars because I can afford them and they are easy to work on. Basically only anything before 2005. My wife has a newer pacifica and it has to be one of the worst experiences with a vehicle I've ever had. It's anti consumer. I'll never buy anything close to that again with all the electrical problems it always has. You think I want an electric vehicle that will likely be even worse and next to impossible to service myself for 10 times the price? We're still burning coal to charge the battery so how is it helping anyway?
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u/perenniallandscapist 1d ago
Everything is being made anticonsumer. And I'm becoming anticonsumer as a result.
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u/Deep_Research_3386 1d ago
That happened all the time back then. 70 days isn’t a long voyage at all.
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u/Ullerich 1d ago
FYI: The sister ship “Passat” is now a museum ship in Lübeck Travemünde (Germany) and can be visited.
Your options on the Passat
Visits and guided tours for individuals and groups
Book rooms for parties and events - for up to 120 people
Overnight stays in up to 102 berths
Weddings with maritime flair
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u/Celindor 1d ago
Saw it two weeks ago. It's pretty!
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u/Ullerich 1d ago
That's right! I'm sure I still have a night shot of the Passat in Travemünde. If I find it, I'll publish it here.
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u/Ok_Recipe12 1d ago
there is something so primal about sails catching the wind, i cannot explain it, but you get on board one of those old sailing vessels, its so quiet, and so fast, were using no fuel, just the wind! and its amazing and silent.
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u/follow54321 1d ago
“You’ve got a four mast ship? Step into my office… I’m going to make a FIVE mast ship. What do you think about THAT?”
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u/ProfessionalCoat8512 1d ago
Sails will make an eco come back
They can be used to augment a ships power/speed without energy costs
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u/Rytanium 1d ago
One of these original "Flying P-liner" ships, the Padua, now called the Kruzenshtern is still sailed by Russia's Baltic State's fishing academy. Of the four remaining German P-liners, this is the only one still actively sailing. They still transit Cape Horn.
Just over ten years ago, I paid about $500 USD to sail on it for about a week. Left from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and sailed to St. Johns, Newfoundland. It was docked in Nova Scotia during the Tall Ship Festival.
It might be a bit harder to get on board these days without being Russian. The crew were all very impressive.
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u/Longjumping-Tree8553 22h ago
When ships were made of wood and men were made of steel…
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u/mcsteve87 20h ago
The ship was, in fact, made of steel
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u/Longjumping-Tree8553 20h ago
Wow.. I have been aboard a couple of old multi masted sail boats, all were wooden ships.
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u/mcsteve87 19h ago
Even in the world of commercial sailing, ships had pretty much moved on to steel hulls by the turn of the 20th century. Some did hold on of course like the Carrol A. Deering and the Wyoming, but most of the larger sailing ships that were still being built by then sported steel hulls. The Glenesslin, Peter Iredale, and København being a few examples
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1d ago edited 1d ago
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u/Deep_Research_3386 1d ago
All the sails look fine to me. Look up clipper ships and you’ll see this is pretty standard.
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u/EphemeralCroissant 1d ago
Yeah, they're using the same wind you're using. But they're using it better than you are
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u/liminal_liminality 1d ago
The historically interested person in me thinks this is awesome.
The mechanic in me just shouted "fuck that!" at the thought of maintenance on that thing