Þór while in Danish service | |
History | |
---|---|
Iceland | |
Name | Þór |
Operator | Björgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja |
Builder | Edwards Brothers, North Shields, England |
Launched | 1899 |
Acquired | 1920 |
In service | 1920–1926 |
Fate | Sold to the Icelandic Government on 1 July 1926 |
Iceland | |
Name | ICGV Þór |
Operator | Icelandic Coast Guard |
Acquired | 1 July 1926 |
In service | 1926–1929 |
Fate | Wrecked in Húnaflói during a storm on 21 December 1929 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Steam trawler |
Tonnage | 190 BT / 71 NT |
Length | 115.3 ft (35.1 m) |
Beam | 21.3 ft (6.5 m) |
Draught | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
Decks | 1 |
Propulsion | 325 hp (242 kW) triple expansion steam engine, G.T. Grey, South Shields, 1 x screw |
Notes | Rigged as trawler |
ICGV Þór was the first patrol ship of the Icelandic Coast Guard. It was named after the nordic mythology god Þór. She was built by Edwards Brothers at North Shields, England in 1899 as a steam trawler for Danish-Icelandic trade and fishing association in Geirseyri and later served as a research ship for Denmark. [1] In 1920, Björgunarfélag Vestmannaeyja bought the ship for use in fishing control and rescue work. [2] After paying for its operational cost for several years, the Icelandic government decided to buy the ship in 1926. With its purchase, the Icelandic Coast Guard was de facto established. [3] In the early years, the ship was armed with two 57 mm cannons, which were later replaced by one 47 mm cannon. Þór ran aground at Húnaflói during a storm on 21 December 1929. [4] As a result, it was decided to buy a new patrol vessel in its place. [5]
Thor served as a Danish research vessel from 1903 to 1920, conducting hydrographical and oceanographical research in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean and helped locate the spawning grounds of the Icelandic cod. [6]
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Thor was a Danish research vessel from 1903 to 1927. She was built by Edwards Brothers at North Shields, England in 1899 as a steam trawler. Thor conducted hydrographical and oceanographical research in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean and helped locate the spawning grounds of the Icelandic cod. Most importantly, Thor conducted two expeditions to the Mediterranean Sea in 1908-1910 with Johannes Schmidt as cruise leader. The aim of the expeditions, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, was to locate the spawning grounds of the European eel. Contrary to their expectations the expeditions found that fewer eel larvae (leptocephals) were found the deeper they went into the Mediterranean, but they also grew larger. The logical conclusion was that the spawning grounds were not in the Mediterranean, but in the Atlantic Ocean. In a broader perspective, the greatest result of the two expeditions was the very large contribution to the general understanding of the oceanography and pelagic fauna of the Mediterranean.
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