SS West Aleta

Last updated

History
Flag of United States.svg United States
NameWest Aleta
Owner United States Shipping Board
Builder Western Pipe and Steel Company
Completed1919
Out of service12 February 1920
Fatewrecked at Terschelling, the Netherland on 12 February 1919
General characteristics
Type Steamship
Tonnage5720 GRT
Length142 m (465 ft 11 in)
Beam18 m (59 ft 1 in)
Crew42

SS West Aleta was a 142 metre long American Design 1019 cargo steamship with home port San Francisco. She was built in 1919 by Western Pipe and Steel Company, and owned by United States Shipping Board. During a storm on her maiden voyage on 12 February 1920, the ship sank near Terschelling, the Netherlands. All 42 crew members were rescued. The salvage of the ship was difficult and took almost a year.

Contents

Several things on Terschelling were later named after the ship, including the business that sold a part of the wine barrels and a choir.

Ship details

The 5720 GRT steel Design 1019 cargo ship was built in 1919 by Western Pipe and Steel Company in San Francisco and owned by the United States Shipping Board. She was 124 metres (406 ft 10 in) long and had a width of 16 m (52 ft 6 in). She was propulsed by a General Electric steam turbine, had 4 boilers, a single shaft and one screw, and could reach a speed of 10.5 knots. She had yard number 8 and IMO number: 218556. [1]

Fate

During her maiden voyage in early 1920, the ship was en route from Seattle, United States to Hamburg and Bremen in Germany with a cargo of 35,000 barrels of wine and whiskey, bales of rice, boxes of herring, pine beams, spirits and other general cargo. [2] [3] The ship had many European old wines onboard (among others Bordeaux, Bourgogne). Due to the Prohibition, these drinks were banned in the United States and therefore shipped back to Europe. [4]

During a storm on 12 February 1920, she got stranded near Terschelling, the Netherlands. The ship Brandaris of the Terschelling Rescue Committee went to the ship. With great difficulty, she was able to get the 42 crew members off the ship. Shortly after, the ship broke into two pieces. [3]

In February 1928, next to the wreck of West Aleta another ship from Urk sank. All three people probably drowned. [5]

Salvage

The recovery of the cargo from the wreck was difficult and took almost a year. The salvage was carried out by “Nieuwe Bergingsmaatschappij” of Andries Dirkzwagwr from Maassluis, but eventually also vessels of local fishermen and of Rederij Doeksen  [ nl ] helped. [4] The last barrels were salvaged by divers. [3] The salvage lasted until November 1920. [2]

Many barrels washed up on Terschelling, but also on Vlieland and Ameland. Beachcombers drilled holes in the barrels to taste the wine. The favorites were taken home and others were left behind and emptied into nature. [2] Of the 35,000 barrels, only 15,000 barrels have been officially reported as salvaged. [6]

Legacy

The officially registered barrels were later sold. Two companies were founded to sell the barrels: wine manufacturer Siebrand from Kampen and drink trader Jan Kooijman. Kooijman bought a part of the 35,000 barrels of wine and started a wine business in Harlingen. Later he moved his business to Terschelling and named it “West Aleta”. "West Aleta” is nowadays a subsidiary of Heineken. [7]

A choir on Terschelling, founded in 1974, is named after this ship: the West Aleta Singers. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASWH</span> Dutch association football club

ASWH, short for Altijd Sterker Worden Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, is an association football club from Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht, Netherlands. The club was founded in 1929. It won section championships in 1949, 1959, 1961, 1970, 1883, 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005. In 2005 ASWH also won the Dutch Championship of Amateur Soccer and the Dutch Championship of Saturday Soccer. Ascending gradually through the ranks, ASWH played 2019–2022 in the semi-professional Tweede Divisie. In 2023, it joined the Vierde Divisie, after relegating twice for the first time in the club's history. In 2023–2024, ASWH operates 70 teams in competitions.

SS Saint Boswells, also written as SS St. Boswells, was a 463 GRT tug built in 1919 for the British Royal Navy. While towing SS Santa Therasa in June 1920 she struck a naval mine near Terschelling, the Netherlands and sank immediately. 16 people were killed in the disaster. Six people were rescued, one of them was injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VV Smitshoek</span> Association football club in Barendrecht, Netherlands

Voetbalvereniging Smitshoek is a football club based in Barendrecht, Netherlands. Founded in 1960, it currently plays in the Vierde Divisie, the fifth tier of the Dutch football league system. It plays its home matches at Sportpark Smitshoek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omroep Zeeland</span> Dutch regional television station

Omroep Zeeland is a public broadcaster located in Zeeland, Netherlands. Founded in 1988, the media organization is active in television, radio, and internet. The audience is on average slightly older than that of the other Dutch regional broadcasters.

Arie van der Zouwen is a Dutch football coach and former player. He was the manager of the Hong Kong national team and both assistant manager and manager of Al Wahda FC. He resides in Kortgene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noord-Nederlandse Golf & Country Club</span> Golf club in Groningen, Netherlands

The Noord-Nederlandse Golf & Country Club is located on the historical De Poll estate in Groningen, Netherlands. The site is known for its beauty and is covered by the Dutch national 'Natural Beauty Act' (Natuurschoonwet).

<i>Borndiep</i>-class minesweeper

The Borndiep-class was a ship class of 10 minesweepers that served between 1946 and 1962 in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN). They were former British Yard Mine Sweepers (BYMS) that were transferred from the Royal Navy to the RNN in 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1948 Keerbergen Fiat G.212 airplane crash</span> 1948 aviation accident

On 1 July 1948 the Avio Linee Italiane Fiat G.212PW “I-ELSA” was an international scheduled passenger flight from Milano-Linate Airport, Italy to Brussel-Zaventem Airport, Belgium. The airplane crashed during an emergency landing at 12:20pm local time. Eight of the twelve people on board were killed.

SS <i>Benbrack</i> British steamship

SS Benbrack was a 19th-century British merchant steamship, built before 1883.

SS Millbank sometimes wrongly written as SS Millbanke was a 1865 built British steamship. The ship weighed 548 BRT. Its home port was Sunderland. The ship was owned by R.M. Hudson. The captain of the ship was Smith. In November 1866 the ship wrecked at the Netherlands. The crew was saved by another ship.

SS Octa was a 1861 built British steamship. The ship had a tonnage of 569 gross register tons (GRT). It was owned by Norwood C. M. & Co. in Hull. On 1 May 1871 the ship was driven ashore and wrecked on Terschelling, the Netherlands. The 19 crew members were rescued.

SS Vidar was a 1873-built, 60-metre -long Swedish steamship. It was owned by shipping company Ang Fartyg and was registered in Gothenburg. On 20 September 1875 the ship was driven ashore and wrecked on Terschelling, the Netherlands. The crew members were rescued.

SS Anna Paulowna was a 1857 built 63 metres long Dutch steamship. It was owned by Koninklijke Nederlandse Stoomboot-Maatschappij (KNSM) and had hometown Amsterdam.

Lisette was an 1881-built, 50-metre long German three-masted iron schooner. It was owned by Johan Georg Oestman and had hometown Blankenese.

SS Aline Woermann was a 1879 Reiherstieg Schiffswerfte & Maschinenfabrik-built 74-metre -long German steamship. It was owned by the Woermann-Linie of Carl Woermann registered at Hamburg, Germany. She was deployed on a scheduled service between Hamburg, Liberia and Cameroon.

<i>Oude Zijpe</i> Dutch ship (1740–1742)

Oude Zijpe, also written as Oude Zype, Oude Zijp and Oude Sype was an 18th-century fluyt of the Dutch East India Company.

SS West Arvada was a 1919-built, 124-metre -long American cargo steamship. It was built by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Los Angeles Division and owned by United States Shipping Board. During the night of 15–16 September 1919, the ship sank due to naval mines near Terschelling, the Netherlands. One Polish crew member died.

SS Council Bluffs was a 1918-built, 77.1 metres long American cargo steamship. It was built by Great Lakes Engineering Works and owned by United States Shipping Board. During the morning of 13 November 1919, the ship sank by a mine near Terschelling, the Netherlands. The wreck of the ship was found in 1993.

SS Margariti, originally named SS Wearwood and later also SS Carita and SS Harrow, was a 1930 British built cargo ship of the Constantine Group. It was later owned by British Galbraith, Pembroke & Co., Swedish Manne J. E. and from 1962 by Greek Sigalas & Platis Bros under Lebanese flag. On 18 October 1967 while en route from Gdansk, Poland to Tartous the ship sank near Ameland, the Netherlands, after the ship tilted due to shifting cargo during a gale. All 24 people on board were rescued.

MV Lady Odiel, often written as MV Lady Odile, originally named MV Kalmarsund IX and later also renamed into MV Jomfruland, was a Swedish-built 487 GRT cargo ship in 1957 for Swedish company Angbats A/B Kalmarsund.. She was acquired in 1964 by Swedish Andersson, AE, Rönnäng and later in 1981 by the British Odiel Shipping Company.

References

  1. ↑ "SS West Aleta [+1920]". Wrecksite.
  2. 1 2 3 "Wijnschip 'West Aleta' verging honderd jaar geleden bij Terschelling". Friesch Dagblad (in Dutch). 1 February 2020 – via scheepspost.info.
  3. 1 2 3 "Scheepswrak: West Aleta". Wrakkenmuseum  [ nl ] (in Dutch).
  4. 1 2 "De stranding van West-Aleta". Het Vaderland (in Dutch). 3 May 1920 – via Delpher.
  5. ↑ "Waarschijnlijk drie menschenlevens te betreuren". Nieuwe Haarlemsche Courant (in Dutch). 15 February 1928 – via Delpher.
  6. ↑ "104 jaar geleden - Op 12 februari 1920 vergaat bij Terschelling het vrachtschip West Aleta". nueens.nl (in Dutch). 12 February 2020.
  7. ↑ Beukers, Mariëlla (26 July 2008). "Commerciële vruchtenwijnen". Wijnkronieken (in Dutch).
  8. ↑ "West Aleta singers". westaletasingers.nl.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.