''Anna Kristina'' is a Norwegian-flagged, galeas-rigged Hardangerjakt. Originally named ''Dyrafjeld'', the sloop-rigged vessel was built on a Norwegian farm in 1889. The ship's early career was as a cargo ship in the Hardanger region, with occasional voyages as far afield as Russia. She was sold to new owners and rerigged as a galeas in the late 1920s. The sails were removed during World War II, but continued in merchant service until the mid-1970s. After a series of accidents, the vessel was laid up, then sold to new owners, who restored the vessel and renamed her ''Anna Kristina''. Charter work occurred throughout the 1980s, including involvement in the

First Fleet Re-enactment Voyage The First Fleet Reenactment Voyage (also known as the Second First Fleet) was a project to assemble a fleet of tall ships to sail from England to Australia in a historical reenactment of the First Fleet that colonised Australia in 1788. The reen ...

Design and construction

The vessel was a Hardangerjakt built on a farm in Stangvik, Norway, during 1889, based on a

Det Norske Veritas DNV (formerly DNV GL) is an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway. The company currently has about 12,000 employees and 350 offices operating in more than 100 countries, and provides ser ...

plan.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. vii The hull was long, with a beam of and a draught of .Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. 6 She was

sloop-rigged A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

, with a square topsail.

Operational history

The vessel was originally named ''Dyrafjeld''. Most of her early operations were cargo runs: dried

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus '' Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not call ...

from the Hardanger region to

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, then returning with general cargo. On occasion, the vessel would haul timber from

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Ba ...

, Russia. ''Dyrafjeld'' was sail powered until 1900, when a 12-horsepower engine was installed. In the late 1920s, ''Dyrafjeld'' was sold to new owners, who rerigged the vessel as a galeas. At the start of World War II, the vessel's rigging was removed, and her engine upgraded. The ship continued in the cargo trade, but capsized in 1975 when a cargo of timber shifted. She was recovered, but damaged again in 1986 in a collision. The vessel was laid up until 1977, when she was sold to new owners, who restored her as a galeas-rigged Hardangerjakt. In this configuration, she had a mast height of , and a total sail area of . The restoration work was completed in 1981, with the vessel renamed ''Anna Kristina''. The vessel sailed on numerous charters, including film work and a two-year deployment to

Spitzbergen Svalbard ( , ), also known as Spitsbergen, or Spitzbergen, is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. North of mainland Europe, it is about midway between the northern coast of Norway and the North Pole. The islands of the group range ...

. In 1987, ''Anna Kristina'' joined the

: a historical re-enactment for the

Australian Bicentenary The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788. History The bicentennial year marked Captain Arthur Phillip's arrival with the 11 ships ...

. Prior to the voyage, she was refurbished with a Volvo engine capable of reaching , along with increased crew capacity.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', pp. vii, 6 She left England for Australia in May 1987, and sailed with the fleet to

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitants as of Janu ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. While crossing the Atlantic, at 01:20 on 22 August, First Mate Henrik Nielsen fell overboard while trying to adjust a sail.Clarke & Iggulden, ''Sailing Home'', p. vi '' Tradewind'', ''

R. Tucker Thompson ''R. Tucker Thompson'' is a gaff-rigged topsail schooner based in Opua, Bay of Islands, New Zealand. She is operated as a non-for profit charitable trust and owned by the R. Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust. The mission of the trust is “Learn ...

'', and '' Søren Larsen'' converged on ''Anna Kristina'' and began searching: first in the immediate area by searchlight, then commencing a grid pattern at dawn. The search was called off at 18:35 with no success. The fleet continued on to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

, and

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

before arriving in Sydney on

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...

(26 January) 1988.King, ''The First Fleet''. p. 89-90

Citations

References

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External links

Website for Anna Kristina, now renamed Dyrafjeld (posted 2015)
{{Oldest surviving ships (pre-1919) 1889 ships Ships built in Norway Tall ships of Norway World War II merchant ships of Norway