Placilla (ship)

The Placilla was the first for the Hamburg shipping company F. Laeisz built four-masted barque in 1892. It became the prototype of many such tall ships of the shipping company.

Description

Named after the eponymous municipality in the province of Colchagua the VI. Region of Chile, the Placilla was the first built for F. Laeisz four-masted barque. She and her sister ship Pisagua (ship) originated in 1892 on the slipways of the famous shipyard John C. Tecklenborg in Geestemünde ( Bremerhaven ). They had a complete steel hull ( riveted sheets ) and steel masts, the mizzen mast with a gaff as stake. Later four-masted barques and the Potosi drove two gaffs. The rig was Modern Standard - shared Mars and topgallant ( double Mars and Bramrahen ) about Royalrahen. The lower masts and topmasts were made ​​in one piece (steel plate ), the Royalrahen and Bramstengen of wood. The fuselage was traditionally black trimmed with white waterline and red underwater ship, the poop deck and main deck side white. Thus, both new four-masted barques proved their superiority on the nitrate trade around Cape Horn to the test and were thus as a new type of ship at Laeisz a model for the appearance and design of all future Laeisz sailors. They were designed as a three- island ships, a novelty at that time, which was not adopted in any marine plan later. She came from Liverpool, which is why the term "Liverpool house" for this board from wall reaching to lift, firm incorporated in the ship's superstructure midships houses there. Compared to the previous smoothness deckers with increased back and poop it came to this so-called high deck in the ship's center added, which had many functions: It served as a bridge, with a house of cards together with the control wheel or rudder 's house, and were all living and working spaces for master, officers, cooking crew and accommodated therein. The advantage of this construction: Central main rudder on the high deck, all crew quarters on the midship island. The sailors no longer had to live in wet berths under the jaw or in the often flooded deckhouse. The team was now quartered in large water-protected, well-ventilated accommodation, often separated in starboard and port watch, each for 12-18 man. The second helm on the poop deck only served as an emergency rudder. On the midship island of the officer on watch and especially the helmsmen of the dangerous high -speed lakes were sure had many a man purged from the rudder or the control let him maul - usually with fatal consequences for ship and man. To get your feet wet without the main deck to the forecastle or poop, came soon added catwalks, usually mounted on the starboard side near the ship's masts, which combined three islands. Especially in heavy weather that was a significant relief and offered extra security.

History

In the spring of 1892 was captain Robert Hilgendorf, who was not only the most popular among the Laeisz captains, but of all the sailing ship captains of his time, with the Placilla on maiden voyage and presented with 58 days (8.3 weeks) for the route Lizard Valparaíso a Best Performance on. Although she was later undercut by the rapid Laeisz sailors, but was then a record-breaking run, which attracted attention worldwide. Two more tours makes Hilgendorf to Salpeterküste, then he took over the shipping company Pitlochry sister, and Captain Otto Schmidt came up in 1901 as the new captain on board the Placilla. With her ​​, he completed seven round trips back to the Salpeterküste and Europe. After nine years of service, the Placilla was sold from unspecified reasons on the " 1896er " ( Rhederei society act of 1896) and renamed in 1903 in Optima - " O- names " were a distinguishing feature of the shipping company. Under the new flag she was mainly seen in Central and North American ports of the Pacific Coast (Santa Rosalía, Mexico, San Francisco, Tacoma, WA). On January 5, 1905, the barque left Hamburg under Captain Butz with a coke charge for Santa Rosalia, Mexico. When entering the English Channel, the ship was caught in a North Sea storm that abdrängte close to the Norfolk coast too far west from the course. In dense fog the barque ran aground on January 18, 1905, the infamous Haisbro - sandbanks ( Haisborough Sands ) north-east of Great Yarmouth. The Lifeboat Elizabeth Simpson ran distress signal from the cross -Sands lightship on January 19, of Gorleston -on- Sea on the albatrosses of the deep-sea tug meteor. They tried freizuschleppen the Bark with other to -down ships. After 60stündiger futile work, the Optima had to be abandoned. All 32 of the crew were eventually recovered from the disintegrating ship on January 21, a maritime disaster was avoided.

Ship data

  • Construction: steel hull (riveted ) as a three- island boat with baking, poop and the midship island
  • Rigg: Standardrigg Viermastbark: double Mars and Bramrahen, Royals; Mizzen mast as a stake (lower mast and topmast one piece) with a gaff
  • Number of decks: 2 full-length decks, baking, poop and the midship deck; top deck with teak
  • Launched: January 1892
  • Maiden voyage: February 22, 1892 after Valparaíso, Chile
  • Call sign: R J L M
  • Built by: John C. Tecklenborg, Geestemünde, hull number 110
  • Designer: Dr. -Ing. h c. Georg Wilhelm Claussen
  • Cruise Line: F. Laeisz
  • Port of registry: Hamburg
  • More cruise lines: Rhederei society act of 1896, Hamburg ( February 23, 1901 )
  • Other names: Optima (18 March 1903)
  • Figurehead: yes
  • Length Overall ( LOA): 113 m
  • Fuselage length: 103.94 m ( Galion Tailgate)
  • Length on Deck ( LaD ): 95.87 m
  • Length on the waterline ( KWL): 94.49 m
  • Length between perpendiculars ( VAS / LPP): 92.01 m
  • Width: 13.58 m
  • Depth: 7.96 m
  • Side height: 8,43 m
  • Draft: 7.04 m
  • Survey: 2,895 GRT; 2,780 NRT
  • Displacement: 6,500 tons ( 1,800 t ship mass ~ charge ~ 4,700 t)
  • Load Capacity / Load capacity: 4,600 tons [ 4,674 t ] (1 ton = 1.016 t)
  • Sail area: 3,700 m² (33 Sailing: 18 square sails in six storeys to three masts, 9 - Stag, 4 headsails, two Besane )
  • Mast height: 60 m ( above keel ); 50 m ( above the deck ); 52.5 m above the waterline
  • Auxiliary machine: no
  • Cost: M 600,000.00
  • Classification: Lloyd's 100 A
  • First skipper: Robert Hilgendorf (1892-1894)
  • Other captains: Otto Schmidt (1894-1901); F. W. Thoem (1901-1903), H. Butz (1903-1905)
  • Crew: 32-35 man (Captain, 3 officers, seamen 28-31 )
  • Maximum speed: 17 knots
  • Best Etmal: 342 sm
  • Sister ship: Pisagua
Potosi (barque) Tacoma, Washington Washington (state) Hawser Topsail Topgallant sail Home port Beakhead Spanker (sail) German gold mark Knot (unit) Day's run
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