Last revised 05 January 2008
(photo added to bottom of page)
TEESSHIPS
A FAVOURITE
SHIP
RATAJ
(built over 100 years ago!)
(World Ship Photo Library)
(Dave Hocquard)
This is my second favourite ship, behind only the BEREZINA/EFORIE. Simply because she was an even older ship!
I first saw her on the Tyne on 23 August 1961. I did once fully research her history, but the notes will be somewhere in my archives (in other words, lost!) Briefly, she was built at Helsingors in 1906 as the QUEEN ALEXANDRA and later became the WEICHSEL. In 1946 she became the RATAJ for the Polish Government (Polish Steamship Co.). She was 1340 gross tons and in 1968 was converted for use as a storeship. I have a note that she was eventually broken up in 1975, by then 69 years old.
06.02.06: George Robinson provided some additional details
on Riversea International:
built Helsingørs Jernsk. & Msk.
(yard no. 110) as QUEEN ALEXANDRA for A/S Alf. Christensen, Copenhagen;
1913 WEICHSEL, Hamburg-Danzig GmbH;
1946 RATAJ;
Reduced to storage hulk MP-ZPS-5 in 1968;
Broken up at Ghent in 1976
********
28.2.02: Earlier this month George Robinson [RIVERSEA INTERNATIONAL] featured a view by Charlie Hill of Swinefleet (he takes them from his back garden - lucky chap!!) the RATAJ on the River Ouse in transit towards Goole:
28.01.04: Looking through old newspaper cuttings I found this:
EVENING GAZETTE - 10 May 1963
05.01.08 I am grateful to Malcolm Cranfield for his permission to use a Gerhard Fiebiger view in his collection, as first featured on RIVERSEA INTERNATIONAL
As MP-ZPS-5 In the Kiel Canal on 13/12/1975, under tow to the
breakers
Photo by Gerhard Fiebiger
1906, 1282grt
Helsingørs Jernsk. &
Mask. (110) as QUEEN ALEXANDRA for A/S Alf. Christensen, Copenhagen
1913 WEICHSEL, Hamburg-Danzig GmbH
1946 RATAJ, Gdynia-America Lines, later Polish
S.S. Co.
1968 hulked for storage at Szczecin as MP-ZPS-5
Broken up at Ghent early in 1976
(above details given by George Robinson)