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Dutch Tramp Motorship

Page history last edited by Michael 4 years, 1 month ago

pictured here in the early 1930s as the MV Zulia

This steel-hulled ship was built in 1921-22 at the Burgerhout yard, in Rotterdam, for the van Ommeren Shipping B.V. company as the MV Dordrecht. In 1925 it was sold and renamed Romo; and sold again in 1928, taking the name Karibia. By 1929 it had the name Zulia, for a Hamburg company. In October of 1935 it is sold to Norwegian company, and renamed Rita. In 1936 it is sold yet again to another Norwegian company, gets new engines installed. More changes of ownership and name occur until the ship sinks in 1964.

Tonnage: 4609 gross register tons; 2,650 tons deadweight capacity

Length: 249' 9" overall

Beam: 40' 8"

Draft: 16' 11"

Freeboard amidships: 2' 8.5" (this is the height above the water of the main deck when loaded; note the bulwarks rise a bit higher to keep most water out).

Depth of hold: 19' 4"

Engine: twin screws, driven by two 500 HP 4-cylinder Bolinder "glow plug" diesels; fuel usage total is very roughly 1.5 tons per day.

Top speed: 9 knots.

Based on the plan, it looks as if there are 8 or 9 persons in the midships deckhouse -- officers, that is. 14 or so non-officers have berths in the aftercastle, so the crew might well be 22 men.

There are two large lifeboats, and a smaller one (probably with a motor). A wireless transmitter is fitted.

Fun fact: Bolinder diesel engines were prone to accumulate un-burned fuel in the funnel, where it would sometimes ignite and send out a shower of sparks -- or sort-of explode with a cannon-like backfiring sound. I suspect that's why the ship was re-engined in 1936.