Training ship Albatross

The Swedish training ship Albatross was built 1942 at Lindholmen shipyard in Gothenburg for the Broström shipping company.

The ship was built as a combined training and cargo ship of 1450 dwt. The four masts carried 12 sails with a total sail area of 1120 square meters. The standing rig was specifically designed not to interfere with loading and discharging. The ship was initially equipped with an engine of 450 horsepower. This engine was later exchanged for a new engine of 1000 horsepower.

The manning consisted of a core crew of Captain, three deck officers, three engineers, a chief steward and a cook plus twelve deck cadets and twelve engine cadets. During the period 1949-1966 the ship was mainly employed by the Swedish Orient Line between Scandinavia, Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea. As a contribution to the worlds oceanographic and hydrographic science, Albatross circumnavigated the globe in the period 1947-1948, collecting samples from the seabed, that still continues to be of great value to scientists.

Around 1100 cadets had their first seagoing experiences on board Albatross and many of them are still active in leading positions in the international shipping industry.