| Author |
Message |
    
Jason D. Tiller
Moderator
Username: jtiller
Post Number: 2736
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Sunday, March 6, 2005 - 10:20 pm: | 
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I purchased this postcard yesterday at an antique market, but I can't figure out which ship she is. The only thing on the back of it states the location which is somewhere on the African coast (thanks to Hattie for translating the words in German), but nothing to indicate which vessel she is. She doesn't appear to be an Union Castle Line ship.
Any assistance to identify this ship, would be greatly appreciated.
"To be happy is to be contented in your own mind"...Harold Godfrey Lowe
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Harriet Collingham
Member
Username: euphrosynie
Post Number: 96
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 6, 2005 - 10:23 pm: |
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Welcome. It's a jolly nice image. Congrats on finding it and hope you find out what ship it is.
Hattie
Best Wishes, Hattie
www.keithwarwick.co.uk
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Adam Eickholt
Member
Username: tashmoo
Post Number: 6
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, March 6, 2005 - 10:36 pm: |
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Hi Jason,
The ship looks like one of the Hamburg-Sudamerika "Monte" liners from the interwar years:
Monte Cervantes
Monte Olivia
Monte Pascoal
Monte Rosa
Monte Sarmiento
(I think that's all of them...)
I hope that helps somewhat!
Adam |
Jason D. Tiller
Moderator
Username: jtiller
Post Number: 2740
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 5:01 am: |
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Hi Adam,
Thank you very much for that information. On the back of the postcard at the bottom, it does say "Hamburg" in small letters, so that would be a good indication that she is a Hamburg liner.
Another piece to add to the puzzle! Thanks again for your help.
Best regards,
Jason 
"To be happy is to be contented in your own mind"...Harold Godfrey Lowe
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Daniel Cox
Member
Username: liner_dan
Post Number: 41
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 6:31 am: |
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The funnel colours look "White Star line" but then again if it was a coloured pic they could be completely different altogether.
Regards Dan (trying to help but no good this time |
Adam Eickholt
Member
Username: tashmoo
Post Number: 7
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 9:03 am: |
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Glad to help, Jason!
This german website has pictures of all of HDSG's Monte class liners for comparison:
http://www.deutsche-passagierschiffe.de/core/schiffsregister/_uebersicht/index.html
I don't know if Monte Cervantes' lack of a full row of double-nested lifeboats, as shown in the photo on the site, was a permanent characteristic of the ship or a temporary situation.
Adam |
Jason D. Tiller
Moderator
Username: jtiller
Post Number: 2742
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - 6:12 pm: |
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Hi Daniel,
That's exactly what I was thinking, her funnels do resemble WSL, but on the other hand they may be different colours as you said.
Hi Adam,
Thank you for that interesting website! Their are a lot of great photos on there. I tried to find a site similar to that last night through Google, but came up empty. Mystery solved! After closely examining the photos of the Monte class liners, I believe the ship in my postcard is the Monte Sarmiento. Her lifeboats look the same as in my postcard, she appears to be about the same length and the superstructure looks identical.
Best regards,
Jason
"To be happy is to be contented in your own mind"...Harold Godfrey Lowe
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Noel F.Jones
Member
Username: ver1tas
Post Number: 404
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 3:00 am: |
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"The only thing on the back of it states the location which is somewhere on the African coast."
If I may chuck a characteristic spanner in the works:
"Hamburg-Sudamerika" doesn't seem to gel with "African coast" - unless it's Dakar or thereabouts.
Noel |
Jason D. Tiller
Moderator
Username: jtiller
Post Number: 2747
Registered: 12-2000
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 5:23 am: |
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Well, as stated in my post, that's the information that was given to me. I'd like to nail the location down, but I haven't found any info on her yet, other than what's on the site that Adam provided.
I'm open to suggestions though.
"To be happy is to be contented in your own mind"...Harold Godfrey Lowe
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Adam Eickholt
Member
Username: tashmoo
Post Number: 8
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - 6:33 am: |
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Hi Jason,
You're right, that site does have a number of great images! It's good to hear you found it useful.
Hi Noel,
I think the answer as to why we have a photo of a South American liner being photographed in an African port can be found in the fact that Hamburg-Sud would regularly schedule cruises in the Mediterranean.
There's no doubt in my mind that the ship in the photo is a Hamburg-Sud Monte class liner. The writing is in German, the ship appears to be flying the 3-bar flag of the German Republic above her fantail, and Hamburg-Sud's color scheme is not contradicted by any visual evidence in the photo.
Speaking of the appearance of the ship, I can give few more details about the look of the Monte class. The hull is painted a traditional black with white superstructure. The masts would be buff colored, the funnels white with red caps, and the face of the wheelhouse would also be red. The dark-looking lifeboats in the photo were mahogany in color.
Adam |
