I found the following article in the “Lookout” of June 1972, written by John Britton. Additional info I found on the figurehead is below the article.
On a wet windswept day in 1939 a man named Arthur Repetto who lived on the island Tristan da Cunha in the Atlantic Oceans was searching the rocky shore and numerous caves on the remote British colony gathering driftwood for his fire.
At Cave Point he entered a gloomy cavern and thought what he saw in the poor light was the drowned body of a woman. Closer examination however revealed it was a ship’s figurehead. It was an incredible beautiful piece of skilled carving. The hair of the woman was swept back from her forehead and from the shoulders hung a long, flowing cloak, with the folds of it held in her left hand.
In the other hand there was a lily. Bracelets were on each arm and around her neck was a pearl necklace. The carving was still in a fine condition, even though it must have been in the water a long time. It had not been scratched or battered and the paintwork was as good as if it had only been done yesterday.
The figurehead was carried, with the help of other islanders Repetto had summoned, back to the islands settlement and enquiries started about the origin of the figurehead. Eventually after much detective work, the ship from which the figurehead came was identified-and proved the superstitions of sailors who saw her sail.
On February 8th, 1938, the German training ship ADMIRAL KARPFANGER set sail from Port Germain, southern Australia, bound for Britain, with a complement of German merchant seamen cadets on board. It was the first voyage for the ship, claimed then to be one of the world’s most beautiful sailing vessels afloat, as a means of given these young a real taste of life in these conditions at sea.
Originally, the ship a four-masted barque, had sailed under the name of L’AVENIR, after being built in Belgium in 1908 (not correct she was built by Rickmers, Bremerhaven Germany.) After a career at sea of a training ship under Belgium flag, she was bought by Gustaf Erikson, Mariehamn in 1932 not renamed, before she was sold to Germany and bought by Hamburg-Amerika-Line in 1937, her new owners decided to rename her the ADMIRAL KARPFANGER. Superstitious seamen have for centuries claimed changing a ship’s name invited bad luck.
Then the new owners decided to remove the woman figurehead, it was stowed away in the ship’s paint store out of sight, but still aboard the ill-fated ship. When news of this reached the veteran seamen they foretold the ship was now certain for disaster and it seemed they were proven right. A ship’s figurehead should never be taken off deliberately unless there is a good reason, because didn’t she “see” the way across the water for the ship? For a month all must have gone well on the ADMIRAL KARPFANGER. There was no hint of trouble when she radioed on March 12th, 1938 that her position was approximately 300 miles south-south-west of New Zealand, but that was the last that was heard of the ship. Ever after there was complete silence. Ships set out for search and others were questioned that had been within range of the area at the time and later. There were no bad weather conditions no icebergs in the area. The ship was known to be in good physical condition.
Yet the figurehead that had been stowed out of sight in the paint store was destined not to share the same fate the ship had adorned. When calamity overcame the vessel the figurehead must have been broken free and floated to the surface. Then began its 7000 mile journey across the South Pacific, round Cape Horn, carried along by the force of the currents, until being cast up high and dry in the cavern on Tristan da Cunha.
There have been many conjectures about what awful disaster overtook the ship and crew. A fire was the popular suggestion, with the crew abandoned ship, but this would most likely have been seen and also the figurehead would almost certainly shown signs of burning.
A mysterious illness? But then the surely someone could have got to the radio? Perhaps the crew abandoned for some reasons then disappeared in the lonely seas, but the ship could reasonably have been expected to drift on. Whatever fate dealt them it was sudden and overwhelming – and the only witness, the figurehead, will never be able to tell what did happen.
According my research the figurehead was found in May 1940 and was taken to the village where it was stored in different places till in 1942 a group of British navy personnel arrived on the island, the men erected an observation and communication post. One of this men was the meteorology Allan Crawford and he in his free time repaired and painted the figurehead where after it was placed in front of the flagpole of the navy post.
1950 She was mentioned in the National Geographic Magazine.
1955 She was still standing by the Navy camp on the island but before 1963 the figurehead was so rotten that it was destroyed.
If the story is true if it is possible?
In a letter to Sea Breeze and this letter was published in 1961 Captain Thomson a port pilot from the Spencer Gulf, Australia wrote, that he took a photo of the L’AVENIR in 1933 and at that time she carried a woman figurehead, when he did see the vessel in 1938 the figurehead was missing, he did ask the first officer of the ship what has happen with the figurehead, and he told that she was removed and stored in the forecastle.
Another source gives that her figurehead was removed when she was sold to the Germans, who intended to replace it by a figurehead of Admiral Karpfanger (1623-1683), but this figurehead was not ready when she sailed for her first voyage under German flag.
There are a few photos on the net of the L’AVENIR but not one is so clear that you can see what her figurehead looks like.
Photos of the ADMIRAL KARPFANGER shows that she has not a figurehead.
Some sources give that the figurehead did belong to the Danish trainingship KØBENHAVN but she carried a figurehead of a helmet bishop Absalon, quit different as the figurehead depict on the stamp.
Paraguay 1977 25g sg?, scott1766. Shows the ADMIRAL KARPFANGER. http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewt ... ger#p14742
Tristan da Cunha 1986 40p sg413, scott?