Fitzroy

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shipstamps
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Fitzroy

Post by shipstamps » Wed Jul 30, 2008 5:26 pm

1936-1957. Built by Henry Robb, Ltd., Leith in 1931 for the Falkland Islands Co., she had a gross tonnage of 768 and net 344. Her length was 165 ft 8 in., breadth 32 ft. 7 in. and draft 13 ft. 43/4. in. Propelling machinery consisted of a triple-expansion engine developing 355 nhp and she arrived at Port Stanley on November 9, 1931 under her original name of Lafonia. This was changed to Fitzroy during the Autumn of 1936 pending the arrival, on December 29, 1936, of a new Lafonia. She operated a mail and cargo service between the islands, Montevideo, South Georgia and Grahamland until 1957. During 1949 she was converted to burn oil fuel and her hull was lengthened, increasing her cargo carrying capacity by 20 per cent.
Brit Ant SG218, 239, 288.Falk Is SG173, 188, 334A
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SG334A
SG334A

aukepalmhof
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Re: Fitzroy

Post by aukepalmhof » Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:23 pm

Built as a cargo ship under yard No 189 by H. Robb at Leith, Scotland for the Falkland Island Co.
18 August 1931 launched as the LAFONIA.
Tonnage 768 gross, 344 net., dim. 50.53 x 9.99 x 3.56m., length bpp. 50.5m
Powered by a 3-cyl. triple expansion steam engine, manufactured by W. Beardmore & Co. Ltd., Coatbridge, ? hp, speed 10 knots.
September 1931 completed.

09 November 1931 she arrived for the first time at the Falkland Islands.
The year of 1931 had seen yet another short-length contract being drawn up, albeit for five years this time between the Falkland Islands Co. and the British Government, resulting in the LAFONIA linking the Falkland Islands with the world’s postal service, via Montevideo.

When a new LAFONIA was built the old vessel was in 1936 renamed in FITZROY, named after the Capt. Fitzroy of the BEAGLE.
When the new LAFONIA arrived in the Falkland Islands, and after the renewal of the same contract, the FITZROY was used only on the inter island mail service, although in 1938 she made several voyages to Patagonia followed by two to the South Georgia Islands the following year.
Thereafter she was taken out of service and put up for sale.
When the new LAFONIA was requested for War Service in 1941, the FITZROY took over both the inter- island and the inter-national mail service, being thus employed, in both until 1957.
During the war she was part of the Admiralty’s force in “Operation Tabarin” supplying various bases in the Falklands.
Operation Tabarin I, 1943-44.
Operation Tabarin was conceived at British Cabinet level in 1943 when there were fears of German naval involvement in the Southern Ocean and of Argentine and Chilean attempts to assert sovereignty in the Antarctic whilst Britain was involved in the Second World War. A carefully selected party of naval men was formed under the command of Lt.Commander James Marr, a veteran of Shackleton’s ‘Quest’ expedition and of the ‘DISCOVER’ investigations. The secret Operation was code-named after a Parisian night club, Bal Tabarin, in view of the long winter darkness of the Antarctic (its establishment also needed a lot of night work with some consequent chaos). A Norwegian wooden Arctic sealing vessel was chartered and re-named HMS BRANDSFIELD to carry the Party and equipment to the Falkland Islands, but she developed a leak and had to be abandoned, resulting in a switch of personnel and supplies to the Royal Mail liner HIGHLAND MONARCH which was already scheduled to sail to the Island!
Although arrangements were made to detach to the operation the Antarctic Research Vessel, later converted to be a minesweeper, HMS WILLIAM SCORESBY this was clearly insufficient to transport all the cargo and men.
So, upon arrival Lt. Commander Marr was able to requisition the Island’s mail ship FITZROY, the only link with the outside world. The FITZROY was neither ice-strengthened, nor insured for operation in the Antarctic. Her loss would have isolated the Colony, which had already lost ‘LAFONIA’, the other mail ship, following a similar requisition.
Captain D. W. Roberts, the Colonial Manager of the Falkland Islands Company, strongly resisted the requisition but to no avail and therefore insisted on accompanying the Captain (Keith Pitt) and sailing with the ship. He was the most experienced mariner in the areas south of the Falklands. HMS WILLIAM SCORESBY was commanded by Captain Victor Marchesi. The operation was successful and established two Antarctic Bases, complete with Post Offices to enhance sovereignty. Without the FITZROY or Captain Roberts it is questionable whether the mission would have been such a success.
After peace returned it became a civilian operation, The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey which, in 1962 became The British Antarctic Survey. Human occupation of Antarctica has been continuous since the establishment of the first Operation Tabarin bases.
The Tabarin ships are painted by Gerald Roberts, the son of Captain Roberts, who was born and educated partly in Stanley. Later Gerald returned to Stanley (1947-1950) as Government Dental Surgeon.
Of the two £1 stamps one depicts FITZROY against a background of Antarctic ice, the other HMS WILLIAM SCORESBY is shown approaching the entrance to Deception Island, South Shetland Island, withits distinctive stack later known as Petes Pillar.
1949 refitted from coal to oil firing and she was lengthened to 56.7 meter, tonnage 835 gross, 392 net, 875 dwt.
The FITZROY took also part in the first establishing and the relieving British Antarctic bases between 1943 and 1948.

She was broken up in Grays, Essex where she arrived on 17 May 1957.

Source http://miramarshipindex.org.nz Log Book and downloaded from http://www.falklands.gov.fk/pb/fi/ww2-60.htm
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D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen
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Re: Fitzroy

Post by D. v. Nieuwenhuijzen » Sat Apr 28, 2018 2:58 pm

Falkland Islands 1953, 1 p. StG.188
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