Built as an iron three-masted barque under yard No 46 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg for F.Laeisz, (Flying P Line) Hamburg.
30 October 1985 launched as the PLUS.
Tonnage 1.256grt, 1.230 net, and 1.123 tons under deck. Dim. 69.06 x 10.98 x 6.29m.
Barque rigged.
18 November 1885 completed.
After completing she was put on the nitrate trade from South America, out with general cargo, homeward bound with nitrate.
Maiden voyage under command of Capt. C.J.Steincke.
In 1886 she made a passage of 61 days from the English Channel to Valparaiso.
1891 Command was taken over by Captain F.Kahler.
1899 Command taken over by Capt. W. Schröder.
1903 Command taken over by Capt. P.Pettersen.
1907 Command was taken over by Capt. H Pötcher, till she was sold by Laeisz.
13 March 1908 sold to H. Hansen, Lillesand, Norway.
1905 Sold to Aktieselskabet “Spes” (Lauritz Schübeler), Fredrikstad, Norway.
1925 Sold to Hugo Lundqvist, Mariehamn, Åland Islands. Her dwt is given then as 1.800 ton.
Thereafter mostly used in the splitwood trade.
13 December 1933 on a voyage from London under command of Capt. K.E. Erikson, she grounded in the night during a storm near Kobba Klintar, on her way to Mariehamn and sank
Of her crew of 17 men only 4 survived. Capt. Erikson lost his live in the tragedy.
The designer of the stamp Anette Gustafson self a diver was given to design a stamp which feature the diving on the wreck PLUS.
She did not dive on the wreck herself and the stamp design is not a realistic few of the wreck.
In fact the depth of visibility is not quite as good as the stamp illustrates, and her mast were cut off to allow other ships to pass.
The wreck lies on a slope where the stern is in a depth of 17 meter and the bow in a depth of 32 meters.
Some parts of the wreck have been salvaged, the steering wheel, compass, anchor with anchor chain and block among other items, and can be seen at the Ålands’s Maritime Museum.
Aland Island 2009 Inriksen (.75 Euro).
Source: http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Ships ... 1885).html http://saling-ships.oktett.net/72.html Info from Åland Post.