Built as a wooden sealer under yard No 16 (Miramar gives 14) by Rødsverver the later A/S Framnæs mek. Værksted, Sandefjord for Christen Christensen, Sandefjord.
Launched under the name HERTHA.
Tonnage 253 gross, 197 net, dim. 117.8 x 25.3 x 13.1ft.
Barque rigged.
Powered by an auxiliary steam engine 180hp.
1884 completed.
1886 Sold to A.J.Freberg (?).
1889 Sold or taken over by A/S Oceana (managed by Chr. Christensen), Sandefjord.
1893 She took part in Capt. C.A.Larsens second expedition to the Antarctic.
The first expedition to the Antarctic by C.A. Larsen in the JASON was a great loss for the company, that Christensen was reluctant to send a second expedition to the south waters.
But after pressure from others it was decided to send a much larger expedition of 4 ships to the south.
The fleet of four ships JASON, HERTHA. CASTOR and the supply vessel ØRNEN, with on board around 100 men sailed from Norway between late May and early August 1893.
November 1893 the ships due to a free ice season were sailing already in the Wendell Sea. And reached 66 40S 59 49W.
1 December King Oscar II Coast was discovered, 3 December Foyns Land, and by 6 December she reached 68 10S 59 59W, the highest southern latitude achieved by any ship in the western Weddell Sea at that time.
The expedition sailed back along the same route keeping the crew busy with sealing.
11 December Larsen and his first officer, Søren Andersen made a landing and the first documented ski run on the continent of Antarctica.
Shortly thereafter 5 small islands were discovered, which they named Jason, Hertha, Castor, Larsen, and Oceana Island.
Not any right whale was found and knowing that some right whales were seen in the early part of the year off Cape Horn, the four ships set course to this waters.
After arriving at Ushuaia in the Beagle Channel for bunkers, some of his crew deserted to the goldfields in South America.
After taken on board bunkers the expedition sailed to the Falkland Islands to transfer sealskins and blubber oil to the supply ship ØRNEN.
14 January 1894 the expedition sailed from Port Stanley back to the Antarctic waters in search for the right whale.
23 January arrived at the Erebus and Terror Bay, where hundreds of seals were seen and taken, the crews worked long hours to get the hold filled with skins and oil, there was a scurvy outbreak on the fleet, and three men were drowned when their overloaded boat filled with sealskins capsized.
On the return voyage to the Falkland Islands more seals were taken along the coast of Graham Land.
15 March the three ships were back in Port Stanley, after arrival the skins and blubber oil were transferred to the ØRNEN.
In Port Stanley, Larsen received from Christensen orders to proceed to South Georgia to look for the right whale.
10 April the three ships sailed from Port Stanley and on 19th April South Georgia was sighted.
Large numbers of fin and humpback whales were sighted but not right whales.
Also very good harbours were seen very valuable for Captain Larsens future plans.
05/06 July 1894 the expedition arrived again in Sandefjord with on board 13.223 sealskins and 800 tons of blubber.
But still there was a loss on the expedition.
1898 John Bryde a son-in-law of Chr. Christensen took over it management of A/S Oceana.
1905 Management of A/S Oceana was taken over by Jean B. Linaae, the same year the HERTHA was refitted and modernized.
20 December 1909 A/S Oceana was liquidated, and the five remaining ships ARIES, CITO, FRANKLIN, FORTUNA, FREMAD and HERTHA including Gonvig Trankogeri (try-house) was taken over for NKr. 215.000 by a new A/S Oceana, managed by Haldor Virik.
The new company was also not profitable and was liquidated just before the outbreak of World War I.
HERTHA was sold to Russian owners, fate unknown.
South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands 1994 40p sg253, scott196.
Source: http://thor-dahl.lardex.net/skip/skipst ... _herta.htm Pesca, a History of the Pioneer Modern Whaling Company in the Antarctic by Ian B Hart.