" Loss of the NELLA DAN-Her Final Voyage to Antarctica -November 1987"

[Graham Shaw]

Commissioned by Lauritzen with considerable input from the Australian Antarctic Division, Nella Dan was named in honour of Nel Law, wife of the AAD Director of the time, Phillip Law.
Built by the Aalborg Shipyard Pty Ltd in 1961, she incorporated all the features of her older sisters, Thala Dan, Kista Dan and Magga Dan. An ice breaker stern, ice fins and ice knife were becoming regular features, but a novel addition was the double hull in the engine room and part of the holds. The ascent to the crow's nest was through the interior of the mast, and the ship supplied its own fresh water with an Atlas generator. At the time of her construction, Nella Dan was regarded as setting the standard for polar vessels.She displaced 2,206 gross tons and her diesel propulsion gave her a service speed of 13 knots.

NELLA DAN.jpg
(Mawson Ice Edge,Antarctica- Nov.1981-Photo courtesy of Flickr NOAA Photo Library)

[Extract from Modern Shipping Disasters-Lloyds of London Press Ltd] and my own research]

"The Danish motor vessel Nella Dan held a most unusual record.Averaging four trips per year she made more visits to the Antarctic than any other vessel-over 70.
Built in 1961,it had been planned to use her in a dual role at the far extremes of the globe ,trading between Denmark and the east coast of Greenland ,and also acting as a supply ship for Australian Antarctic research stations during the southern hemisphere'.s summer season.Because of her voyaging in extreme latitudes she was specially ice-strengthened She also had accommodation for up to 50 scientists and a crew of 33 ,being used mostly for geographical mapping expeditions of the Antarctic coastal regions,and lately, also in oceanographic research."

Her loss came in the area in which she had served so faithfully.

'Nella Dan was on voyage from Hobart,Tasmania ,from where she had sailed on 27th November,1987 to the Australian Antarctic Territory,loaded with equipment and supplies,when she ran aground on rocks in Buckles Bay,Macquarie Island,after dragging her anchor in heavy weather on December 3rd,1987 while transferring fuel to the shore base.Her hull became badly holed as a result of which her engine room flooded.There were no injuries to any of her 50 scientific passengers or 33 crew members,but all non-essential personnel were taken ashore to the weather base,which normally only housed 32 persons.
The motor passenger/icebreaker/supply vessel Iceberg subsequently arrived to take off 27 crew and 48 expeditionary staff from the island,returning them to Hobart on December 11th.However the master of Nella Dan,5 of his officers and a few expedition staff remained on the island.

After being refloated by salvors on December 21st,in what must rank as one of themost southerly salvage operations ever mounted,then anchored in Buckles Bay,the Nella Dan listed and caught fire ,apparently due to two diesel generators being left running on deck to operate pumps ,having overheated .

She was then towed out,sinking in flames in Lat.54-37.5 S,Long.159-13.3E on December 24th 1987 ,taking with her salvage and scientific equipment valued at about Aus$ 600,000.

[Keith Adams]

Hello Graham, I take it you follow J. Lauritzen shipping line ? I used to see their ships in Valparaiso, Chile and admired their bright colored hulls and the fact they plied the Antarctic waters. I always thought one had to be and have Danish certificates to sail with them. I did manage to pull off two winters in Atlantic ice tracts so had some idea of what it could be like. Anyway, i arrived in Southampton from Far East on the Troopship “Oxfordshire” on 18 Jan.1959. Being down aft for arrival, I didn’t see or know their was a “Dan Boat” berthed ahead of us. Our Capt visited aboard and upon return told me they were waiting to sail but needed a 2nd Mate and asked if i would join her. Told me he would have jumped at the chance at my age. I had to refuse as i was all set up for 1st Mates and had already lost a lot of qualification time. Paid off with never seeing the “Dan Boat”. I would like to know which one it was ? It is also possible it was a research vessel and Dr J. McDowell and Sir V. Fuch were retuning to complete their work on the extension of the !957/58 International Geophysical Year expeditions. I wish now that i had signed on … Keith Adams

[Andy Louch]

Hello Keith, spotted your post about the 'Dan boat' in Southampton in 1959. I wonder if the vessel you nearly joined was RRS SHACKLETON?

From the BAS website, https://www.bas.ac.uk/about/about-ba...rs-shackleton/

[I][I]"The RRS Shackleton was in service with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS)/British Antarctic Survey (BAS) from 1955/56 until 1968/69. Her role was primarily that of a survey and science vessel, supporting marine geophysics programmes. Originally named the Arendal, she was built in 1954 at Sölvesborg in Sweden for Arendals Dampskibsselskab, Norway. In Aug 1955, she was bought by FIDS for £230,000, and further strengthened for work in sea ice. She was renamed RRS Shackleton by Mrs Arthur, wife of the then Governor of the Falkland Islands and Dependencies, in a ceremony at Southampton on 19 Dec 1955.
On 29 Nov 1957, having completed the relief of Base H, Signy Island, the vessel was north of Coronation Island, South Orkney Islands, when she collided with heavy pack ice and was holed in two places below the waterline. Number 2 hold filled with water but using the ship’s pumps and temporary repairs she was stabilised and, escorted by the whaling ship Southern Venturer and HMS Protector, put into Stromness Bay, South Georgia, for repair.
From 1969, the Shackleton was operated by BAS’s parent body, NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) as an oceanographic research vessel. Under NERC ownership she carried out geophysical and marine geology cruises in Antarctic waters until being withdrawn from service in May 1983 and sold.
The Shackleton was renamed Geotek Beta in 1983, and Profiler in 1984. In 1992 she was reconfigured to operate as a soils and high resolution seismic survey vessel, operated by Gardline Shipping Limited of Great Yarmouth. Renamed Sea Profiler in 1992, she is believed to have still been operational in 2009. Her last port of call was Hull in 2010 and she was reportedly scrapped the following year".

I sailed on the 'Shack' a number of times as 3rd and 2nd Mate in the 1970's and 1980's although never went south with her (I later did on RRS DISCOVERY and RRS CHARLES DARWIN).
'Shack' was a brilliant seaboat and rode out storms very comfortably. We were hit by a huge North Atlantic storm in December 1978, the same that saw the large LASH carrier MUNCHEN founder. We were about 200' east of the MUNCHEN but were hove to to ride out the storm and couldn't make any headway to the west due to mountainous seas.
As the above notes SHACKLETON was broken up in about 2011.
Best wishes, Andy

- - - Updated - - -

Hi again Keith, just noted the additional info. and picture of the NELLA DAN. She's not the RRS SHACKLETON!
Andy

[Ian Adrian Millar]

I found this discussion of interest as I have a log entry from Operation Deep Freeze dated 6-10 February 1967. Assisted Danish cargo ships NELLA DAN and THALA DAN beset in ice pack. We were USCGC EASTWIND and were successful is freeing the two ships. I can recall them being painted bright red and I thought it certainly made them easier to spot in the ice.

[Ian Adrian Millar]

Further to my last. Found brief newspaper article re NELLA DAN Press Release- two Danish Antarctic supply ships, NELLA DAN and THALA DAN, stranded in heavy ice in the Indian Ocean forty miles off the Budd Coast of Antarctica were cut free on 6 Feb 1967 by the United States Coast Guard icebreaker EASTWIND.

[Keith Adams]

Hi Andy, Rather a brilliant write up on the “Shack” ! I am really pleased you took the trouble to write. I will follow up on your suggestion and maybe Port of Southampton has a record of Ships In Port for 18 Jan 1959. I tried Lloyds List and The Journal of Commerce but am not skilled enough to navigate the necessary steps to be successful at present. Will persevere and hopefully determine the actual vessel. I do think you are correct ! A funny aside — my middle son as a school boy, overheard me talking about my being asked to help take a research vessel to the Antarctic and related the story at school and said i met Sir Earnest Shackleton aboard ship ! He meant Sir Edmond Hillary of course, but then Hillary made the trip from NZ on a Dan Boat so i never would have seen him let alone meet. I still pull his leg about that one …

[guy freeman]

The Dan ship in 1958 would most likely have been the Magga Dan which Sir Vivian Fuchs used for his 1957 Antarctic expedition.

[Mike R868356]

The Magga Dan was a regular vistor to Grimsby's Royal Dock in the 60's.Enjoyed reading your story.