The Albatross

[Wagga]

It is said that the Albatross is bad luck to sea farers but perhaps this is not true. I remember Albatross "shadowing" our ship for days in the Pacific Ocean.
I always admired these birds and sometimes "our" shadowing Albatross would make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. For days on end it would follow the ship gracefully gliding effortlessly just inches above the swell, its beady eyes watching and waiting for you to throw the gash bin over the side.

The secret to an Albatross is its ability to drink sea water. Sounds daft but it is a fact. They have a sort of mechanism for filtering out the salt or something. Sadly, the giant trawlers that use miles of baited hooks to fish have taken the lives of thousands of these birds and now their numbers are dwindling.

[Keith at Tregenna]

LUEN, Chief Officer, JAMES EDWARD, S.S. Harlingen (London). Merchant Navy. 25th November 1939. Age 43. Son of Albert Edward and Rebecca Luen; husband of Violet Victoria Luen, of Barry, Glamorgan. Father of Mary and June. Commemorated at Tower Hill Memorial, Panel 55.

At one time Jim cared for an albatross that landed on deck suffering from exhaustion, but recovered.

Copy of MALAYSIA&amp_GRAMPALUEN003.jpg

K.

[Keith at Tregenna]

The land of ice, and of fearful sounds where
no living thing was to be seen.

And through the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen:
Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken -
The ice was all between.

The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around:
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound!

Till a great sea-bird, called the Albatross,
came through the snow-fog, and was received with
great joy and hospitality.

At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the fog it came;
As if it had been a Christian soul,
We hailed it in God's name.

It ate the food it ne'er had eat,
And round and round it flew.
The ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The helmsman steered us through!

And lo! the Albatross proveth a bird of good omen,
and followeth the ship as it returned northward
through fog and floating ice.

And a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,
And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariner's hollo!

In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,
It perched for vespers nine;
Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white,
Glimmered the white Moon-shine.'

The ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth
the pious bird of good omen.

`God save thee, ancient Mariner!
From the fiends, that plague thee thus! -
Why look'st thou so?' -With my cross-bow
I shot the ALBATROSS.

From: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (extract) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

K.

[j.sabourn]

Some of the older hands when I first went to sea used to say you wont see an Albatross north of the equator. I took this as gospel and to be true cant remember seeing one over the line during those early years. However they were very noticeable in latter years in the northern hemisphere, so dont know if this earlier claim was true or not, anybody know? John Sabourn

[John Pruden]

is it true they can sleep on the wing{while in flight} they must have a great satnav to find thier way home.jp

[Captain Kong]

I was the Monkey Island of the dreaded SUEVIC in 1955 on Look out.
We were sailing through the Bass Strait, past Wilsons Promontery, in a Terrible storm.
There was a quick flash of light as one flew past the foremast light and then Wallop, it hit me and I did a couple of somersaults, there was a clang as it hit the Funnel and it landed on the after deck, I went down to the wheelhouse in some terrible pain and told the 2nd Mate, He didnt believe me, thought I just wanted to come down for a ciggy. I stripped off in the Chart room and my right shoulder was dislocated and chest already showing signs of massive bruising.
When we got to Sydney a couple of days later I had to go to the Hospital by the Domain and have it fixed, I was laid up for a few days, The Mate and Bosun were not too happy about that.
Meanwhile the dead albatross was stretched out on the after deck and the wing span was about ten feet.
A few inches higher it would have taken my head off.
So I guess not only bad luck for this Seafarer but also Bad luck for the Albatross
Cheers
Brian

[John Albert Evans]

Lovely birds the Albatross. I only remember seeing them in the South Atlantic when they flew alongside us for days on end and waiting for the rosie to be emptied over the wall. Also the little black and white birds that flew with them, we called them mother caries chickens but I dont know the real name of them.

John Albert Evans

[Keith Tindell]

I also remember the Albatros zooming along with us for days in the Southern ocean . No matter how much i tried i could never get a decent photo of them, once developed they looked just like any S---- hawk, because their size never seemed to show. On my last visit to NZ i visited the Albatross site on South Island, and learned much about them, and finally got a decent photo. KT

[Captain Kong]

There is an Albatross nesting site just outside of Port Chalmers near Dunedin.
I went to South Georgia in in a Fjord called Elleshull, [sic] near to where Shackleton first landed before climbing over the Mountains, there were literally millions of Albatross nests and birds all over the cliff faces all around. another big breeding place. I have some photos somewhere.
Cheers
Brian.

[Keith Tindell]

If i remember rightly (its not that good these days), the Albatross only comes back to the Ortago peninsular once every 2 years, all of which is spent at sea KT