Miranda Website

Miranda as Albatross

Miranda started her life as a 4-masted motor schooner called 'Albatross'. Steel built in 1942 by Lindholm Shipyard, Gothenburg, Sweden.

New Photo's of Albatross - Scroll down!

Built as a cargo-carrying sail-training ship for a private firm. 3-island type with poop, midship structure and forecastle. To keep crew size down, thus minimizing overhead costs, she was not given a square rig but a schooner rig.

Her original figurehead, an albatross, was lost in a collision with a fishing vessel in 1949. Her masts appear light in relation to her size because of the absence of spreaders and cross-trees.

During the war she was moored in Gothenburg as a stationary schoolship. In 1947 she was chartered by the Gothenburg Academy of Sciences and on July 4, 1947 began a journey that circled the globe conducting oceanographic research, ending her travels October 3, 1948.

She continued her sail-training duties until 1965. In 1967 she was sold and converted to a cargo vessel and renamed Donna under the Panamanian flag. In 1969 she was again sold and became Dorothea.

In 1970 she was then sold to the British Government and used as the mother ship for the deep sea fishing fleet. Renamed MIRANDA she was based in Hull, East Yorkshire.

The following information was received from Bo Nilsson from Sweden in our guest book on 21st Feb 2006:
"Sailed on the Albatross in 1957 as appprentice. We brought sugar from Cuba to us and fertlizers from us to Cuba and Mexico.
We were homebound in the same hurricane as Pamir, not too far away from her at about 150 naut.miles. She was very good in rough sea when rigged as she was built. She made 16 knots in really rough weather. Before we sailed for the West Indies they gave us a stronger engine, the old one was a 'washing machine motor', PUH!
Today I´m retired master mariner, but still remember the good old days onboard the Albatross".

Albatross - Shadwell Basin London (c) English Heritage N° AA001562 These superb photographs were kindly supplied by Philippe Bellamit, webmaster of Pamir memorial. The first one: Albatross in Shadwell Basin London is thanks to English Heritage, the other two are courtesy of Harold Underhill's Sea Training and Cadet Ships.