Peking under full sail in her working life as a cargo ship in the nitrates trade. *
Irving Johnson
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: t~~=~~~~~:~:;::::~~~~~~~~~~~:=:::~~ audiences rhrough rhe well-known articles, film, and books by Caprain Irving Johnson, who sailed aboard as a deckhand in 1929 and documenred his experience sa il ing from Germany to C hile wirh a 16mm camera, decades larer rurning ir inro a shorr film , Around Cape H orn, produced by Mys ric Seaport M useum . Orher Flying P ships srill exra nr are: Pommern (1903), Passat (19 11), and Padua (built in 1926, renamed Kruz enshtern in 1946). Kruzenshtern is the only Flying P liner still sa iling today. Pommern is a museum ship in M ariehamn in the Aland
Island s, Finl a nd . She is currently undergoing a restoration. Passat, a true sister ship to Peking, serves as a yo uth hostel and museum ship in Li.ibeck, Germany. After a century of crossin g oceans and calling at ports all across the wo rld, Peking will return to her original homeport, this time fo r good. !, This article is adapted and updated from a feature that ran in the March-April 2 017 "Ships & Shipping Lines Focus Spotlight " supplement to H eavy Lift Project Forwa rding magaz ine. Rep rinted with p ermission.
Heavy Lift Vessels The current generation of lift vessels owned and operated by Combi D ocks can handle Aoating cargo as large as 132 meters long and up to 18 meters wide. Cargo exceeding that overall length ca n be transported with the stern ramp open. There are no fixed heighr limira rions, save what would become a stability issue or might be imposed by bridges, wires, or other cross-channel stru ctures . The lift vessels are designed to sa il with open and/or removed weatherdeck hatch cover pontoons, depend ing on the nature of rhe cargo being transported. "Apar t fro m this special historic cargo, all kinds of floating objects-dredgers (includ ing accessories) , naval craft, and mega-yachrs are moved with regularity on a worldwide basis," said Kelch . "[Our] vessels also carry roll-on/roll-off units of more than 4,000 metric tons. The Cambi D ock type ship is fitted with 7,000 metric tons lifri ng capaciry." There are about half a dozen vessels of similar dimensions in the industry, plus various larger dock vessels and semi-submersible deck carriers. "Indeed , it is a highly competitive market," he added. Since its foundin g in 2000, Cambi Lift has become a leading expert in shipping heavy lift cargoes across the world 's oceans. Cambi Lift maintains a fleer of heavy lift vessels of va rious sizes, as well as highly specialized semi-submersible dock ships. W hile tra nsporting Peking will be a pa rticularly meaningful project, mosr of the wo rk Combi Lift ships engage in is highly specialized, and individual transports are regularly custom-made to match each cargo's needs.
SEA HISTORY 159, SUMMER 201 7
The Peking Battles Cape Horn By Irving Johnson In honor of Peking's fi nal deparrure from New York back to her home port in Germany and in uibure to her legacy, we bring you this epic story. This true and gripping narrative rakes yo u to sea aboard one of the las t of the rail ships, the great barque Peking. Ir is voyage yo u'll never fo rget, from the winter North Sea gales rhar nearly drove the ship ashore, to rhe Cape Horn snorters that punished the Peking so severely that a whole secrion of her strong sreel side was driven in. This edition includes an afrerwo rd fro m Irving Johnson, looking back on the voyage from the perspective of a long and advemu ro us career at sea, adding depth and new meaning to a voyage that was the experience of a life time. Hard Cover $5.00 + $4.00 s/h in US Sofr Cover $3. 00 + $4.00 s/h in US
To order, call 1-800-221-NMHS (6647), ext. 0., or e-mail merchandise@seahistory.org. NYS residents add applicable sales tax.
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