# Whaling Vessels....KOSMOS



## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

I am working on an item at our Whaling Museum. It is regarding a painting (by Stan Hugill..shantyman) and is titled KOSMOS and dated 1933.
Have done some research and believe the vessel is the Kosmos 111 and not just Kosmos.
I know there was a 11, sunk by a U-boat but was there a Kosmos 1. Sorry if that all sounds complicated but anything you have out there to help would be appreciated.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Some photos of Kosmos here

https://livinghistories.newcastle.edu.au/nodes/index/q:AKDPV/source:2
and here
https://c8.alamy.com/comp/FD75A0/the-norwegian-whaling-ship-kosmos-1940-FD75A0.jpg

Bit of a discusion about III and IV here..
https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1229651/title/leaving-ship/cat/501


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Some more info on Kosmos here https://warsailors.com/freefleet/norfleetk.html#Kor

So Kosmos and Kosmos II were war losses 

Kosmos III and Kosmos V were built for the company in '47 and '48.

Kosmos IV was the odd one out... having been built for german owners in 1937 as Walter Rau and aquired by Kosmos A/S after the war.


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Thank you both for your help, Thought I had done a good search obviously I failed. Thanks again.


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

This is the Kosmos in question. The painting references KOSMOS 1933 which I believe should read Kosmos 111 Been comparing photos (except for origional vessel 1, which cannot find). Any more help appriciated.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

That painting is either Kosmos or Kosmos II ... there was no Kosmos I

Both were built before 1933.

The matching 'piece' that both ships share with the photo is the accomodation on the poop goes right out to the ship's side, III and V have a working alleyway outside of the acommodation.... IV is different entirely.

An error in the painting....

The painting shows ... just in front of the funnels ...goalposts with mainmast on top. On all the ships the goalposts and mainmast are amidships. Kosmos and Kosmos II have samson posts just frd of the funnels ... III and V don't have these.

So .... either Kosmos or Kosmos II depicted in 1933.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Another point...

The painting seems to show the funnels 'in line astern' while in fact they were abreast each other on all these ships.

Also 'Name' seems to be same length as 'Homeport' so I would opt for Kosmos II if I had to choose.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Belay my last....
Smart money is now on 'Kosmos' as she had goalposts under both foremast and mainmast..
https://warsailors.com/raidervictims/thor.html

'Kosmos II' had no goalposts at all

https://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/2320.html


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks Cisco for all your help in this matter.


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## backsplice (May 23, 2005)

*Kosmos 111*

I like stuff about whalers here are a couple of photos of the ship "KOSMOS III" I had on file got them off the net a while ago now but don,t know where I got them I know that there were other ships of that name numbers 4 and 5


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## Arne Johnsen (Jun 9, 2017)

*Reply*

The whaling company Kosmos was founded in Sandefjord, Norway in 1928, and the company's first ship, the floating whale cookery KOSMOS, was delivered from a shipyard in Belfast in 1929. It was at that time a technical marvel, not only as the world's largest tanker, but also for the first time in history specially designed for pelagic cooking, i.e. in open sea without a base in land. The cosmos was the first of a series of five such ships with slipways. Each of these mother ships had several whaling ships. Kosmos II was built in Belfast in 1931 und sunk by German submarines in 1942. Kosmos III was built in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1947. Kosmos IV war built as "Walter Rau" in Germany in 1937 and given Norway as war reparation in 1946. The shipping company Kosmos had lost both its whale cookeries during the war and needed cookeries for its fleet of whaling weasels. The ship was rebuilt in 1950 and 26 feet was than added to its length. The steam engine was replaced by a diesel motor.


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

A great thing about Ships Nostalgia is that you always seem to get help when needed.....thanks all.


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## jero (May 18, 2011)

Hi Michael
This is all the KOSMOS whalers from Norway, may be it is one of them.
https://www.sjohistorie.no/no/skip?page=0&query=kosmos

Jero


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks Jero, I see all 4.


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## stby (Jun 1, 2008)

*Kosmos*

You will find more here: https://larship.no/anders-jahre-rederi/


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## Michael Taylor (Aug 31, 2008)

stby said:


> You will find more here: https://larship.no/anders-jahre-rederi/


Thanks for your help. It is now my intention, with so much information you have all helped with, to put it together and give it to our Whaling Museum so perhaps they can add it somehow to the painting that started all this.


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## Gijsha (Mar 2, 2015)

KOSMOS photo here: https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/1217473/title/kosmos/cat/518


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