Carthaginian II

Carthaginian II was a steel-hulled sailing boat, which served as a symbol of the whaling industry in the harbor of the former whaling town Lāhainā on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Built in 1920 and brought to Maui in 1973, it served as a whaling museum until 2005, and after being sunk to create an artificial reef, now serves as a diving destination.

The restored Carthaginian II served as a museum (photographed in Lahaina Harbor, 1997).
History
Name: Mary, Familiens Haab, Komet
Builder: Fr. Krupp Germania Shipyard, Kiel
Yard number: 388
Completed: 1920
Out of service: 1970
Fate: sold to Lahaina Restoration Foundation, 1972
History
Name: Carthaginian II
Owner: Lahaina Restoration Foundation
Acquired: 1972
Identification: IMO number: 5192080
Fate: sunk, December 13, 2005
General characteristics
Type: two-mast topsail schooner, auxiliary motor power
Tonnage: 140 short tons (130 t) (gross)
Length: 30 metres (98 ft)
Beam: 6.7 metres (22 ft)
Draft: 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in)

History

The boat was built in 1920 in Kiel, Germany at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft shipyard as Mary. Because of the terms imposed in the wake of the Armistice, Germany was required to hand over all new ships built as large steam or motor vessels, and Mary was one of a group of forty sailing ships completed at Kiel intended to operate primarily under sail, with auxiliary motor power. The boat was completed as a two-masted schooner and was just under 30 metres (98 ft) long, with a nominal displacement of 125 short tons (113 t) (gross).[1]

As Komet in Sweden

Shortly after completion, Mary was sold to Denmark and renamed Familiens Haab in 1922, and then was sold to Sweden and renamed Komet in 1923. Komet worked the Baltic Sea as a freighter for cement. In 1970 the boat was decommissioned.[2] Because the hull was built using steel at the Krupp yard which had been intended for U-boats, Komet (and her sisters) developed a reputation for longevity.[1]

The original Carthaginian (ex-Wandia) was a trading schooner originally from the Baltic Sea, purchased by R. Tucker Thompson in Acapulco in 1964 and later fitted as a whaling ship in San Pedro for scenes in the 1966 film Hawaii.[3] The ship was renamed for the eponymous ship in the 1959 novel Hawaii by James A. Michener, on which the 1966 film was based. After filming, Carthaginian was purchased by the non-profit "Lahaina Restoration Foundation" (LRF). Following a brief return voyage to California, it returned to Lahaina in 1967 as a whaling ship museum and tourist attraction.[3][4] However, Carthaginian was destroyed after it ran aground on the Lahaina Reef on Easter Sunday 1973 while sailing to dry dock at Oahu, and Komet was acquired to replace it.[5][6]

Komet was purchased in 1973 by LRF for approximately $21,000 and moved from Søby, Denmark to Hawaii by an all-Lahaina crew under diesel power,[6] a voyage that lasted 105 days,[2] arriving on September 7, 1973 after passing through Madeira and the Panama Canal.[1] After installing 15 short tons (14 t) of cement and steel ballast to balance the rigging, which was being assembled onshore, it was renamed Carthaginian II and restored over several years. Masts made of spruce, a deck of eucalyptus, and other details for a whaling supply ship of the 19th century were installed. In 1980, the ship was opened as a floating whaling museum.[7]

Underwater in 2017

However, the addition of ballast allowed moisture to seep into the inside of the steel hull, which rusted to a point where it nearly split in half. LRF was spending $50,000 per year to maintain the ship. In 2003, LRF approached Atlantis Submarines, proposing to sell it to be sunk as a tourist attraction. Atlantis cleaned Carthaginian II in preparation for its sinking, spending approximately $350,000 on preparations including an environmental study. On December 13, 2005, the boat was towed and sunk to create an artificial reef in water at a depth of approximately 97 feet (30 m), 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) off the coast near Puamana Beach Park. LRF was given 120 days to replace the vessel before the berth would be reclaimed for commercial operations.[5][8] The berth was proposed as a potential home for the voyaging canoes Mo'okiha o Pi'ilani[9] or Mo'olele,[10] but Mo'okiha was berthed at Maalea Harbor instead in 2016.[11]

Today, it serves as a destination for diving expeditions and submarine tours.[12][13] Scuba Diving and Sport Diver have rated the site as one of the top locations for shipwreck diving.[14][15]

References
  1. Frederichsen, Frederik (1981). Danske Motorsejlere af Tyske Krigsskibsmaterialer [Danish Motor Sailers of German War Ship Materials] (PDF). pp. 102–109. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  2. Schäuffelen, Otmar (2005). Chapman Great Sailing Ships of the World [Die Letzen Grossen Segelshiffe]. Translated by Servais, Casey. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. pp. 347–348. ISBN 1-58816-384-9. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  3. Thompson, Anita (4 April 2016). "Tucker's Story". tucker.co.nz. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  4. Turner, Wallace (10 May 1970). "Of Banyans, Missionaries And Resorts". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  5. Wilson, Christie (14 December 2005). "Lahaina icon sinks into deep sleep". Honolulu Advertiser. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  6. Apple, Russell A. (21 December 1973). Lahaina (Historic District) (Report). National Park Service. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  7. Denenberg, R. V. (September 19, 1982). "Around Maui, Sunrise to Sunset". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
  8. San Nicolas, Claudine (14 December 2005). "Carthaginian Sunk". Maui News. Archived from the original on 23 December 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2008.
  9. Kubota, Gary T. (12 January 2007). "Crew members also helping build voyaging canoe on Maui". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  10. Kubota, Gary T. (1 May 2006). "Canoes expand horizons of Maui public education". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  11. "Mo'okiha o Pi'ilani has a new home". Lahaina News. 21 April 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  12. Sens, Josh (28 July 2006). "Kids? Maui Makes It Easy". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  13. "Five years later, Carthaginian II a thriving artificial reef". Lahaina News. 30 December 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  14. Morton, Brooke (16 May 2014). "25 Best Wreck Diving Spots in the U.S." Scuba Diving. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  15. "The World's 50 Best Wrecks". Sport Diver. 14 January 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2017.

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