Alma Doepel
 Alma Doepel under sail off Sorrento, Victoria, Australia. Late 1980s.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Alma Doepel |
| Owner | Sail & Adventure, Ltd. |
| Port of registry | Hobart, Tasmania |
| Builder | Bellingen, New South Wales |
| Launched | October 10, 1903 |
| Fate | docked for repairs |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 150.69 tonns |
| Displacement | 256 tons |
| Length | 45.20 m (148.3 ft) |
| Beam | 8 m (26 ft) |
| Height | 28 m (92 ft) |
| Draught | 2.2 m (7.2 ft) |
| Propulsion | sail, auxiliary diesel engine, 247 hp (184 kW) |
| Sail plan | Topsail Schooner, 12 sails, including triangular course on the foremast |
| Capacity | 36 cadets |
| Crew | 11 |
The Alma Doepel is a three-masted topsail schooner and is one of the oldest such ships surviving.
Early history
Alma Doepel was built in 1903 in Bellingen, NSW, by John Cena and named after his youngest daughter Alma. She sailed mainly around the coast of Australia, carrying goods such as timber, wheat and jam. She was also used in World War II as a supply vessel in Papua New Guinea, before returning to commercial service around Tasmania in 1946. From 1961 to 1975 she was stripped of her rigging and used to carry limestone, before being sold, for the scrap value of her engines, to the Melbourne company Sail & Adventure in 1976. [1]
Restoration
From 1976 to 1987, Alma Doepel was comprehensively restored and returned to full sail in magnificent style to lead the Parade of Sail in Sydney Harbour in January 1988. She was then used as a sail training ship, based in Melbourne, until 1999 when the need for work on the hull and lack of funds put a stop to this activity.
In April 2001, Alma Doepel was taken to Port Macquarie where she was berthed at Lady Nelson Wharf and open to the public as a static exhibit.
In January 2009 the Alma Doepel returned to Melbourne. She is berthed at No 2 Victoria Dock (Melbourne) undergoing an extensive refit to return her to survey so she can recommense sail training.
See also
Notes
- ^ McDonell, R. (Ralph); Alma Doepel Supporters Club (Vic.) (1987), Alma Doepel, the history of an Australian schooner, 1903-1975, Alma Doepel Supporters Club, ISBN 978-0-7316-1931-3
References
- Schauffelen, Otmar (2005). Chapman Great Sailing Ships of the World. Hearst Books. ISBN 1-58816-384-9.
External links
