Leicester Castle

1882 Built as schooner LEICESTER CASTLE by Oswald Mordaunt & Co., Woolston, Southampton for Leicester Castle Ship Co. Ltd (J. Coupland, London), registered in Liverpool (as per LR 1886). Iron hulled. 1891 Registered owners, Castle Ship & Co, Leicester (LR). 1899 New registered owner, R. N. Smith, Liverpool (LR). 1907 Sold to Galgate Co. Ltd (John Joyce & Co.), Liverpool. 1911 Purchased from Liverpool for £ 4.000 by A/S Vik (Lars Christensen), Sandefjord. Converted to cookery and used as carcass cookery for THOR I. Renamed VIK in Godthul Harbour. Sent to South Georgia as carcass cookery late November to assist the Bryde & Dahls factory THOR I at Godthul Harbour. She was the last cookery to leave the port of Sandefjord that year. As crew, she did not get the best pick. Mostly a gang of the community’s outsiders. 1912 There was no use for VIK at Godthul Harbour. The whaling manager of THOR I, Mr Ingvald Bryde, told the whaling manager of VIK that: «You can go in to the beach and pick stone and bones!». Mr Lauritz Kristian Anderssen went so mad that he left the site without even say “Good bye”! He then sailed for Soao Joao in Bahia of Brazil. In addition, the company catchers, FOGO and MINERVA arrived there. To get a whaling license at the Brazilian coast the whaling fleet had to register in Brazil and fly the Brazilian flag. Best season last from July to October. Her result of the season was 5.600 barrels. The loss ended up with NOK 15.000 this year. Lauritz Kristian Anderssen was the whaling manager through the season. 1913 Company A/S Vik was terminated and new owner of VIK was the Freng y Cia, Bahia with Lars Christensen as manager. Sold to A/S Ækvator (Chr. Castberg, manager), Sandefjord for NOK.287.000. Moved to the coast of French Congo with two catchers. The production result was 10.650 barrels this season. This catcher day rate was normally only obtainable in the Southern Seas. 1914 Total production this year was only 7.500 fat. 1915 Hired by the company South Atlantic as replacement for ESPERANCA as she was hired out as trader. VIK had been operative at the coast of French Congo in the two previous seasons.. Sold to A/S Alexandra (Haldor Virik), Aasly, Sandefjord. 1916 Sold to A/S Alexandra (Leif Andersen, owner), Sandefjord for NOK 800.000. 1922 Sold to A/S Alexandra (Alex. Brusgaard), Drammen. 1923 In 1923 or 1924 broken up in the USA.