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All Iceland Garðar BA 64

Garðar BA 64

The oldest steel ship in Iceland has been beached for years and is now a rusting ruin.

Iceland

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Eric Grundhauser
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The Garðar BA 64 at Patreksfjordur.   pictureproject / Alamy
The Garðar BA 64.   Jennifer Boyer
The Garðar BA 64 shipwreck.   Luca Temporelli
The Garðar at night.   Austin Matherne
  Dominikus / Atlas Obscura User
BA64 in 2015   astrohans / Atlas Obscura User
  lukavandermeij / Atlas Obscura User
  lukavandermeij / Atlas Obscura User
  lukavandermeij / Atlas Obscura User
  astether / Atlas Obscura User
Garðar BA 64 Is a Beautiful Tribute to Times Gone By   mindtonic / Atlas Obscura User
  paya / Atlas Obscura User
June 2, 2023   alittlebrowndog / Atlas Obscura User
The Garðar BA 64   manoukvanderveen / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Launched the same year that the Titanic met its final fate, the whaling ship that came to be known as Garðar BA 64 was a hulking hybrid of a ship, having both a powerful steam engine in addition to traditional sails.

Originally known as the Globe IV, the large ship was completed in Norway in 1912 as a state-of-the-art-at-the-time whaling vessel. The hull was specially reinforced to break through the icy Southern seas in which it operated and the powerful engine kept the boat sailing even in calm waters. During its active lifetime it was sold around to a number of different countries before finding an Icelandic owner after World War II. Once whaling restrictions became more widespread, Garðar BA 64 (a name it finally received in 1963) was used for fishing herring in the waters off of Iceland. 

After decades in faithful service to its bevy of owners, Garðar BA 64 was finally deemed unsafe for service in 1981 and as opposed to being scuttled, the old ship was run aground in Skápadalur Valley where it remains to this day, falling apart bit by bit. It is now a popular site for photographers and anyone looking for a lovely mix of Icelandic scenery and industrial ruin.

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On Beach accessible by road 612

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EricGrundhauser

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furykid, aribrown, nkrempa, mindtonic...

  • furykid
  • aribrown
  • nkrempa
  • mindtonic
  • astether
  • paya
  • Meg
  • astrohans
  • Dominikus
  • manoukvanderveen
  • alittlebrowndog
  • lukavandermeij

Published

March 21, 2013

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Sources
  • http://stuckiniceland.com/westfjords/a-rusty-fate-for-a-century-old-steel-giant/
  • http://not-about-books.blogspot.com/2012/05/things-to-see-in-iceland-garar-ba-64.html
Garðar BA 64
612
Iceland
65.5162, -23.836893

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