THE PAMIR AT SUNRISE OFF THE CASQUETTES, CHANNEL ISLANDS

THE FOUR-MASTED BARQUE PAMIR WAS BUILT AT HAMBURG BY BLOHM & VOSS IN 1905. REGISTERED AT 3,103 TONS AND MEASURING 316 FEET IN LENGTH WITH A 46 FOOT BEAM, SHE WAS DESIGNED FOR THE SOUTH AMERICAN NITRATE TRADE AND PROVED A REMARKABLE SURVIVOR. ESCAPING THE PERILS OF BOTH WORLD WARS, SHE TRADED COMMERCIALLY FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS UNTIL CONVERTED INTO A SAIL TRAINING SHIP FOR MERCHANT CADETS IN THE MID-1950S. IN SEPTEMBER 1957, SHE LEFT BUENOS AIRES BOUND FOR HAMBURG WITH A CARGO OF BARLEY. CAUGHT IN A HURRICANE ABOUT 600 MILES WEST OF THE AZORES ON THE 21^ST, SHE EVENTUALLY CAPSIZED AND SANK WITH THE LOSS OF MOST OF HER 35-MAN CREW AND THE 51 CADETS ABOARD; THERE WERE ONLY 6 SURVIVORS FROM WHAT BECAME ONE OF THE WORST POST-WAR TRAGEDIES AT SEA.