INTRO

ON THE 02.09.2006 THE FAMOUS FIRST CLASS OCEAN LINER "STELLA POLARIS" SINKS UNDER TOW AT THE COAST OF JAPAN.

IN OCTOBER 2006 Aquatec – innerspace operations Ltd. STARTED PLANNING A DIVE EXPLORATION ON THE WRECK.

IN DECEMBER 2006 JAPANESE DIVERS TRIED TO REACH HER BUT HAD TO ABORT THE DIVE DUE TO STRONG CURRENTS OF 4 KNOTS.

LATER THE SALVAGE COMPANY FUKADA ATTEMPTED A SURVEY WITH ROV AND COMMERCIAL DIVERS. FOR SAFETY REASONS OPERATIONS HAD TO BE CANCELLED DUE TO STRONG CURRENTS OF 2 KNOTS.

THE SURVEY COMPANY WINDY CONDUCTED A 3D SCAN OF THE WRECK.

THE WRECK SITE

THE "STELLA POLARIS" LAYS UPRIGHT IN -72 METERS WATER DEPTH ON A SANDY BOTTOM WITH A SLOPE OF 4%.

HER TWO MASTS REACH TO A DEPTH OF -40 METERS.

SHE POINTS IN A SW DIRECTION.

THE WRECK LAYS IN A BUSY SHIPPING LANE WITHIN THE KUROSHI CURRENT (UP TO 4 KNOTS).

BECAUSE OF THE WARM CURRENT, ABUNDANT MARINE LIFE LIKE WHALES AND SHARKS ARE ANTICIPATED.

TEAM

SHIP DATA:

ORDERED BY: BERGEN LINE, NORWAY

BUILT: 1927 GOTAVERKEN, GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN

LOA: 127.1 METERS

BOA: 15.6 METERS

DRAFT: 6 METERS

TONNAGE: 5209 GROSS TONS

DISPLACEMENT: 5700 TONS

ENGINES; BURMEISTER & WAIN, 2 PROPELLERS

HORSEPOWER: 5300

SPEED: 15 KNOTS

PASSENGERS: 200 FIRST CLASS

CREW: 150

PARTNERS

OTHREE

YASUDA

DAN UNDERWATER IMAGES

THE PROJECT COSTS

ARE about usd 20,000$.

interested sponsors are kindly asked to contact us at above EMAIL.

WE WOULD LIKE TO GIVE THANKS FOR THEIR GREAT SUPPORT TO

THE OWNER OF THE WRECK: MR. SODERBLOM

THE JAPANESE COAST GUARD: COMMANDER ISHIKAWA, OFFICER MR. AOKI, OFFICER MR. UEKO, OFFICER MR. MORIMOTO, OFFICER MR. TATEISHI

THE NPO skandinabia wo hozon suru kai: MR. OTAGURO

blue quest: MR. TANAKA

iantd Japan: MR. TOYODA

WINDY 3D SCAN: MR. SUGIYAMA

NANKI SEAMANS CLUB: MR. TOSHIYUKI SHIMANO

KUMANO OXYGEN CO. LTD: MR. ENOMOTO

DIVE STATION

REBREATHERWORLD MR. STEVE, MR. NICOLAS

KAZENOIE HOTEL

5 DIVES, 30 MIN. BOTTOM TIME EACH

CLOSED CIRCUIT REBREATHERS (CCR)

MEGALODON, INSPIRATION, KISS

4L TANKS ONBOARD TRIMIX

12L TANKS BAILOUT

10L TANKS OXYGEN BAILOUT

INITIAL SHOT LINE: 100 METERS WITH CHAIN

DOWN WEIGHT: 70 KGS

DRIFT DIVE: ANTICIPATED

In 1925 the Bergen Line, of Norway. decided to order a ship for their tourist trade. That ship was to become a legend of the cruising industry.

shipbuilders:  Swedish yards of Götaverken in Göteborg. The contract for the new vessel was signed on August 4^th 1925.

Stella Polaris is considered one of the first "real" cruise ships in the history of cruising, being not only one of the first full-time cruise ships, but also one of the first purpose built cruise ships.

This was the first time that the yard was building a ship for just passenger purposes, and the progress of construction received much attention in the press. Much of the interior design was subcontracted to other firms, such as Selander & Sons who were hired to produce all the expensive woodwork on board.

A year after the contract had been signed, the new ship was ready for her launch on Saturday, September 11^th 1926. Miss Lillie Lehmkuhl, the daughter of Bergen Line’s managing director, had been chosen to perform the christening ceremony.

When she had wished the vessel good luck on the seas and swung the bottle of champagne with accuracy, she gave the ship its name – Stella Polaris, Entering the water of Göta Älv, a legend was born.

As contracted, the Stella Polaris was to have been delivered on April 1^st 1927, but as soon as February 20^th that year she was ready to go through her sea trials. The event was well covered by the press, and a special group of invited guests were on board for the occasion.

Stella’s interiors were a work of art. The bridge – which was not enclosed – sported instruments in polished brass and teak flooring. Below the Bridge Deck was the A-deck, where the nine lifeboats were located (two of these were equipped with motors). Further aft were nine passenger cabins, as well as a gymnasium area. B-deck was the location of many public areas. The promenade area for one thing, but here one could also find the Verandah Café, the Smoking Room and the Music Salon. One deck down, on C-deck, was the Grand Dining Room, which could seat 214 guests. A large star, comprising of 150 different coloured lamps, adorned its ceiling. C-deck also housed several passenger cabins, especially noteworthy four deluxe cabins; each designed with its special sort of wood – mahogany, maple, pear and birch respectively. Further aft of these, barbershops, the doctor’s reception and other facilities were sited. D- and E-deck also housed passenger cabins, albeit not as luxurious as the ones previously mentioned. The crew was divided into four-berth cabins, a bit more cramped than the passengers, but nevertheless with nice furnishing and decoration.

Saturday, February 26^th 1927, on 12 sharp, Stella Polaris slipped her moorings, and she could finally commence her premiere voyage. Her first port of call was Tilbury. After that, she headed for Lisbon and several Mediterranean ports.

Stella Polaris had soon earned a reputation of being a superb cruise ship, perfectly suited for more intimate voyages. On her regular cruises, the ship carried approximately 200 passengers compared to just half that number on a round-the-world voyage.

With a crew compliment of some 130 people, this meant that the passengers received a true first-class service. In the summers, Stella cruised the northern waters of the North Cape, Spitzbergen and the Baltic Sea. During the spring and autumn, the itinerary included warmer ports of call such as the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean, while the winter months were the time of a circumnavigation of the globe.

Stella’s round-the-world voyages were real treats in themselves. Usually, she sailed out of New York in mid- or late January, headed to Cuba and then sailed through the Panama Canal. Once in the Pacific Ocean, Stella Polaris set course for New Guinea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. From there, she continued via Ceylon and India before rounding the Cape of Good Hope to head north for Freetown, Las Palmas, Casablanca, Tangiers and Gibraltar to finally end the voyage at Harwich.

As with so many other ships, Stella Polaris also had her share of misfortune. On the night of June 11^th 1937, the Norwegian steamer Nobel failed to navigate properly and came into the path of Stella, resulting in a collision between the two vessels. The Nobel was carrying a cargo of dynamite and ammunition, and the risk of an explosion was imminent. Fortunately, the munitions never ignited and the Nobel sank to the bottom along with her dangerous cargo. Stella Polaris got away with damages to her prow, and a shortened bowsprit. The bowsprit was never again lengthened after the incident, thus becoming sort of a reminding scar of the event.

Stella Polaris continued her services for another two years, until the Second World War erupted on September 1^st, 1939. On that day, Stella arrived home in Oslo after a voyage from Stockholm, and she was immediately laid up. She lay idle until April 9^th 1940, the day that German troops landed in Norway. To protect their ship, the company then ordered the ship moved to the Osterfjord, close to Bergen. But finally, on October 30^th that year, the ship was seized by German forces, which soon put the ship to use as a floating recreation centre for submarine officers. Nearly three years later, on September 1^st 1943, Stella Polaris was put under German flag and with a German crew. When the Allied eventually stood victorious over the Axis powers, the ship was handed over to the Ministry of War Transport. In this guise, Stella Polaris was used to transport Russian prisoners of war to Murmansk and for a few trooping voyages between Norway and Leith. Finally, on November 7^th 1945, Stella was handed back to her rightful owners – Bergen Line.

When the ship was taken from the Germans, they had done everything they could to destroy as much of the interiors as they could. Her white hull was covered with rust, and a missing bowsprit made her bow look a bit stumped. But, Bergen Line’s board still saw much use in the ship, and they decided to give her a complete refit. The order was placed at the original builder’s yard – Götaverken.

On the morning of November 14^th 1945, the Stella Polaris was heading up Göta Älv towards the place of her birth. Once there, work began to completely renovate the beautiful vessel.

On June 1^st 1946, Stella Polaris was delivered back to her owners. Götaverken’s workers had done an outstanding job, and it was virtually a new ship that emerged from the yard. Due to new safety regulations, the passenger capacity had been slightly decreased to 189 people. The bridge had been enclosed and fitted with modern navigational equipment. A completely new Dance Salon had been added, as well as a complete ventilation-system. The extensive refit had been more costly than originally building the ship, and it was now up to Stella Polaris to prove her worth once again.

After a repositioning voyage from Bergen to New York, Stella set out on her first post-war cruise on August 10^th. Sailing out of New York, she then headed for the Caribbean archipelago with calls at Nassau, San Juan, St. Thomas, Fort de France, Caracas, Kingston and Cuba, to finally head back to New York again.

During the summer of 1947, Stella Polaris found herself in an unusual role. Bergen Line’s ship on their Bergen-Newcastle run – Venus – was going through a refit, and Stella was called in to fill the gap. In November she crossed the Atlantic to New Orleans, out of where she then made several cruises. In the summer of 1948, she went back to Europe and made a number of voyages between Bergen and London during the 1948 Olympic Games.

Stella Polaris stayed with the Bergen Line into the 1950s, and continued offering a wide range of different cruises, including a 134-day, round-the-world voyage starting in January 1951. But the company had had the ship on their sale list since the late 1940^s, and by now an interested buyer had surfaced. It was the Swedish ship-owner Einar Hansen who wanted the Stella Polaris for his Clipper Line. In the spring of 1951, the two parties reached an agreement and in October that year, Stella left Bergen for Göteborg, where she was to go through an extensive modernisation. But first, numerous works of art and other decorations were taken off the ship, since they had not been included in the purchase.

A few days later, the ship arrived at her builder’s yard of Götaverken for the refit. When this had been carried out, the ship had once again been brought up to the latest standards. For instance, all the public rooms on B-deck had been rebuilt with new textiles and carpets, an air-conditioning system had been installed and even the crew quarters had been freshened up. On Sunday, December 10^th 1951, the Swedish flag was hoisted, and the ship set out on her first voyage for the Clipper Line. Sailing from Göteborg, she crossed the Atlantic to the Caribbean to finally terminate the trip at New Orleans. By the end of July 1952, it was once again time to visit the Olympic Games, this time held in Helsinki. Just a month later, it was time for Stella to visit her new homeport – Malmö – for the first time. In late August, she sailed out of Malmö on a Mediterranean cruise. That same summer, a quite amusing incident occurred when the ship called at Calais.

Two years later, in 1954, it was again time for a refit. However, this time the contract was not given to Götaverken, but to the German yard of AG Weser in Bremen, where Stella arrived on October 8^th. The passenger areas were heavily rebuilt, and this resulted in a smaller capacity of just 155 people. But now the ship boasted larger cabins, as well as private bathrooms in nearly each of them.

The years that followed gave good business, and the company made quite a large profit every year. However, 1955 became a year of dramatic incidents. While on a cruise in the Trollfjord, near Lofoten, Stella Polaris was nearly hit by a falling mass of rocks. Fortunately, the rocks missed and Stella escaped unscathed. That same year, a young female passenger decided to end her life by throwing herself overboard near the south coast of Sweden. The rescue attempts failed, and the body was not found until 14 days later at Bornholm.

But in spite of such sad incidents, Stella Polaris remained with the Clipper Line well into the 1960^s. In September of 1965, she was taken in for another refit. Both passenger and crew accommodations were modernised, as well as much of the ship’s equipment. The ship’s engines were overhauled, and many components were replaced with new ones. Furthermore, the refrigeration and storage facilities on board were rebuilt to meet new demands of hygiene and efficiency. While the ship went through this refit, thieves managed to sneak on board and get away with art of great value.

When finished, Stella returned to her service, cruising mainly in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. Since the Clipper Line purchase, Stella Polaris did not make any round-the-world voyages. In October of 1968, Stella was sent to the yards of Kockums, Malmö, for yet another refit. This time, the number of cabins was reduced to just 70 and the crew was therefore cut down to a mere 100 people.

But in spite of this refit, Stella Polaris could not quite live up to the latest SOLAS regulations. Another, yet not so extensive, refit was carried out in 1969, but it was soon apparent to the company that it was no longer financially wise to keep the Stella Polaris in service. Instead, she was put up for sale that very year.

On October 23^rd 1969, the ship was sold for $850,000 to the International Houdse Co. Ltd. in Tokyo. The new owners’ intention was to put Stella to use as a floating hotel in Japan. On October 28^th, the ship left Lisbon flying the Japanese flag. Sailing through the Panama Canal, Stella arrived at Yokosuka on December 13^th. When the ship had been made ready for her new purpose, she was tied up at the village of Kisho Nishiura on the Izu-peninsula. The two propellers were removed in order to classify her as a building, not a ship – this to generate lower taxes. The interiors were kept as they were, although worn furnishings were replaced by new replicas. Marketed under the name Floating Hotel Scandinavia, the name Stella Polaris is still on the ship’s bows.

She was first operated as "Hotel Scandinavia" and later as "Restaurant Scandinavia" until March 31 2005, when business was closed completely. February 26 2005 a "Sayonara-party" was thrown onboard, exactly 78 years after her maiden voyage from Gothenburg.

Many citizens who have loved her organized a NPO trying to keep and preserve Stella in Numazu. But "Izu-Hakone Testudo" rejected to negotiate with the NPO and denied any suggestions (ideas for preservation) the NPO gave.

"Izu-Hakone Tetsudo" sold Stella to a Swedish company "Petro-Fast Ab, Stockholm" this year. Their intention of the purchase was to use Stella as a restaurant in Stockholm Harbour.

In 2005, rumors started to circulate that the ship would be sold to undisclosed buyers and towed to Stockholm  for further use as a hotel and restaurant. Indeed, a few months later a Swedish firm, Petro Fast AB confirmed this and at the end of August 2006, she left her berth for the first time in 30 years to be taken to Shanghai for necessary refitting before the long voyage to Europe.

She left Numazu for Sweden via Shanghai, where she was going to be repaired. (If she arrived safely at Shanghai, she would have met the reconstructed bark “Göteborg” visiting there with His Majesty King Gustaf.)

The ship was towed out of Numazu by a tugboat on Thursday for the 10-day journey to Shanghai. The tugboat's crew reported to the coast guard at around 10:10 p.m. Friday that the ship had begun to take on water and was listing. The ship was brought to a port in Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture. Bilge water was being pumped out while she was moored, but it is not clear they were using the pump while they towed. When she began to sink, Stella was towed into a small harbor to "Hukuro Port", (between Nagoya and Osaka) which they had passed few hours before. But the new owner directed the tugboat captain to tow out her to sea at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. It sank at around 2 a.m. some 3 km off Kushimoto, the coast guard said. Nobody was aboard the ship.

The ship appeared to have sunk to the seabed some 70 metres below the water's surface, releasing about 300 litres of diesel oil, according to the coast guard.

Television footage of the area on Saturday morning aired by public broadcaster NHK showed no signs of the 5 100-ton vessel.

We heard, according to some examination, the thickness of plates under waterline was only 3 millimeter.

The Maritime Safety Agency is said to be directing the Petro Fast AB to salvage Stella.

parts of this article are from mr. Henrik Ljungström.