A strange "tower" in Øresund

This afternoon I took this picture of a small regatta in central Helsingborg, about 6 km to the south from the point of where I was standing:

Back home, when I had a closer look at the image, I found something strange in it: There is a huge dark tower-like structure in the background, immediately to the left of the crane on the right side.

You can see the "tower" better in this detail of that area in the picture:

Could the "leaning tower" be the tallest building in Scandinavia, the Turning Torso in Malmö, about 70 km away from where the picture was taken?  Maybe the atmospheric conditions created a mirage effect greatly magnifying the Turning Torso, which otherwise scarcely would be visible from this distance. Or is the "tower" the deformed mirage shape of a ship?

If you have some better explanation for the "tower", let me know.

Here is an image of the Turning Torso:

The Turning Torso in Malmö.
(image by Wikipedia)

Cargo ship Globia and tanker Pandion in the Sound

The small St Vincent Grenadines registry cargo ship Globia (66 m x 11 m) was this afternoon going northwards in Øresund:

The Swedish tanker Pandion (117 m x 18 m) was also going northwards. Her destination is Gothenburg:

Car carrier Auto Bank and heavy load carrier Meri meeting in Øresund

Another memory from last summer:

In the evening of August 23 two Finnish ships, the vehicle carrier Auto Bank (140 m x 24 m) and heavy load carrier Meri (105 m x 18 m) met in the Sound.

The summer restaurant in the Pålsjö forest by Sigurd Lewerentz

The Swedish architect Sigurd Lewerentz  (1885 - 1975) is probably most well known internationally for his Chapel of Resurrection at the Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm. A relatively little known small scale masterpiece by Lewerentz is the summer restaurant in the Pålsjö forest in Helsingborg. Lewerentz designed the pavilion - which is still in use - in 1914.

 

 

 

 

 

PS

 

The Pålsjö forest is a wonderful recreation area close to the

Helsingborg city centre.

 

 

 

Villa Gorthon - A villa in Helsingborg designed by Sigurd Lewerentz and Torsten Stubelius

In the first decades of the 20th century Helsingborg experienced an economic boom, largely because of the thriving shipping business. Many of the large family villas along the coastal part of the Drottninggatan street and its continuation Sofierovägen were built at that time.

One of the most interesting villas is Villa Gorthon (originally Villa Ramén), built in 1915. The villa is designed by the important early modernist Sigurd Lewerentz (together with architect Torsten Stubelius), who above all is famous for his Chapel of Resurrection at the Skogskyrkogården cemetery in Stockholm.

Villa Gorthon was in 1989 converted for use by several families. At the time a basement floor was added.

The sail training ship T/S Britta in Øresund

On this grey autumn day, here is a reminder of the nice summer we had in the Øresund region:



 Sail training ship T/S Britta in Øresund on August 21, 2013.

This is the Swedish training ship T/S Britta going northwards in Øresund on August 21. The ship , which since 1992 is owned by Uddevalla Maritima Förening (Uddevalla Maritime Association, UMF), has an interesting history.

Britta was built at the Hällevikstrand shipyard in 1956 as a ling fishing vessel. Together with its sister ship Sandö it was the last vessel specialized in catching ling in the North Atlantic.

In the late 1980s Britta, now renamed Singapore, was used as fishing vessel in the Baltic Sea for a     couple of years.

Britta, which got back its old name when it was acquired by UMF, was completely renovated in 1990s. The galeas rigged 24.8 m x 6 m two mast ship now has seven sails, totalling 350 m2 and a  Volvo Penta 120A 320 hp main engine. 

Cruise ferry Silja Festival returning from Cadiz in foggy weather

The Silja Festival overtaking the German fishing vessel SH 4 Thomas Bach in
foggy Øresund weather.

On this foggy morning the Tallink cruise ferry Silja Festival (171 m x 26 m) was going southwards in Øresund on its way from Cadiz to Tallinn. The ship was in September and early October used as a floating hotel for workers needed for the 6 week refurbishment of the cruise ship Disney Magic at Navantia's shipyard in Cadiz.

Here you can see the Silja Festival side by side with the Disney Magic in Cadiz.

Here is a nice picture of the Silja Festival bunkering at Gibraltar on its way back to the Baltic Sea.

Oil product tanker SKS Demini on its way to Ust-Luga

The oil product tanker SKS Demini (250 m x 45 m, Norwegian registry) was yesterday afternoon on its way from Copenhagen to Ust-Luga:

The SKS Demini is one of the tankers in the fleet of SKS Tankers Holding AS,
a subsidiary of the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Skipsrederi AS, which is part of the
Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Group, controlled by Hans Peter Jebsen and his family.

Container ship Larissa and bulk carrier Ordu meet in Øresund

Late yesterday afternoon, container ship Larissa (123 m x  23m) and bulk carrier Ordu
(229 m x 32 m) met in Øresund:

German fishery research vessel Solea in Øresund

The German fishery research vessel Solea was yesterday afternoon going northwards in Øresund. The 42.74 m x 10 m ship is one of three research vessels managed by the German Federal Office for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. Solea's home port is Cuxhaven.

Solea approaching Helsingør.

Solea and Kronborg castle.

Solea, which entered service in 2004, is used by the Johann-Heinrich-von-Thünen-Institute and
by the Max-Rubner-Institute for research on fishery resources and catch technical examinations.

Danish sport divers in action

The diving boat Aquanaut on its way to the Swedish side of Øresund. The bulk carrier Newcastle Max
 and Kronborg castle in the background.

When I first saw this small boat approach the fishing nets close to the Laröd bathing pier, I thought somebody was coming to check the catch.

Aquanaut and the fishing nets close to Laröd.

Preparing for a dive.

However, soon I realised that the people on board the boat where not sport fishermen, but divers from the Helsingør sport diving club Aquanaut, who arrived for a nice late afternoon diving session on the Swedish side of the Sound.

The first diver is already in the water.

The second diver jumps into the water.

A diving flag is installed.

Where are the divers?

The Helsingør diving club's boat is also called Aquanaut. It is a 40 feet former British pilot boat, which since 1987 has been used by sport divers.

The oil product tanker SKS Demini and the Aquanaut.

Relaxing after a good dive.

The revolutionary year 1905 in Russia: A police constable on a cold day in St. Petersburg

A Russian police constable in St. Petersburg on a cold winter's day in 1905:

 

 

 

 

Norwegian tanker Sten Aurora on its way to Gothenburg

This is Norwegian tanker Sten Aurora (144 m x 23 m) passing Kronborg castle on its way from Rotterdam to Gothenburg yesterday afternoon. The beautifully maintained Sten Aurora is one of the 17 chemical/product tankers in the Rederiet Stenersen AS fleet.

A Swedish Coast Guard working boat leaving Helsingborg

Yesterday afternoon this small working boat left the Swedish Coastguard's Helsingborg station in good speed:

 

 

German schooner Grossherzogin Elisabeth in Øresund

Yesterday afternoon the German 3-mast schooner Großherzogin Elisabeth looked great when it was sailing northwards in Øresund.

Grossherzogin Elisabeth  approaching Helsingør.



A backlight image of "Lissi", just before Kronborg castle.

A Grand Duchess and Hamlet's Kronborg castle.



Sailing northwards in the Sound.

 

The 63.70 m x 8.23 m "Lissi", as she is amicably called, has an interesting history:

built on order of the Dutch shipowner Andreas Hammerstein at the shipyard
of Jan Smit in Alblasserdam as 3-masted schooner with collapsible masts
and auxiliary engine, launched on August 19th, 1909 and christened the
"San Antonio".

used between 1910 and 1913 as freighter to the Mediterranean, South America
and in the North and Baltic Sea.

run aground on January 25th, 1914 at the coast of Morocco near Rabat,
however she came free with the help of her machine.

capsize in winter 1929 with a timber cargo load next to Copenhagen, she
could be salvaged and get on the road again.

1936 converted to a motor coaster with a new engine and an auxiliary rig

at outbreak of the war the owner flew on board the ship to England,
since 1940 she has been to transport evacuees and for reinforcements
in the allied convoys.

1947 sold to Swedish owners, renamed the "Buddi", used as supplyer
for Swedish towns on the coasts following several changes of the owner
and the renaming to "Santoni".

bought by captain Hartmut Paschburg from Hamburg in August 1973, she was
in a poor and neglected condition, rebuilt at the shipyard van Kroosz in
Wischhaven and the shipyard in Stade, conversion to a 3-masted schooner
for cruising the Mediterranean and Caribbean, renamed the "Ariadne",
has been used as sailing cruiser until autumn 1981.

found by shipowner and captain Horst Werner Janssen from Elsfleth/GER
in the port of Pireßs in October 1981, who chartered the ship and
transported her to Elsfleth, in January 1982 the organization "Schulschiffverein
Großherzogin Elisabeth" e.V. was founded, renaming of the ship to
"Großherzogin Elisabeth" after a former sailing schoolship based in the
town (the today's "Duchesse Anne").

in June 1983 the administrative district Wesermarsch bought her with the
finacial help of the federal state Niedersachsen and the town Elsfleth,
used for educational voyages in the North Sea and Baltic Sea and as a
as a floating boarding school for young seamen in winter time in the
following years.

1993 a heavy fire caused by welding during a overhaul in the shipyard of
Elsfleth damaged the ship, with great commitment of the Schulschiffverein
and other sponsors these damages could be repaired, she became the
property of the Schulschiffverein "Großherzogin Elisabeth".

Danish oil product tanker Torm Ismini and Kronborg castle

The Danish registry oil product tanker Torm Ismini (228 m x 32 m) yesterday afternoon passed Kronborg castle on its way southwards in the Sound.

The Torm Ismini and Kronborg.

Research vessel Sabella arriving at its home port Helsingborg

The R/V Sabella arriving at its home port yesterday.

The research vessel Sabella (16.35 m x 4.48 m) was built in Mandal, Norway, in 1968 as a trawler. The same year, the ship - which was named Carolina - was acquired by the Lund University for use as a research vessel. In 1982 - 1989 Carolina was owned and operated by the Swedish Geological Survey.

The city of Helsingborg bought the ship in 1989, and renamed it Sabella. Since 1993 Sabella has been privately owned, but connected with the marine biology education programme of the Lund University, Campus Helsingborg. Sabella also offers tours to school classes and others interested in the marine environment.

Cruise ferry Pearl Seaways and a nice Øresund sunset

The passengers on board the Copenhagen - Oslo cruise ferry Pearl Seaways (178 m x 30 m) could enjoy a nice sunset in the Sound this evening.

  

 PS

I added two other images, just for the sake of comparison:

 

 

The classic cargo ship M/S Saturn in Øresund

 

 

Early on Saturday morning (October 12), one of my favourite ships, the Danish Nørresundby Shipping's M/S Saturn was going northwards in Øresund. It is nice to see that the owners keep the 54 m x 9.3 m ship, which was built in Holland already in 1966, in excellent condition.