And who is here to chat with me? Would you like to hear a story about the pride of Smiltynė from an elderly sailor? Since you have already seen the exposition of my ships, I will try not to elaborate too much, but I can’t make any promises. As my mother used to say: “Antanėlis will talk your ear off.”
And who is here to chat with me? Would you like to hear a story about the pride of Smiltynė from an elderly sailor? Since you have already seen the exposition of my ships, I will try not to elaborate too much, but I can’t make any promises. As my mother used to say: “Antanėlis will talk your ear off.”
Well, I do love talking about the love of my life – ships. Look at these beauties here…
Did you know that fifty years ago, Lithuanian fishermen in the Baltics still used Finnish vessels? They were a settlement with the Soviet Union for the losses incurred during the war.
Our sailors worked slavishly every day, in conditions like those in a prison. Many do not understand why young fellows would choose such a job, but those around us did not know this: when we came back from the sea, our salaries were impressive… After all, we did not pay for anything while living on board! It’s also no secret that sailors smuggled items from lands far away: jeans, velvet shirts, chewing gum, anti-Soviet literature, and… well, our families could not wait for us to come back. I’m not sure if they were happy to see us back in one piece, or they just wanted the goods we carried.
I may have got carried away. Let’s call it a lyrical diversion.
Before you are three historical legacies – the Dubingiai, the trawler PTB-7167 and the Kolyma. The wonderful Bologoye-type ship Dubingiai is the largest and the only surviving ship of its kind. This medium-sized trawler was loaded into the old fishing shipyard almost 40 years ago, when a thousand-ton floating crane called the Stanislav Judin arriving in Klaipeda from Kaliningrad to clean up before a trip to the Far East, and placed the trawler there straight from the water.
In the 1970s and 1990s, the Dubingiai belonged to the Lithuanian fishing fleet, which, unfortunately, no longer exists. Unlike the other boats, it was not built in Germany but was built here in Lithuania, in the Baltija shipyard in Klaipėda. The fishermen were particularly proud of the catches made with this vessel. It even broken the record of the Ocean Fishing Fleet, by catching 30 tonnes of fish in one trip! It was used for trawling and driftnet fishing. Furthermore, it was adapted for purse seine fishing.
If you have a minute, go in and check out the open exposition Long Journey about the Soviet era, where you will learn more about the daily life of a fisherman like me.
Nearby is the trawler PTB-7167, which was used for trawling at sea. This vessel was built in the German Democratic Republic, but Klaipėda’s fishermen used it for fishing in the Baltics. This one, when it was still young, was loaded into the Old Fishing Shipyard of the Lithuanian Maritime Museum in 1978. It still feels like yesterday…
Last but not least, the only survivor of its kind – with a metal rent and a wooden hull – is the small fishing trawler Kolyma. It was used for trawling in our beloved Baltic Sea, with a crew of eleven members: a little more than the previous trawler. The Kolyma was one of the ships supplied to the Soviet Union by Finland, as reparation after the war.
Alright, that’s enough for today… Before you go… do you know the sailors’ unwritten rule? Whistling on board is strictly forbidden, as it can attract not only unfavourable winds but also disasters!
I hope I didn’t bore you too much. I must admit, it was nice meeting you. I hope the feeling is mutual. I must go now. I’ll see you later, my friend, and may you have fair winds and following seas!