After nearly seventy years of service around Nordic waters, Garðar BA 64 sits on the shores of Skápadalur Valley in the Westfjords.
Originally known as Globe the 4th, the ship was built as a whaling vessel in a Norwegian shipyard in 1912, the same year the Titanic sank. Equipped with the best technology of the time, both sails and a steam engine, with a reinforced prow and sides to withstand the icy conditions of the harsh northern waters. The ship briefly sailed in the Faroe Islands before it was finally sold to Iceland at the end of WWII under the name Siglunes SI 89. It is the oldest steel ship in the country. It wasn’t until 1963 when she would be known as Garðar and by then, there were whaling restrictions. Now the ship would be used by fisherman to gather herring offshore, until 1981. After long and faithful years of service, Garðar was finally decommissioned and rammed ashore in Patreksfjörður left as a testimonial to the town’s whaling history. At your own risk fully understanding it is filled with rusty metal and rotting wood, you can climb aboard and explore the ship from the inside.
An opening near the stern is the best way to get in, all of the hatches are left open.
It is dark and many spots on the deck are missing. Find your way to a ladder and climb up to the 01 level.
Walk back aft for a better perspective on the ocean that the ship once sailed.
The water was moody on this particular day, giving an ominous, ghostly feeling to the fjord.
It is possible to climb into the superstructure, with ladders on either side.
Enter the pilothouse which has much of the antiquated machinery still in place.
The ship is easily accessible by road 612, it is right on the way out to Breiðavík beach and Látrabjarg Cliffs.