S/S Hekla

The Hekla (2) was built in 1884 by Scott & Co, at Greenock to replace her namesake. Her tonnage was 3258 tons gross and 2113 tons net. Dimensions: 333.2 feet long, 41.6 feet beam and holds 22 feet deep (100,65 meter x 12,77 meter), poop 35 feet long, bridge deck 63 feet long and forecastle 46 feet long. She was an iron construction, had a straight stem, one funnel and three masts (schooner rigged). Propulsion: compound engine with 2 inverted cylinders of 46 and 84 inches diameter respectively; stroke 54 inches. The engine delivered 450 horsepower which gave her a service speed of 11 knots. The engine was built by the same company as the hull. Master: Captain Thomsen, appointed to the shipping line in 1881 and to the ship in 1885.

There was accommodation for 40 first class-, 30 second class and 800 third class (steerage) passengers. She was launched on 29th February 1884. She departed from Copenhagen on her maiden voyage on May 14th and called at Christiania (Oslo) on May 15th, proceeding for Christiansand and New York. On May 27th 1897 she was slightly damaged when in collision with the Atlantic Transport Line steamer Mississippi off the Newfoundland Banks. In 1898 she was taken over by the Scandinavian America Line as the thingvalla company was absorbed by the DFDS. (Det Forenede Dampskibsselskap). Her last voyage on this route started in March 1905. She left Christiania on March 2nd, the rudder stock broke after 3 days of storm on March 11th. She arrived at the Azores after an emergency rudder had been fitted on March 22nd and later the same year she was sold to Danish owners and renamed "Eduard Regel". In 1909 she went to Russian owners and was renamed "Minsk", and was scrapped in 1910.

[North Atlantic Seaway by N.R.P.Bonsor, vol.3,p.1051, subm. Ted Finch, DFDS 1866-1991 by Søren Thorsøe a.o., p. 238, Lloyd's register of shipping, subm. by Gilbert Provost]