The "Alhena"

This was a Dutch ship under the control of Captain Smoolenaars. This ship was the most instrumental in the rescue, collecting between 450 and 500 survivors which it transferred to Rio de Janeiro. The photograph below shows the triumphant return of the Alhena to Hook of Holland on the 6th of January 1928.

The report of the events of the rescue given by the captain was the most detailed.

15.30 The Principessa Mafalda passed Alhena on a course of sou-sou-west. the ships were parallel at 900 metres distance. Towards the south on a contrary course (nor-nor east) was the Empirestar.

17 The Mafalda was nine kilometres ahead of the Alhena, which was on the same course as before. the Mafalda was heading southeast at this time. A five kilometres to the north of the Mafalda was the Empirestar, still on its original course, as such 4 kilometres south of the Alhena. At this point the first call for help came from the Mafalda.

17.40 The Alhena was at 180 metres west from the Mafalda, while the Empirestar was manoeuvring one kilometre to the southeast.

18.30 The Mafalda’s bow was pointing north. to the west, with prow pointed south was the Alhena at 180 metres. Boats were shuttling back and forth from the Mafalda to the Alhena. The Empriestar was with bow pointed west at 900 metres south of the Mafalda.

19.30 The Alhena, crewed only by Smoolenaars (shown seated in the middle of the above photo) had drifted 1.8 kilometres from the Mafalda and was northwest of the Mafalda. The Empirestar was at 3 kilometers to the southeast

20.20 The prow of the Mafalda pointed south. The Alhena had drawn to 800 metres northwest of the Mafalda. The Empirestar was where it was before but some 200 metres more to the north. The Formosa arrived to the northeast of the Mafalda.

20.30 The Formosa arrived at 200 metres from the stern of the Mafalda. The Alhena tried to tie up alongside the Mafalda and got to within 15 metres of the side of the Mafalda. The Empirestar, still at the Southeast was now 800 metres from the Mafalda. The Moselle appeared on a course to the northeast, at the same distance as the Empirestar.

21.30 The Alhena tried to put itself prow to prow with the Mafalda, still crewed only by Smoolenaars. It went ahead of the Mafalda and had its stern at 30 to 40 metres from the Mafalda. To the west the Formosa was at 200 metres, at an equal disatnce, but to the north was the Moselle. The Rosetti arrived on the scene at this point. The Empirestar sailed halfway around the Mafalda and was located 400 metres to the southwest.

22.10 The Mafalda sinks. The Alhena was 50 metres from the Mafalda at sousouwest. The Formosa was 120 metres to the west. The Rosetti was 200 metres beyond the Formosa. The Moselle was 300 metres to the north of the Mafalda. The Empirestar was near to the Rosetti to the south.

Another unidentified ship (the German ship, the Baden or maybe the Lloyd Brasileiro vessel, Bage) was beyond the Empirestar at 1 km from the Mafalda.

23.20 The ship circled the site of the sinking searching for survivors. The Alhena picked up 23 during this period. The Alhena then set course for Rio.

The photograph at the left shows the fourth officer of the Alhena, Hendrik Jacob Krijnen (1906-1991), who directed one of the rescue boats, picking up survivors while Captain Smoolenaars singlehandedly manned the Alhena. The photograph below shows the first survivors disembarking from the Alhena in Rio.

The Alhena was owned by Van Nievelt Goudriaan & Co Steamship Company of Rotterdam and was built in 1922. Its gross registered tonnage was 4,930 tons. Its speed was 11 knots and it had accomodation for 12 passengers (a far cry from the number of rescued passengers it had to transport to Rio.

In 1942, the Alhena was stranded on the Irish coast in thick fog and sank when she was in tow in the Firth of Clyde.