Garðar BA 64- Oldest steel ship in Iceland
Garðar BA 64 is a steel ship that sits on the shoreline at Patreksfjörður in Westfjords slowly rusting away. She is a short distance from the high tide line and escapes most of the winter storms that pound this Icelandic coastline. The colours and rust on her paintwork make her a fantastic photography location.
The Story of Garðar BA 64
Launched in 1912, the same year as the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic, Globe IV is the oldest steel ship to remain in Iceland.
Originally a Norwegian whaling vessel, she had a reinforced hull to break through the ice and a steam engine designed to allow her to sail when the seas were calm and traditional sails were useless.
With a colourful past, she came to Iceland after World War II and was converted into a boat for herring fishing as whaling restrictions intensified and made it less viable. Given the Icelandic name Siglunes SI 89, her old steam engine was replaced with a modern diesel engine and she found several owners. In 1963 she was renamed Garðar BA 64.
Finally, in 1981 her time was up. She was unsafe for service and was run aground onto a shallow shingle beach in the Skápadalur Valley in the Westfjords of Iceland.
Today she is a sorry sight. Here beautiful red outer layer is rusting, pieces dropping away with each storm. The timber beneath is dry and disintegrating knot by knot. She is a challenge to those defying the rules and signs, a plaything of the young and rebellious who don’t believe her eventual collapse will happen while they are exploring her holds and superstructure.
Tips for Visiting
- Avoid peak times. Come early or late in the day
- Most people just stop for a few minutes but planning to use the picnic tables nearby means you can stay and wait for others to carry on along the coast
- Explore the pebble shoreline as it has beautiful marine including seaweeds, shells and crabs
Getting to Garðar BA 64 and Skápadalur Valley
Garðar BA 64 is easy to find on the main 612 towards the Látrabjarg Bird Cliffs. She sits on the shore of Patreksfjörður with a large parking area. The 612 is easily reached from road 62 which links the Brjánslækur ferry from Stykkishólmur on the Snæfellsnes peninsula to Patreksfjörður in the Westfjords. Beyond Garðar BA 64 the road deteriorates and with anywhere in the Westfjords distances take longer to drive than expected.
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