Parma (barque)

Arrow was built by A Rodger & Co, Port Glasgow as yard number 361. She was 327 feet 7 inches (99.85 m) long, with a beam of 46 feet 5 inches (14.15 m) and a depth of 26 feet 2 inches (7.98 m).[1] She had four masts and was rigged as a barque, with royal sails over double top and topgallant sails.[2] Arrow was completed in April 1902.[3] She was a sister ship to Eclipse, which was completed two months later.[4]

Arrow entered service with the Anglo-American Oil Co Ltd, London, employed in the kerosene trade.[5] In 1912, she was sold to F Laeisz, Hamburg for £15,000 and was renamed Parma.[2] She was employed in the nitrate trade between Germany and Chile.[6] At the outbreak of the First World War, Parma was interned at Iquique, Chile. In 1920, she was assigned to the United Kingdom as war reparations.[2] In 1921, she was transferred to the Belgian Government, and placed under the management of Association Maritime Belge, Antwerp.[1] On 8 November 1921, Parma was sold back to F Laeisz for £10,000.[2] She was again employed in the nitrate trade.[6] In 1926, Parma sailed from Hamburg to Talcahuano, Chile in 86 days and in 1928 she sailed from Land's End to Talcahuano in 70 days.[2]

In 1931, Parma was sold to Ruben De Cloux and Alan Villiers of Mariehamn, Finland for RM34,000.[2] She was the largest sailing ship under the Finnish flag at the time,[6] holding that position until 1935 when Gustaf Erikson bought Moshulu.[7] She was employed in the wheat trade between Germany and Australia. In 1933, she sailed from Port Victoria to Falmouth in 83 days. This was the fastest ever achieved by a sailing ship.[6]

On 1 July 1936, Parma collided with an observation tower at Princes Dock, Glasgow when a gust of wind caught her as she was docking. As a result of the collision, plates in her hull were sprung open by falling coping stones from the quayside. Parma was sold to Rederei A/B Parma U V Wennstrom, Mariehamn.[5] She was stripped of her masts and rigging,[2] and converted to a hulk. In 1936, Parma was sold to Barnett Bros, London.[5] Parma served as a hulk at Haifa, Palestine (now Israel), until 1938 when she was scrapped.[2] A model of Parma can be seen at the Ålands Sjöfartsmuseum, Mariehamn.[8]

The captains of Parma were:-[2][6]

• Töpper (1924–26)
• Holst (1926–27)
• Rohwer (1928–29)
• Brockhöft (1928–29)
• Ruben de Cloux (1931–36)

Official Numbers were a forerunner to IMO Numbers. Parma was assigned the United Kingdom Official Number 115804,[9] she was also assigned the Finnish Official Number 324.[10]

Parma was assigned the Code Letters RBWN when she was under the German Flag,[3] and OHQQ when she was under the Finnish Flag.[10]