The haunted Shipwreck the Alkimos: Geraldton WA

[KANACKI]

While we all think ghost haunt houses and fixed stately homes or churches, prisons etc... Yet even as we have seen cars, aircaft, sailing ship and even merchant vessels haunted like thew following.

Can ghosts haunt moving things or do they wait until its stopped?

The Alkimos was a merchant shipping vessel which was wrecked on the coast north of Perth, Western Australia, in 1963. It has earned the reputation as a Haunted, Jinxed or Cursed ship due to numerous, unusual events such as inexplicable accidents, recurring badluck and the appearance of an apparitions.

The Alkimos was consturcted in ten days during the haste of WWII she was just one of the 2751 Congress approved American express Liberty ships. Originally named the George M Shriver in Baltimore in 1934. After the war she was later sold to Norwegian Hands and became the Viggo Hansteen, finally and lastly sold to a Greek shipping line she was named the Alkimos.

During 1944 then named the Viggo Hansteen the Alkimos was headed toward a Russian port when ahead of her 2 other merchant ships were bombed by German Uboats. The Viggo Hansteen was spared from attack but later became stranded on a reef not marked on any maps she spent six hours there, a sitting duck until she broke loose under her own power.

to be continued......

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

After nearly two decades on the high seas the Alkimos ran aground at Beagle Rocks south of Geraldton, north of Fremantle Western Australia on a journey from Jakarta to Bunbury. With her propeller badly damaged it was decided that she would be towed back to Fremantle for immediate help and then be towed to Hong Kong for permanent repairs.

The ship was somehow able to refloat itself and steamed under its own power to reach Fremantle.While awaiting repairs at Fremantle in 1963 the Alkimos was mysteriously set ablaze resulting in many thousands of dollars of repairs. When it came time to be towed to Hong Kong the seafaring tug called the Pacific Reserves tow line broke and the Alkimos drifted towards the coast and became beached near Yanchep.

On February 28 1964 another salvage was attempted the Alkimos was being towed by the Pacific Star when the Pacific Star was placed under arrest for monies owed to a company in Manila . The Pacific Star could no longer legally tow or offer aid to the Alkimos and she was set at anchor between the reefs off Eglington Rocks about 4 kilometers south of Yanchep Beach.

The Pacific Star was then set ablaze whilst in Port awaiting legal proceedings. Over the years the Alkimos had several salvage crews and caretakers living on board as any ship abandoned can be legally towed away by anyone.

to be continued....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Here is a list of inexplicable, unexplained and ghostly occurrences linked with the Alkimos.

* During the hasty construction of the ship welders were allegedly sealed between hulls, their ghosts are said to haunt the vessel.

* An alleged murder, suicide occurred on the ship. * An apparition known as "Harry" has been sighted on the ship by various people. He is said to be seen dressed in rubber boots and a dark grey seaman's coat (oilskins).

* During salvage operations numerous tools were moved by unseen hands, the men were working on numerous jobs aboard the ship and would find that their tools would mysteriously reappear later. * The Alkimos was bought and sold at least 8 times whilst stranded, each person or persons who purchased the ship inexplicable bad luck befell them from total bankruptcy to life threatening illnesses. Of which seemed to mysteriously disappear once the vessel was re-sold.

* At night salvage crews would not leave their cabins alone as ghostly footsteps would follow them. Footsteps were heard on ladders when all salvage crews were accounted for. * Cooking smells and noises would emanate from the Galley, but upon investigation the smells and noises would cease. Only to begin again when the galley door was again closed.

* A married couple took over as caretakers of the ship, misfortune struck again when the lady caretaker took a serious fall she was pregnant at the time. After being rushed to hospital she gave birth to a premature stillborn baby.

* Herbert Voight, a Perth resident who was a long distance swimmer, it is said his training included swimming across (you radiate sunshine and light)burn Sound towing a plastic baby's bath full of cans of Emu Export Beer. One unfortunate day he disappeared while trying to swim from Cottesloe to Rottnest Island , his skull was found washed up in the wreck of the Alkimos.

* Cray Fisherman working the area close to the Alkimos have often reported seeing a man in an oilskin coat aboard the ship, some believing he was the local “hermit” taking refuge for free aboard the ship, but subsequent searching of the search have never been able to find anyone living aboard the ship.

*Ted Snider, a US navy submariner was called in to make preliminary assessments and measurements of the propeller and rudder for explosives. Later Tom Snider with two other men and a pilot flew in an Auster aircraft north bound for Onslow to make inspections on another job, North of Carnavon the Auster crashed killing Tom Snider and all occupants of the aircraft.

* Horses riding along the beach refuse to ride past the Alkimos they will not come within 500m of the wreck. * Jack Sue author of the book "Ghost of the Alkimos" suffered from a strange respiratory disease and was not expected to live. For 10 months he was dangerously ill, and during much of this period he was hospitalized in intensive care.

*Plus numerous curious coincidences of near drownings, boat engines failing and visitors slipping and hurting themselves in and around the Alkimos wreck.

* A figure wearing oilskins matching "Harry" has been sighted on various occasions by numerous people. As of April 2007 the Alkimos is almost fully disintegrated above the water line to the point where it is no longer visible from the beach.

To be continued...

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Jack Sue did amazing research on history of the Alkimos.

I repeat is words below...

Haunted ships have been a fascination of the human mind ever since man inhabited the seas. One of the most famous ghost ships that boast paranormal experiences, real paranormal activity and scary true ghost stories is the Alkimos; located on the coast of Western Australia just north of Perth.

She was one of 2751 American liberty ships built in Baltimore USA, 1943 during ww2. When tipped into the cold waters of Baltimore, she underwent a name change that automatically gave her a jinxed reputation.

Leased to the Norwegian Merchant Navy as a new vessel, she set to sea under the name Viggo Hansteen as part of the daily support convoys across the Atlantic. She was dogged by rumours, of construction workers having been welded between the ships plating during construction. Dogged by numerous unexplainable mechanical faults and repairs, crews started reporting paranormal activity on board while the liberty ship mysteriously dodged U Boat torpedoes as sibling ships abreast took numeerous hits and sinkings.

To be continued.....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

In August 1944 a mysterious murder suicide aboard the world war two merchant ship was hushed up from public knowledge. The ship’s wireless operator, one of the many brave Canadian women in WW2, was fatally wounded by the Norwegian gunnery officer before turning the gun on himself. The secrecy of this event virtually remained as such until the research of this book.

Post war, the 2 year old liberty ship was unarmed and eventually sold to a Greek shipping company. It was again re-named to the Alkimos. For the next 18 years up to 1963, the paranormal activity continued. Various crews continually came and went, many terrified by real ghost sightings and frightening experiences.

To be continued...

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Researching a little deeper into the story.

In August 1944, a mysterious murder-suicide took place on board the World War II merchant ship when it was stationed in Naples, Italy. Canadian radio operator, Ms Maude Steane, was shot by a Norwegian gunnery officer who then killed himself. Because the incident was so horrific, the incident was hushed up from public knowledge, with the Military saying Steane had been killed by enemy fire. She was classed as the first woman from Toronto to die in service.

Here is a picture of her posted below. For guests not seeing this I suggest you sign up and enjoy the extra things this wonderful form has to offer.

To be continued....

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Can the spirit of murdered women still haunt the ship?

Can a ship be jinxed or cursed?

Many questions, does the ghost of the murderer still haunt the vessel in remorse?

Was ship the conducting tragic memories inside her hull only manifest them with ghostly occurrences?

Over the years the ocean smashed away most of wreck and little remains above water. Did ghost die with destruction of ship. Or are they cursed to haunt the beach and wreck site.

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Here is the TV series extraordinary program on the Alkimos shipwreck ghost nick named "Henry"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ_U6pvXT0E

I wonder what was the strange moaning caught on tape was?

Kanacki

[KANACKI]

Another question springs to mind can a ghost still haunt the former wreck site or does the ghosts of past fade away as time and sea took back her secrets?

Kanacki

[Simon2]

Hi KANACKI, I think you are enjoying throwing a possible haunting with so many twists and turns that it is very easy to lose yourself in the detail and also the possible answer to the haunting theory of a disintegrating shipwreck.

One of the first clues was at the point of the building of the Alkimos in 1934, during a very quick 10 day build as follows:

"During the hasty construction (some) of the ship welders were allegedly sealed between hulls, their ghosts are said to haunt the vessel".

Potentially, this could have been the point at which, at least one or more of the poor welders (if indeed this terrible accident did occur); following each of their individual deaths, which would have occurred over an unknown period of time, one of the spirits, failed or refused to crossover, for whatever reason.

If we assume that the welder, who failed or refused to crossover, or indeed did not know he was dead, bearing in mind that, that the welder (let's call him Henry, for argument sake), the last he may not know he was dead.

Having not crossed over, the spirit of Henry was free to wander through the completed and operational ship.

At this point, some readers may rightly ask, whether an inquest or any official noting of the loss of one or a few welders, probably no more than two or three, were entombed between the inner and outer "metal skin" of the ship.

Given the haste of the building of each ship, at 10 days, it would be in the interest of all, to not hold-up the building process there would be sufficient incentive for workers and all concerned just to continue as if nothing had occurred, but people being who they are would, no doubt, talk about the incident at their local Pub(s), where wives and female relatives would not be allowed in.

I even remember in the 1950's to perhaps early 1960's had to go to a section, usually a separate room, of the Pub, away from the major Bar area, where the men congregated.

If the welder(s) were transient, then no one would have missed them locally, hence more reason to "just move on" to the next ship.

Over the years henry's spirit would have grown in energy, allowing the slamming of doors, loud footsteps, etc.

As Henry was occupying, his view of the internal nature of the ship, the clothing would be what he thought he should wear.

So, over the years, we can only assume how mad he would become as no one could hear him or acknowledge him at all, this would, as I noted above, help in building his spirits energy and also become quite precious in terms of the "ownership" of the ship, i.e., anyone coming on board, particularly as numbers reduced they would become "fair game" for Henry to do to them what he wanted to do.

The last point (don't want to end with a "book-size" post), even in the physical world as the sea gradually took the ship until very little was left, Henry would still occupy a pristine vessel in his spiritual world.

This happens on many occasions.

In the late 1990's I worked in the new building section on Level 13 and as it darkened and I was moving around trying to finish I sensed a spirit near me and as I would normally do, if it was a good spirit, I would invite them to blend with my spirit and give me a view of who they were and why they were in this area.

Through this process the spirit was that of a young aboriginal and his role in the tribe was to guard the area that was the clan's sacred home.

So, an aboriginal, who was guarding a ground space was talking with me on the particular part of their sacred land, on the 13th Floor of the quite new AMP Building.

At the end of the discussion I offered to help him crossover to which he said that no one would be left to guard the sacred ground, further, he allowed me and the rest of the team to use the area we were occupying. We finished on very good terms, as I was the only one who both recognised and also talked with him.

So, whist the physical space may change, to a spirit, the environment, where he passed would not. That area would, perhaps remain a no-go zone for any person.

I give you a somewhat abridged version of KANACKI's most challenging "Haunting Post" for a while.

Another wonderful Post KANACKI, which I thank you very much.

[KANACKI]

Ah Simon

How boring life would be if we did not have these twists and turns  to tease the mind? Yes I am enjoying throwing out these different scenarios to intrigue those with inquiring minds. You  scenario makes perfect sense and perhaps the answer to this interesting haunting.

Kanacki

[Simon2]

Thank you KANACKI and I sense a small improvement of your pain?

[KANACKI]

Hello Simon

You are very perceptive. A temporary relief it has been a terrible 6 months and it has taken its toll.

Kanacki

[Simon2]

You know the saying, which comes out, more times in action movies; ".....I feel your pain my friend", well sometimes it is true. ROFL

[KANACKI]

Hello Simon

I know where you coming from, you know I cannot stand watching silly you tube videos of people hurting themselves because my brain feels the pain.

Kanacki