Boats
In 1949, the unseaworthy Victory, packed with 385 refugees, made it as far as Ireland where it was prevented from sailing across the Atlantic.
BROKEN JOURNEYS
Most of the Viking boats made it across the Atlantic. But since journey preparations were made in secret, it will never be known how many boats changed course, stopped sailing, or sank.
Some of the journeys failed before they even started. The 1975 book Eestlased Kanadas (The Estonians in Canada) describes a Captain H. Rang who tried to leave Stockholm in December 1944 in a small boat with eight men on board. The boat kept running aground in the snow and fog, so the men loaded it onto a train in Norrköping, headed to the port city of Göteborg. When the men arrived, they were met by police and their Atlantic adventure ended in a Swedish refugee camp.
In 1949, the unseaworthy Victory, packed with 385 refugees, made it as far as Ireland where it was prevented from sailing across the Atlantic. The ship was docked behind a closed bridge to ensure it didn’t try to leave illegally. Most of its passengers eventually made it to Canada by other means.
The same year, the Parita, under the command of A. Rahesson, docked in Baltimore, Maryland, and its crew and Estonian passengers left the ship. It’s unclear if the Parita was a refugee boat or if those on board took advantage of being in the United States and asked for asylum, which was denied. The group eventually emigrated to Canada.
Of all the successful Viking voyages, those to South Africa were the longest and most difficult. Six boats sailed from Sweden but only three—the Dagmar, Ann-Mari, and Ly—reached their destination. The Elvi and Aina abandoned their journeys in Spain, and it is not known where the Ruth ended its voyage.
Boat / Date of departure / Passengers / Original Destination / Journey ended
Elvi September 17, 1946 18 South Africa Spain
Aina November 6, 1946 ? South Africa Spain
Ruth August 6, 1947 ? South Africa ?
Billy July 8, 1948 40 United States likely sank
Victory September 25, 1949 385 Canada Cork, Ireland
Parita 1949 13 ? Baltimore, USA
TOTAL at least 456