This section will be quite extensive, - a total of 8 pages - - -
The pictures on these pages are mostly added in the same order as it happened in Greenland for 38 years ago.

Here an index and some "Quick Links" to the 8 pages - - -

Page 1.:  Our shore base, -Making the boats ready, - On the slipway, - Launching, - Active service, - Grounding, - etc.
Page 2.:  Active service, - Surveying, - Interior, - Engine Room, - Erecting a "Raydist" station, - etc. - - -
Page 3.:  Surveying, - "Hydrodist"- and Raydist" stations, - Grounding, - Crew, - Exploring grave site, - etc. - - -
Page 4.:  Navigating ice, - SKA boats, - Hiking in the mountains, - and more ice navigation, - etc. - - -
Page 5.:  Crew, - Navigating ice, - Scenery, - More ice, - Island, - Admirals visit, - Morning, - etc. - - -
Page 6.:  Greenland, - Crew, - Ice, - Greenland people, - SKA boats, - "Hydrodist" station, - Islands, - Surveying, - etc.
Page 7.:  SKA aground, - Exploring Greenland, - SKA boats, - Surveying, - Mountain climbing, - Activities,- Towing, - etc.
Page 8.:  SKA 4 high & Dry,- "Ingolf",- SKA 4 Engines, - SKA 4 on slipway, - "Ingolf", - Home and Epilogue SKB boats.
 
 

SKA 4 was made from wood,- and very heavy constructed -, so that she could survive a grounding head-on to submerged rocks, as well as sailing in heavy ice in the waters around Greenland, where she served from 1959 and up to 1978 - - - -

The SKA vessels were used for making surveys, - measuring the depths -, and collecting data for making new charts.
They searched for new navigational routes inside the islands and rocks on the west coast of Greenland - - - - -
With this purpose, I had the good fortune to serve as Engineer on SKA 4 during a summer tour to Greenland in 1968 - - - -

At this point it would be appropriate to explain what "SKA" means - - -
It is short for "SøKort Arkivet" , - directly translated "The Sea Chart Archive" -, which was the government institution that in those days were in charge of making charts of the Danish waters, - including Greenland -, just like "The Admiralty" do in England - -
 
 

Greenland is a fantastic - - -
And serving on a vessel going there, - to remote areas -, for exploring and surveying "new" land is truly exiting.
In fact this experience was so good, that I consider my Greenland tour as being the first in a long line of other adventures I later experienced during trips and travels all over the World in the years that followed - -
 
 

"GOK" is short for "Grønlands Opmålings Kommando", - or "Greenland's Survey Command" -, a very impressive name for such a small and modest wooden shack - -
 
 

But in spite of the modesty of this cabin, it was warm and cozy inside.
Here Web Master Karsten Petersen to the left, and Jan Walseth to the right, enjoying hot tea with Bacardi rum - - -
 
 

But here is what it is all about, - the survey boats, that had been "mothballed" on dry land during the winter.
We now had quite a job getting all the systems going again, making them ready for the coming summers activities.
There were four of those little boats in Greenland, SKA 3, - SKA 4, - SKA 5 and SKA 6.
Two of them, - SKA 4 and SKA 6 -, were stationed in Godthåb,- present day's Nuuk -, while SKA 3 and SKA 5 were stationed in Frederikshåb.
 
 

After going through the manuals and check lists,- connecting pipe systems, overhauling valves, pulling cables, cleaning contacts, washing tanks, flushing systems, scraping and painting, cleaning filters, getting the heating system going, engines running, and testing, testing and more testing of thousands of other things, we could finally launch the boats, - the first one being SKA 6 - - -
The navy cutter Y 384 "Maagen" is standing by ready to tow SKA-6 to the port, where the final preparations will take place before the job of surveying the waters around Greenland could start - - -
 
 

SKA 4 comfortably "parked" on a submerged rock - - - -  This happened quite often since the depths in Greenland vary quite dramatically.
In one moment you can have a hundred meters depth, - or more -, and in the next moment you can hit a rock -

Page initiated:  June 01.2001
Page updated:  June 02.2003, -  Oct.08.2006,  Oct.14.2006, - Oct.22.2006, - Oct.26.2006