My great-uncle, Percy McElwee, was the Chief Steward on the Baychimo. He was a part of the crew that over-wintered in the hut, which was built from deck-hatches and the lumber that was a part of the cargo. The picture of the hut that you see in this presentation is only partly built. It was finished by an external wall of ice-blocks or snow-blocks to provide extra shelter and insulation. Percy used scrounged materials to build a still, so that the crew could have a drink at Christmas.
Human ingenuity! They must have been okay for supplies if they had rations to ferment into alcohol. I imagine keeping the fermentation warm enough was the hardest part, too hot and it’ll taste like acetone, too cold it wouldn’t be ready until next year lol
@@somethingsomething404 Remember vodka can be made from potato peels and à little sugar. I am not saying that is what they used but using that as an example of how easy it is to make potable alcohol if you want to. It may not taste great but it will get you hammered.
@@Trump_Won_AGAIN it's funny how people like you enjoy doubting other's. There are people out there in this world that would of had family on this ship. I have no doubt this person did.
My grandad was the cook on the Baychimo on 22nd August 1924 when it went to the aid of the Lady Kindersley which was trapped in the ice at Point Barrow. One of my cousins still has the life saving medal which he was awarded by the Hudsons Bay Company.
Take a photo of it and submit it to some educational internet spaces/museums for preservation. That seems like a cool little piece of history hidden by scale
Great video! When I worked in the arctic in 1980 there was a freighter aground off Hall Beach in the NWT. No idea or a name or ownership but she sat there for years flooded almost up to her main deck. Then one day she was gone. Apparently the ice went out quickly in the spring and the frozen water inside her acted like a giant ice cube and floated her off. I heard she was spotted off the southern end of Baffin Island several hundred miles away before the ice melted and she sank. Don't know if that's true or not but it sounds plausible.
Given the ship was of riveted construction it was always doubtful to me that it could have stayed afloat for too long since like all ships of that construction ...she did leak and had to have her bilge pumps running periodically. That said, the fact that she popped up above the ice may have allowed her to drain during the thaws
Exactly, all ships leak- especially only tubs like her! She had been through the ringer numerous times so I imagine she had a fair number of leaks. Her saving grace was that iceberg- photos show she was incredibly high up in the ice and, as captain cornwell laid out, that meant it could be many years before she’d come in contact with the water. Once she DID though… straight to the seabed imo
At first I wondered if the boilers could hold steam after they had been allowed to go cold and freeze. Then I remembered the stories ice being chipped off the upper works of the ships on the Arctic convoys. That made me imagine a ship hidden within a block of ice.
"That said, the fact that she popped up above the ice may have allowed her to drain during the thaws" OR, if the ice lifted her up slowly enough, the hull could have ended up completely encased in ice. This could also end up freezing the rivets in place. This would potentially keep the ship from leaking at all. Of course, longterm, this also causes the rivets to dislodge ever so slowly, literally decades, and once the icesheet keeping the hull together melts, well, instant bye-bye. But it's the simplest way i can think of that could have let it survive a reaaaally long time. Well, aside from riding high on top of the ice all the time, that could do it for a long time.
Thank you for the Baychimo video. It could be no one’s discussed the Baychimo for so long because it hasn’t been discussed in decades. You are changing that situation. Thank you. I found out about the Kharkovchanka on one of these videos, maybe the one you made. now I’d like to know more about this ship as well. A human designed piece of architecture surviving intact while stuck in arctic ice for decades is truly amazing and deserves extensive study.
@@CalumRaasaybrace yourself for a spate of new 'sightings' of the Baychimo being reported on the internet after this video gets thousands of views! Cheers
I saw it in San Francisco Bay last Tuesday! It had a full crew of Abominable Snowmen and the Captain was a Bigfoot. She was powered by a couple of Nessies!😊 Of course the camera on my phone was broken so I couldn’t take a photo.😢
You get an appreciation for how astronomically rare it is for a lost ship to be found again when you see stories of the ones who beat the odds and survive. At the time of the ship's loss everyone immediately arrives at the conclusion in vivid detail about the Baychimo breaking up and sinking only to be one of the most legendary ghost ships for it's impressive durability.
Its great to read that so many relatives of the crew have seen this video and left comments, like ghosts from the past to remind us of the real people who sailed on her.
tbh 27 minutes is equal to the actual information that you'd get from a 1-2 hour "documentary " on tv because this isn't full of fluff and a 5 minute commercial break every 16 minutes
As always, incredibly interesting. First rate research and presentation. You aren’t the only guy on RUclips that makes high quality mini documentaries, but you are the best.
@@CalumRaasay It’s the truth. The amount of work you put into these videos is on another level from your typical RUclipsr and I look forward to every video.
The side article at 15:03 about local nimbys fighting the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge is hilarious. Some things never change. Another great video from this channel, BTW. I love these stories of polar expeditions and machines from the early 20th Century. It was such an interesting time where you had early modern technology mixed with the pioneering spirit of adventure and danger of older ages of exploration.
I just noticed that I burnt a hole in my white t shirt at 13:30 when I was trying to solder a bulb into a briefcase (long story). Rest assured I'll be sure to dress more appropriately next time.
I think that's what really saved her for so long - the ice strengthening along the hull (I detail it at the blueprints section near the start) might have made her far harder for the ice to crush. But more than that, being up high on the ice berg meant she was less likely to be ground on the shoreline over the years!
Just found your channel Calum, but love the pace that you take in the videos. No fluff, just tons of good info. Love that you don’t find the need to fill your narration with superfluous dialogue. Really well done.
Too bad, the core crew didn't trust the construction enough to stay on board. I bet, there would have been a time window coming spring, where she could have steamed home. Good video!
I saw a Facebook post today about Komatsu’s D155W underwater bulldozer made in the 70s. Looks right up your alley for a video and they claim some are surviving. Road trip! Love your videos. Keep up with the amazing work!
Man, I couldn't imagine being forced to spend half a year on a frozen ship in the arctic. I enter a fugue state when I have to spend an extra hour at work. lol
@@GrumpyIan I was referring to when the ship got stuck in the ice specifically. It's one thing to do the thing you signed up to do, it's another thing when during the return/home voyage you suddenly get 6-8months of overtime, :P
Astounding at so many levels. What a credit to those who built her. Hundreds of thousands of miles her own under steam followed by thousands more courtesy of wind, tides, ice and currents. Absolutely riveting.
Your way of storytelling is so good. You speak with such passion and interest, and with fact and theory clearly layed out. Thank you for another fantastic video :)
I love the story of the Baychimo. When I saw that it was you who was telling her story, I was like "YES!" The amongt of research you did for all your other videos, made me very excited to see this, becouse I knew it would be amazing to watch and listen to. Thank you very much for making this video. Very high quality! For my personal thoughts on the ships fate, I hope that shes still out there somewhere, waiting to be found and if she is found, I hope they place a gps tracker on her. If shes able to be brought back home, I hope they place her in a big custom made museum, just like with the Vasa. I would love to go see it. Just like in movies, a person is never dead until shown on screen. Until theres proof shown that she has sunk and been destroyed, I will hold out hope. Again thank you for telling her story.
This was a masterpiece of storytelling and research. However, there are inconsistencies. It was initially stated that the men emerged from the shore house after 3 days of storms to find absolutely no sign of the Baychimo and believed her to be sunk. But in a newspaper interview at 23.56 Captain Cornwall states that they watched her go, heard of her North of them, and chased her with dog sleighs as she drifted.
There’s inconsistency in a lot of the stories unfortunately! Cornwell states he saw her go, but earlier reports stated she had vanished and that they assumed it had sank. Just like the many stories of boarding’s and sightings, each has to be taken with a pinch of salt! For example I don’t believe Leslie Melvin actually saw her, I think he told the story to make his trip sound more exciting!
Newspapers in those days were like the internet is today: if the facts are unknown or don't fit the editorial bent, just "fake it" to sell more advertising.
Even when it is about something I have some familiarity with, I always find your videos interesting. I knew a bit about the Baychimo, but honestly speaking, I couldn't separate the fact from the fiction in my head, it was a jumbled mess. Thanks for helping straighten up that mess. Mary Celeste may have big points for the creepy factor, but this truly is the ghost ship of ghost ships.
Great video, Calum. It's a shame her stranding did not happen recently. I'll bet that with today's technology this ship could have been found from the air and recovered for more service. It is amazing the objects that are floating out in the oceans of which no one is aware. A few years ago, a piece of a boat destroyed by the 2011 sunami in Japan washed up on a shore in the United States. It had obviously been floating for years in the Pacific Ocean. Keep making these interesting videos and I'll keep viewing them.
Really interesting video once again, had no idea the ship was made in Sweden! Makes me smile every time something made here makes it to the history books :D
I think it's safe to assume the ship was finally crushed to destruction shortly after the last photos of it were taken. It's entirely possible that everyone who spotted it later just didn't have a camera on them, but it's just as likely that people started making up stories and exaggerating the truth until it became a myth.
Stories like this and earlier adventurers are what took me to live in Alaska 40 years ago. The “News” back then made up stories to sell their product , just like today. More STORY than REAL facts . I hadn’t heard of this one, thanks.
Beautiful video. Your videos, again, prove to me that things like vehicles and tools have souls. Built to be something predictable and stationary in they roles. Throughout the lifetime, they show us that they are born to be something exceptional. I have bought a car in Italy that was imported from the USA by an American soldier working in an American military base in Italy. This car was Japanese and built in Japan. When I sold this car to my colleague from Ghana, and when he shipped she to Africa, I realised that that car visited 4 continents in one decade.
At one point I played an online warship game where I named my cruiser the Baychimo. I was highly impressed how many other players knew the reference to the Ghost ship. Great video, cheers from Scotland. We have a fascinating ships here and others that had docked here during the days of exploration and shipping using the seas.
I almost skipped the last video because I already knew about the arrows for the early flight paths in the USA. I watched it anyway and learned many new things about it. So when this video came up that was also about a topic I was already familiar with, I did not hesitate to watch it. Once again I was not disappointed, I was learning new stuff about this ship within minutes of starting the video. I appreciate the effort put into these videos.
Many years ago, on a diving expedition to Newfoundland. We dived gullies on the Northern coast. Len, our leader explained that the ice crushed unlucky ships , We dived several of these gullies and found only fragments, mostly unrecognizable. I found one piece, the innards of a steam gauge, and took it as a souvenir. According to Len, there were three wrecks in the gully we were exploring,. Nature had nearly finished reclaiming the elements of which they were made.
Always wanted to see a good video about her. My great grandfather worked on Bayeskimo doing similar things to Baychimo. Being from ardrossan it’s always been a fascinating story since ardrossan was their home port and it’s amazing to imagine them both coming in and out of the harbour. A place that seemingly no one believes to be a decent port. 😢
Toured the Fram (sp?) a few years ago - it’s in a museum in Oslo along with the Kon-Tiki and a Viking longship. Audacious idea, “we’re just going to sail up there and get stuck for a year”.
Somehow I've just recently found Your channel & subbed straight away. The quality of Your videos is excellent & You obviously put a-lot of work into researching Your topics. It's good to see a fellow Scott narrating interesting topics. Best Wishes bro. 🏴🏴👍👍
The Baychimo returning with such damage as part of her propeller missing reminds me of some of the things the starship Enterprise went through in its weekly missions. With Gene Roddenberry having been born in 1921, the timing seems to be about right for news of the Baychimo to be amongst his early influences. Other Star Trek writers were likely influenced too. Ships being lifted out of the water by ice was a phenomenon which Jules Verne and other writers made good use of. It always made for impressive word pictures, though at first, as a small child, I struggled to fit it into my nascent worldview of physics. :)
Your production quality made a leap yet again. I really liked the page-turning transitions in this one. And as always superbly researched and narrated. I think the first of your videos I've seen was the Kharkovchanka one and I made sure I haven't missed a single one since. Even the ones about your cars or the Rhododendron rant were immensely enjoyable to me.
Great story and storytelling as always. Would love to hear more detail about the supposed Atlantic sighting in WWII as well as the 1960s sightings that somehow never included photographs. Guess I’ll have to pick up a copy of that book!
Man some advice from one son who loves his dad to another - next time he brings you something to use - use it, nothing he wants more than to contribute and be a part. I had to learn that with my dad and I’m glad I did before he passed… youre a good dude thank you for respecting your dad most kids just don’t anymoren
As always your narrative is very well presented, as well as informative. You make an excellent story teller, very much like the old Menstrels, are Bards as those of your region I believe called them. I know most relate these as being those who played various instruments, and juggled various items, but a good many were the ones who kept the old stories alive for several centuries. You I feel definitely fit into the class that were those who kept the history alive for all others who listened to your stories to themselves pass along the same stories as people are known to do. Thank you for your dedication, and due diligence in your love of history that you enjoy sharing with all who have discovered your channel. Can't wait for the next lesson in history that you have in the making to present to those like myself. Be well, and keep up the excellent work young man
Goes to show the bravery and "can do" attitude of bygone years proving folks wrong. Would love to have been present with a camera when the skeleton crew of the Baychimo realized she had sailed without them. By the way, beautiful co-host. Recommended for more guest appearances.
@@CalumRaasay That’s an understatement sir. Absolutely loving the content. All those obscure and quirky vehicles researched into oblivion. So worth it. And watching is fun too of course.
That was so well told that I didn't see the 25 minutes fly past! It could have been twice as I long and i wouldn't have felt the difference. Amazing documentary as always
Bravo! 👏 Absolutely love this... your storytelling is always a breath of fresh air in a day where so many "documentarians" are as formulaic as the newspapers were back then. Small touches don't go unnoticed, like asking a native Swedish speaker to help with pronunciation (rather than just using Google Translate's Americanised version). 👍 Knowing a little about the Baychimo's story (and the huge pinch of salt those old newspaper articles need to be taken with!), I would have been interested to hear a bit more of your thoughts on the voracity of the oft-quoted "sightings"... having gone through the source material I'm sure you have a better feel for the more accurate reports & details versus journalistic "poetic licence". Brilliant video 👍
Wow! This was fascinating! I would have loved to have gone aboard that ghost ship. I hung on every word of your narrative. Your videos are the best on RUclips.
25 years ago I was fishing in the Bering Sea surrounded by massive ice flows. It was unnerving to say the least. The Alaskan Leader was completely inundated on all sides. Captain Richard Thummel got us through it. The man is a living legend. I never once doubted he would get me back to port safely. He demanded the best performance from his crew. And we delivered. Im proud to have fished and served as his deckboss on the greatest cod vessel in the world at the time.
Fascinating tale. I'd heard of the Baychimo before, but this vid was rich with detail and background. BTW, I'm sure I'm not the only viewer who pauses the vid to read the other stories in the newspapers!
@@CalumRaasay The thing that I love about your films is that you seek out fascinating stories that are not really widely known about. The fascinating odd corners of this world. And you sometimes go there and explore them! - The US airways markers, and the LeTourneau vehicles.
Newspapers at one time were quite remarkable. They were like the Network evening news, but you had to read it yourself, in stead of Lester Holt reading it to you. We don't really have that many newspapers like that anymore. They were current events and history books rolled into one.
Awesome video loved it. I bet the chances of ever finding this on the sea bed are very slim due to the ice cold conditions. Maybe some day someone will discover her remains and finish this wonderful story of her life. Thx Calum excellent delivery as always sir.
I think the Baychimo may still exist above the water. In the Seventies we had a lot of snow, a lot. Record dumps of snow. If the Baychimo was sighted in 1969. 30 years after it's last sighting. Everyone who has rediscovered it remarked how good its condition was. I think it was covered in snow in the seventies and it never melted. I think it is hiding in plain sight. Covered in snow. The Arctic and Antarctic regions have a unique ability to preserve. When we find it, it might even start.
This just makes me think of that Ford pickup they left overnight in the sea and at some point put on top of a building they then blew up. Which they were able to restart and actually drive away.
@@ukaszwalczak1154 possibly, I think that might be it! Our family car growing up was an already ancient Land Rover defender, thing was built like a Nokia 3310. When we moved from Italy to England we drove it all the way and then continued using it for 30 more years. I think you could put that Land Rover and the Old Ford pick up in a glacier and then drive them both after a few decades
I live in Alaska and I see and hear so many stories on fishing vessels and alike. I have to give kudos to these men who went out willingly and survived this environment. Not a tree or plant in sight yet the Inuit thrive here. If there is ever an apocalypse I’m going to find these people! They know how to survive
Though my body is lost, I will never be found. I sail today still, now within the minds of those who know me. The Arctic is my tomb, and your consenting mind is my sea. Love you all, forever and ever 🖤
This story is a real testament to the design and build of the ship, even if the later sightings are bogus, she survived in an incredibly harsh environment for a very long time, as well as her service before becoming stuck in the ice.
I am reminded a bit of Farley Mowat's "The Grey Seas Under" - the enthralling account of the 1918 salvage tug, renamed Foundation Franklin, based out of Halifax, performing remarkable recoveries off the Maritimes between 1930 and 1948. Recommended reading for anyone who finds this subject interesting. So salty you're eyes will rust.
@@CalumRaasay Oh do! His style makes for easy devouring. I'm certain you will find it interesting. •Thanks for including link to the blueprints here. •Keep up the great work!
My great-uncle, Percy McElwee, was the Chief Steward on the Baychimo. He was a part of the crew that over-wintered in the hut, which was built from deck-hatches and the lumber that was a part of the cargo. The picture of the hut that you see in this presentation is only partly built. It was finished by an external wall of ice-blocks or snow-blocks to provide extra shelter and insulation. Percy used scrounged materials to build a still, so that the crew could have a drink at Christmas.
Human ingenuity!
They must have been okay for supplies if they had rations to ferment into alcohol. I imagine keeping the fermentation warm enough was the hardest part, too hot and it’ll taste like acetone, too cold it wouldn’t be ready until next year lol
@@somethingsomething404 Remember vodka can be made from potato peels and à little sugar. I am not saying that is what they used but using that as an example of how easy it is to make potable alcohol if you want to. It may not taste great but it will get you hammered.
press x to doubt
@@Trump_Won_AGAIN it's funny how people like you enjoy doubting other's. There are people out there in this world that would of had family on this ship. I have no doubt this person did.
@@Trump_Won_AGAINThe story seems accurate according to Google.
My grandad was the cook on the Baychimo on 22nd August 1924 when it went to the aid of the Lady Kindersley which was trapped in the ice at Point Barrow. One of my cousins still has the life saving medal which he was awarded by the Hudsons Bay Company.
It would be fascinating to see a picture of that medal!!
Take a photo of it and submit it to some educational internet spaces/museums for preservation. That seems like a cool little piece of history hidden by scale
Great video! When I worked in the arctic in 1980 there was a freighter aground off Hall Beach in the NWT. No idea or a name or ownership but she sat there for years flooded almost up to her main deck. Then one day she was gone. Apparently the ice went out quickly in the spring and the frozen water inside her acted like a giant ice cube and floated her off. I heard she was spotted off the southern end of Baffin Island several hundred miles away before the ice melted and she sank. Don't know if that's true or not but it sounds plausible.
That’s fascinating! Eerie as well. I’ll have to do a search of the newspaper archives and see if anything pops up. Thanks for the comment John!
I can’t wait for the video on “the ship filled with ice that wandered off one day”
@@Ticklesteinthe wondering ice freighter
We’d be amazed if we knew where all our old stuff (and garbage) is now or see the journey
@@CalumRaasay
Oh please do. Sounds fascinating.
And a big thank you to @johnheaney3022 (OP) for sharing his intriguing story
🙂🐿🌈❤️
Given the ship was of riveted construction it was always doubtful to me that it could have stayed afloat for too long since like all ships of that construction ...she did leak and had to have her bilge pumps running periodically. That said, the fact that she popped up above the ice may have allowed her to drain during the thaws
Exactly, all ships leak- especially only tubs like her! She had been through the ringer numerous times so I imagine she had a fair number of leaks.
Her saving grace was that iceberg- photos show she was incredibly high up in the ice and, as captain cornwell laid out, that meant it could be many years before she’d come in contact with the water. Once she DID though… straight to the seabed imo
At first I wondered if the boilers could hold steam after they had been allowed to go cold and freeze.
Then I remembered the stories ice being chipped off the upper works of the ships on the Arctic convoys. That made me imagine a ship hidden within a block of ice.
@@CalumRaasay Yes I would think that she would have gone down by WW2. The gap in sightings? all through the 40's and 50' seems to support this
"That said, the fact that she popped up above the ice may have allowed her to drain during the thaws"
OR, if the ice lifted her up slowly enough, the hull could have ended up completely encased in ice. This could also end up freezing the rivets in place. This would potentially keep the ship from leaking at all. Of course, longterm, this also causes the rivets to dislodge ever so slowly, literally decades, and once the icesheet keeping the hull together melts, well, instant bye-bye.
But it's the simplest way i can think of that could have let it survive a reaaaally long time.
Well, aside from riding high on top of the ice all the time, that could do it for a long time.
@@DIREWOLFx75
Yes, but ice can ride high over other ice.
If snow falls it might not melt but if it did it would start to fill up the hull.
Thank you for the Baychimo video. It could be no one’s discussed the Baychimo for so long because it hasn’t been discussed in decades. You are changing that situation. Thank you.
I found out about the Kharkovchanka on one of these videos, maybe the one you made. now I’d like to know more about this ship as well. A human designed piece of architecture surviving intact while stuck in arctic ice for decades is truly amazing and deserves extensive study.
What a great comment! Thank you for watching and fully agree- her survival was a testament to some amazing construction!
@@CalumRaasaybrace yourself for a spate of new 'sightings' of the Baychimo being reported on the internet after this video gets thousands of views!
Cheers
‘Big Old Boats’ covered it a number of months ago
I saw it in San Francisco Bay last Tuesday! It had a full crew of Abominable Snowmen and the Captain was a Bigfoot. She was powered by a couple of Nessies!😊 Of course the camera on my phone was broken so I couldn’t take a photo.😢
@@chrismccall2122 Wow!
I still remember the first time she put in at Windhelm...such a majestic ship!
Quest updated: find baychimo
I know, right? 😄
I'm glad I'm not the only person who noticed it.
Thanks for telling this tale Calum - I love the romance of these tales, even if the likely reality doesn't live up to that. You did a great job again!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
You get an appreciation for how astronomically rare it is for a lost ship to be found again when you see stories of the ones who beat the odds and survive. At the time of the ship's loss everyone immediately arrives at the conclusion in vivid detail about the Baychimo breaking up and sinking only to be one of the most legendary ghost ships for it's impressive durability.
What a day that will be when she’s finally relocated and the final chapter of this amazing ship can be told..
Thanks Calum 🙏
I feel so many of my videos need an eventual update for when they’re located or more info turns up!
Maybe there is a slightly used carbon fiber submersible we could rent to search for her ... bring a pillow and a blanket. 😂😅😎
Haha I’ll stick to staying on the surface I think!
Its great to read that so many relatives of the crew have seen this video and left comments, like ghosts from the past to remind us of the real people who sailed on her.
Easily my favorite ghost ship story. I'm impressed by all of the extra details that you were able to bring up.
Thank you! Wanted to shine a light as much as possible on her impressive career, and not just the 'ghost ship' angle!
Just amazing. The amount of research you put into each (short) documentary is noteworthy.
Your talent for storytelling is unparalleled. Thank you.
Wow, thank you! Really appreciate that 🙏
tbh 27 minutes is equal to the actual information that you'd get from a 1-2 hour "documentary " on tv because this isn't full of fluff and a 5 minute commercial break every 16 minutes
As always, incredibly interesting. First rate research and presentation. You aren’t the only guy on RUclips that makes high quality mini documentaries, but you are the best.
Wow, thank you! Really appreciate that!
@@CalumRaasay It’s the truth. The amount of work you put into these videos is on another level from your typical RUclipsr and I look forward to every video.
@@ghostsquirrel8739If you haven't watched him before, I would also reccomend "Jacob Geller", my favourite piece from him was "fear of cold"
The side article at 15:03 about local nimbys fighting the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge is hilarious. Some things never change.
Another great video from this channel, BTW. I love these stories of polar expeditions and machines from the early 20th Century. It was such an interesting time where you had early modern technology mixed with the pioneering spirit of adventure and danger of older ages of exploration.
There was also an article about a lady being carjacked at gunpoint in the Vancouver paper.
The article about Moffett and the fight for funding for naval aviation is just amazing to us history nerds.
Calum, your research about each topic and quality of post production is amazing! You deserve much more attention. Greetings of the Czechia. 🙂
Wow, thank you! Greetings from rainy Scotland! I need to visit out there one day!
I just noticed that I burnt a hole in my white t shirt at 13:30 when I was trying to solder a bulb into a briefcase (long story). Rest assured I'll be sure to dress more appropriately next time.
okay fine I was making the briefcase from Pulp Fiction
That ship must've been well built considering how long she was floating!
I think that's what really saved her for so long - the ice strengthening along the hull (I detail it at the blueprints section near the start) might have made her far harder for the ice to crush. But more than that, being up high on the ice berg meant she was less likely to be ground on the shoreline over the years!
Swedish engineering at it's best.
Just found your channel Calum, but love the pace that you take in the videos. No fluff, just tons of good info. Love that you don’t find the need to fill your narration with superfluous dialogue. Really well done.
Too bad, the core crew didn't trust the construction enough to stay on board. I bet, there would have been a time window coming spring, where she could have steamed home.
Good video!
I saw a Facebook post today about Komatsu’s D155W underwater bulldozer made in the 70s. Looks right up your alley for a video and they claim some are surviving. Road trip! Love your videos. Keep up with the amazing work!
I have an old equipment book somewhere that has a section about that machine!
Man, I couldn't imagine being forced to spend half a year on a frozen ship in the arctic. I enter a fugue state when I have to spend an extra hour at work. lol
Most likely most of your day would have been messing around after you've done your rounds and basically be on call when something happens.
@@GrumpyIan I was referring to when the ship got stuck in the ice specifically. It's one thing to do the thing you signed up to do, it's another thing when during the return/home voyage you suddenly get 6-8months of overtime, :P
@@planescapedand probably without overtime pay also I am sure they would tell their crew to chalk it up to the game and be happy you get regular pay
Astounding at so many levels. What a credit to those who built her. Hundreds of thousands of miles her own under steam followed by thousands more courtesy of wind, tides, ice and currents. Absolutely riveting.
Your way of storytelling is so good. You speak with such passion and interest, and with fact and theory clearly layed out. Thank you for another fantastic video :)
Wow, thank you! Really appreciate that 🙏
I love the story of the Baychimo.
When I saw that it was you who was telling her story, I was like "YES!"
The amongt of research you did for all your other videos, made me very excited to see this, becouse I knew it would be amazing to watch and listen to.
Thank you very much for making this video. Very high quality!
For my personal thoughts on the ships fate, I hope that shes still out there somewhere, waiting to be found and if she is found, I hope they place a gps tracker on her.
If shes able to be brought back home, I hope they place her in a big custom made museum, just like with the Vasa. I would love to go see it.
Just like in movies, a person is never dead until shown on screen.
Until theres proof shown that she has sunk and been destroyed, I will hold out hope.
Again thank you for telling her story.
This was a masterpiece of storytelling and research. However, there are inconsistencies. It was initially stated that the men emerged from the shore house after 3 days of storms to find absolutely no sign of the Baychimo and believed her to be sunk. But in a newspaper interview at 23.56 Captain Cornwall states that they watched her go, heard of her North of them, and chased her with dog sleighs as she drifted.
There’s inconsistency in a lot of the stories unfortunately! Cornwell states he saw her go, but earlier reports stated she had vanished and that they assumed it had sank. Just like the many stories of boarding’s and sightings, each has to be taken with a pinch of salt! For example I don’t believe Leslie Melvin actually saw her, I think he told the story to make his trip sound more exciting!
How many beers had he drunk?
Newspapers in those days were like the internet is today: if the facts are unknown or don't fit the editorial bent, just "fake it" to sell more advertising.
@@donalddodson7365 in other words newspapers back then were like newspapers are today.
@@craig7285I was about to write the same thing 😂
You always manage to make previously covered topics entertaining. I mean, even knowing the outline of this story, I still liked the video.
Even when it is about something I have some familiarity with, I always find your videos interesting. I knew a bit about the Baychimo, but honestly speaking, I couldn't separate the fact from the fiction in my head, it was a jumbled mess. Thanks for helping straighten up that mess.
Mary Celeste may have big points for the creepy factor, but this truly is the ghost ship of ghost ships.
She's still out there, drifting along, living her best life. She helps people from time to time. Just a wonderful way to think of her. 😊
Great video, Calum. It's a shame her stranding did not happen recently. I'll bet that with today's technology this ship could have been found from the air and recovered for more service. It is amazing the objects that are floating out in the oceans of which no one is aware. A few years ago, a piece of a boat destroyed by the 2011 sunami in Japan washed up on a shore in the United States. It had obviously been floating for years in the Pacific Ocean. Keep making these interesting videos and I'll keep viewing them.
Lol no it would be recovered for scrap not more service got to pay for the recovery costs after all
Really interesting video once again, had no idea the ship was made in Sweden! Makes me smile every time something made here makes it to the history books :D
The story of the Baychimo has always been one of my favourites; thank you so much for the wonderful video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I think it's safe to assume the ship was finally crushed to destruction shortly after the last photos of it were taken. It's entirely possible that everyone who spotted it later just didn't have a camera on them, but it's just as likely that people started making up stories and exaggerating the truth until it became a myth.
Stories like this and earlier adventurers are what took me to live in Alaska 40 years ago. The “News” back then made up stories to sell their product , just like today. More STORY than REAL facts . I hadn’t heard of this one, thanks.
Beautiful video. Your videos, again, prove to me that things like vehicles and tools have souls. Built to be something predictable and stationary in they roles. Throughout the lifetime, they show us that they are born to be something exceptional.
I have bought a car in Italy that was imported from the USA by an American soldier working in an American military base in Italy. This car was Japanese and built in Japan. When I sold this car to my colleague from Ghana, and when he shipped she to Africa, I realised that that car visited 4 continents in one decade.
At one point I played an online warship game where I named my cruiser the Baychimo. I was highly impressed how many other players knew the reference to the Ghost ship. Great video, cheers from Scotland. We have a fascinating ships here and others that had docked here during the days of exploration and shipping using the seas.
There’s something really enchanting about stories like these. Great job :)
This really is one of the best videos i’ve seen in a long time, thank you for making it.
Thank you Azeria, really appreciate that!
I almost skipped the last video because I already knew about the arrows for the early flight paths in the USA. I watched it anyway and learned many new things about it. So when this video came up that was also about a topic I was already familiar with, I did not hesitate to watch it. Once again I was not disappointed, I was learning new stuff about this ship within minutes of starting the video. I appreciate the effort put into these videos.
Thank you! That means a lot, I always like to try and dive a bit deep that the usual surface level story
Many years ago, on a diving expedition to Newfoundland. We dived gullies on the Northern coast. Len, our leader explained that the ice crushed unlucky ships , We dived several of these gullies and found only fragments, mostly unrecognizable. I found one piece, the innards of a steam gauge, and took it as a souvenir. According to Len, there were three wrecks in the gully we were exploring,. Nature had nearly finished reclaiming the elements of which they were made.
Remarkable! Nature doesn't take very long to reclaim the works of mankind. Titanic is another example, she'll be gone before too much longer.
Always wanted to see a good video about her. My great grandfather worked on Bayeskimo doing similar things to Baychimo. Being from ardrossan it’s always been a fascinating story since ardrossan was their home port and it’s amazing to imagine them both coming in and out of the harbour. A place that seemingly no one believes to be a decent port. 😢
Man i was just binging your videos. And then this comes out, such luck! Absolutely love your documentaries. Super good production!
haha good timing - I think Saturday night is always a good time to release, plenty of people looking for things to watch!
Toured the Fram (sp?) a few years ago - it’s in a museum in Oslo along with the Kon-Tiki and a Viking longship. Audacious idea, “we’re just going to sail up there and get stuck for a year”.
I’m desperate to visit the Fram and Kon Tiki museum!
Somehow I've just recently found Your channel & subbed straight away.
The quality of Your videos is excellent & You obviously put a-lot of work into researching Your topics.
It's good to see a fellow Scott narrating interesting topics.
Best Wishes bro. 🏴🏴👍👍
So fascinating! I love your channel man! As a former mariner myself, I find these stories especially cool.
The Baychimo returning with such damage as part of her propeller missing reminds me of some of the things the starship Enterprise went through in its weekly missions. With Gene Roddenberry having been born in 1921, the timing seems to be about right for news of the Baychimo to be amongst his early influences. Other Star Trek writers were likely influenced too.
Ships being lifted out of the water by ice was a phenomenon which Jules Verne and other writers made good use of. It always made for impressive word pictures, though at first, as a small child, I struggled to fit it into my nascent worldview of physics. :)
I have never stumbled upon a better channel than this one, I absolutely LOVE the content. It scratches my History Channel itch from 20 years ago.
Powerful storytelling. I'm 1:45 in, and I'm hooked in already. Amazing.
Appreciated! Really enjoyed making that intro haha
@@CalumRaasay I can imagine. You are very gifted. Exceptional writing/storytelling skills, and a great communicator.
First to be stuck in ice.
first to be stuck in my heart *don't tell my wife
The endurance was stuck in ice a century before
1,500th to be stuck in the ice.
First to knock one out
@@jameslarkin4067 And the Belgica 15 years before that
Your production quality made a leap yet again. I really liked the page-turning transitions in this one. And as always superbly researched and narrated.
I think the first of your videos I've seen was the Kharkovchanka one and I made sure I haven't missed a single one since.
Even the ones about your cars or the Rhododendron rant were immensely enjoyable to me.
A new Calum video, yes please!! Great video as always my friend, thank you for uploading! 👍👍
Man, I have missed that calm, Scottish voice, telling me about vessels of various kinds
I’m back!
I love playing Stormworks and watching your vids on obscure vehicles.
Good combo!
I'm a great one for sea mysteries, I'd not heard of this ship! Thank you, for telling a new sea story to me.
Wow! A very well written documentary and a better storyteller.
Im from Sweden and have never heard about this ship.
Great story and storytelling as always. Would love to hear more detail about the supposed Atlantic sighting in WWII as well as the 1960s sightings that somehow never included photographs. Guess I’ll have to pick up a copy of that book!
Woah it’s cool to that Mattias was in this video, I love his videos
Haha he’s a good guy!
Incredible amount of effort to collect all these news stories and pictures. Well done documentary.
Thank you, great ship and crew.
Man some advice from one son who loves his dad to another - next time he brings you something to use - use it, nothing he wants more than to contribute and be a part. I had to learn that with my dad and I’m glad I did before he passed… youre a good dude thank you for respecting your dad most kids just don’t anymoren
Every one of your topic video's is a true masterpiece, I am sure to watch this one quite a few times more! Thanks!
Wow, thanks! Really appreciate that
As always your narrative is very well presented, as well as informative.
You make an excellent story teller, very much like the old Menstrels, are Bards as those of your region I believe called them.
I know most relate these as being those who played various instruments, and juggled various items, but a good many were the ones who kept the old stories alive for several centuries.
You I feel definitely fit into the class that were those who kept the history alive for all others who listened to your stories to themselves pass along the same stories as people are known to do.
Thank you for your dedication, and due diligence in your love of history that you enjoy sharing with all who have discovered your channel.
Can't wait for the next lesson in history that you have in the making to present to those like myself.
Be well, and keep up the excellent work young man
Goes to show the bravery and "can do" attitude of bygone years proving folks wrong. Would love to have been present with a camera when the skeleton crew of the Baychimo realized she had sailed without them.
By the way, beautiful co-host. Recommended for more guest appearances.
Always a good day when a Calum video lands 👍🏼
Glad you like them!
@@CalumRaasay That’s an understatement sir. Absolutely loving the content. All those obscure and quirky vehicles researched into oblivion. So worth it.
And watching is fun too of course.
That was so well told that I didn't see the 25 minutes fly past! It could have been twice as I long and i wouldn't have felt the difference.
Amazing documentary as always
Glad you enjoyed it! There was a lot more to talk about but I didn’t want to pad it out too much!
Great video as always and loved the appearance by Mattias to help with pronunciation
The only two Channels I genuinely wait for are You and Jafromobile. Always worth the wait between videos
I'm so happy you mentioned the Fram
Thank you for telling this story.
I just went to Norway recently and got to see her in person!
Nice. Did you see the polar bear in the cage in the hold of the ship ? Was it still roaring ?@@CalumRaasay
Bravo! 👏 Absolutely love this... your storytelling is always a breath of fresh air in a day where so many "documentarians" are as formulaic as the newspapers were back then. Small touches don't go unnoticed, like asking a native Swedish speaker to help with pronunciation (rather than just using Google Translate's Americanised version). 👍 Knowing a little about the Baychimo's story (and the huge pinch of salt those old newspaper articles need to be taken with!), I would have been interested to hear a bit more of your thoughts on the voracity of the oft-quoted "sightings"... having gone through the source material I'm sure you have a better feel for the more accurate reports & details versus journalistic "poetic licence". Brilliant video 👍
Great story, great ship. Ship stories are so tragic and romantic at the same time.
Wow! This was fascinating! I would have loved to have gone aboard that ghost ship. I hung on every word of your narrative. Your videos are the best on RUclips.
Wow, thank you!
25 years ago I was fishing in the Bering Sea surrounded by massive ice flows. It was unnerving to say the least. The Alaskan Leader was completely inundated on all sides. Captain Richard Thummel got us through it. The man is a living legend. I never once doubted he would get me back to port safely. He demanded the best performance from his crew. And we delivered. Im proud to have fished and served as his deckboss on the greatest cod vessel in the world at the time.
Fascinating tale. I'd heard of the Baychimo before, but this vid was rich with detail and background.
BTW, I'm sure I'm not the only viewer who pauses the vid to read the other stories in the newspapers!
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s a fun story that I think is often misunderstood
@@CalumRaasay The thing that I love about your films is that you seek out fascinating stories that are not really widely known about. The fascinating odd corners of this world.
And you sometimes go there and explore them! - The US airways markers, and the LeTourneau vehicles.
Newspapers at one time were quite remarkable. They were like the Network evening news, but you had to read it yourself, in stead of Lester Holt reading it to you. We don't really have that many newspapers like that anymore. They were current events and history books rolled into one.
Someone send this to one of the restoration channels. The ultimate "Will it Start!?".
thank you for all the work you put into this and all the other videos you produce. fascinating stuff! great dog, too.
As always Sir, incredible storytelling and editing, truly appreciated this video and the presentation. Thank you!🙌🙌
So nice of you! Thanks for watching Thomas
A lot can be said for Swedish quality!! Indeed a legacy.
Awesome video loved it. I bet the chances of ever finding this on the sea bed are very slim due to the ice cold conditions. Maybe some day someone will discover her remains and finish this wonderful story of her life. Thx Calum excellent delivery as always sir.
We can live in hope! Maybe this and Snow Cruiser will both appear one day, floating in a block of ice together! haha
Fantastic video as always Calum.
I really enjoyed this tale of the Baychimo.
Thank you from Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
Glad you enjoyed it! Appreciate the comment. Hope to get out there myself one day! Just finished a book all about Beacon Island/Batavia's Graveyard.
@@CalumRaasay Good fishing out there, Stayed on Beacon Island many times when I was a kid. My Uncle was a Crayfisherman from Geraldton.
Love the channel and all the fascinating history you present on it that'd I'd otherwise not know about. Also love the Skyrim icons!
I think the Baychimo may still exist above the water. In the Seventies we had a lot of snow, a lot. Record dumps of snow. If the Baychimo was sighted in 1969. 30 years after it's last sighting. Everyone who has rediscovered it remarked how good its condition was. I think it was covered in snow in the seventies and it never melted. I think it is hiding in plain sight. Covered in snow. The Arctic and Antarctic regions have a unique ability to preserve. When we find it, it might even start.
This just makes me think of that Ford pickup they left overnight in the sea and at some point put on top of a building they then blew up. Which they were able to restart and actually drive away.
@@IronWangCreates You mean the one from Top Gear?
Nah, it being findable is likely, it starting, don't think so-
@@ukaszwalczak1154 possibly, I think that might be it! Our family car growing up was an already ancient Land Rover defender, thing was built like a Nokia 3310. When we moved from Italy to England we drove it all the way and then continued using it for 30 more years.
I think you could put that Land Rover and the Old Ford pick up in a glacier and then drive them both after a few decades
They found the ship from the Franklin expedition. They just had to go look for it. Stranger things have happened.
I live in Alaska and I see and hear so many stories on fishing vessels and alike. I have to give kudos to these men who went out willingly and survived this environment. Not a tree or plant in sight yet the Inuit thrive here. If there is ever an apocalypse I’m going to find these people! They know how to survive
Love your channel. I truly believe you are criminally underrated!!
Did not expect to see Mattias Krantz in a video like this 😂
Great video! First of yours I've seen. I feel like that means your on the way up :)
Fantastic video as always Calum. I'm a little spooked by the floating head in your office though!
Hahaha £10 to whoever can who that is!
@@CalumRaasayAt 1:05 the disembodied head to the right of the microphone is the famous pilot Edna Christophersen, who searched for the ship ... 😂
Though my body is lost, I will never be found. I sail today still, now within the minds of those who know me. The Arctic is my tomb, and your consenting mind is my sea. Love you all, forever and ever 🖤
As ever Calum, utterly brilliant story, thank you so much..
Great story Calum. Love your documentaries. Look forward to the next.
Martin.
Many thanks Martin! Appreciate the comment 🙏
This story is a real testament to the design and build of the ship, even if the later sightings are bogus, she survived in an incredibly harsh environment for a very long time, as well as her service before becoming stuck in the ice.
Absolutely love this channel. Thank you for reaching and sharing your work. I haven't came across a video here that didn't capture my interest.
Thank you! Really appreciate that
Because your dog loves you so much and recognize you with much more credibility than someone else she’s never heard of. Animals know about character.
Haha poor daisy has been SO patient as I worked late each night to get this finished! She's a good dog
Another awsome Callum documentary, thanks!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Good video again. The Jeannette expedition you mentioned is a great story in itself too.
Glad you enjoyed it! I’d LOVE to do a video on the Jeanette. Crazy story.
Great video Calum! One of my favorite stories!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Remarkable story. One wonders what the freezing conditions would have done to the boilers plumbing. 😮
Yeah I do wonder if they emptied the boilers or tanks when they moved to shore
I am reminded a bit of Farley Mowat's "The Grey Seas Under" - the enthralling account of the 1918 salvage tug, renamed Foundation Franklin, based out of Halifax, performing remarkable recoveries off the Maritimes between 1930 and 1948.
Recommended reading for anyone who finds this subject interesting. So salty you're eyes will rust.
Oooh great shout! I’ll pick that up.
I’ll be honest I think I know the Mowatt name best from Whale Wars 😂
@@CalumRaasay Oh do! His style makes for easy devouring. I'm certain you will find it interesting.
•Thanks for including link to the blueprints here.
•Keep up the great work!
beautifully fluent narration. Excellent work Sir. Thank you!
Most welcome!
I'm a sucker for documentaries. Just love watching your videos! Great job making your videos!!!
Another interesting topic, Calum. Well produced and with a great storyline as always. 🙂
Thank you kindly! Always appreciate such kind comments! 🙏