Thor (1903)
"Thor" was a Danish research vessel from 1903 to 1927. She was built by Edwards Brothers at North Shields, England in 1899 as a steam trawler. "Thor" conducted hydrographical and oceanographical research in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean and helped locate the spawning grounds of the Icelandic cod. Most importantly, "Thor" conducted two expeditions to the Mediterranean Sea in 1908-1910 with Johannes Schmidt as cruise leader. The aim of the expeditions, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, was to locate the spawning grounds of the European eel. Contrary to their expectations the expeditions found that fewer eel  larvae (leptocephals) were found the deeper they went into the Mediterranean, but they also grew larger. The logical conclusion was that the spawning grounds were not in the Mediterranean, but in the Atlantic Ocean. In a broader perspective, the greatest result of the two expeditions was the very large contribution to the general understanding of the oceanography and pelagic fauna of the Mediterranean. In 1914, "Thor" was commissioned into to the Royal Danish Navy, in which she remained until decommissioned in 1929, and transferred to Icelandic ownership, but was wrecked the following year.