«…ONCE A SAILOR – ALWAYS A SAILOR…»

Speed and Service

WILH.WILHELMSEN – A NORWEGIAN SHIPPING COMPANY ONLY

A visit to the library of the oldest seaman association in Norway-the result

Meetings and talks with old sailors are always meetings of great interest  having lived with the thrilling information about ships for years. The membership of the oldest seaman association of Norway satisfied my privat wish for joining the sea without being a sailor: Drammens Seamans Association situated in the Norwegian city Drammen.

A SHORT HISTORY OF A NORWEGIAN SHIPPING COMPANY

The book I got from the library dealt with the history of the shipping company WILH.WILHELMSEN. The short history of the company is written in English and published in England in year 1994. We learn the story of a family who is dedicated to sea activities, business, foreign countries and above all: The radical change of the business concerning new ships and new possibilities.The company has survived all the changes during many years from 1861 to present date. This book is dealing only with the years from 1861 to 1994.

My privat interest of the story is related to my late father who was a sailor of the company for some years: Konrad Arthur Johansen- mate educated at the seaman school in the city of Tønsberg.

HOW DID THE COMPANY SURVIVE THE CHANGE FROM SAILING VESSELS TO STEAM VESSELS?

«…A bird in the hand was worth two in bush…». The proverb meaning if is better to keep a small certain advantage than risk losing it by persuing a greater but uncertain reward-so far the strategy of the shipowners during the years of 1861 to 1994. The company  even survived to wars – the first and the second world war.

THE BOOK

The content of book about the company is divded into five main parts:

- the history of the firm

-Portrail Gallery: The people. The ships.

-The Fleet

- Abeer marine Services

-Index and derivations of ships names

The story and the final fate of the ships are listed as a part of the book. We get a report of the story of the ship from the day the ship was made till the ende of the ship.

WHAT ABOUT MY LATE FATHER WHO NEVER WANTED A LIFE ASHORE?

Here is the name of the ships where he worked as a mate or as chief mate.

-          Taurus (III): page 137.The ship was named after a mountain range in southern Turkey

-          America (III): page 110/111. Americus Vespucius

-          Tungsha(1): Page 119. Town in China

-          Taronga (II): page 136. Zoological garden in Sidney, Australia

The official story about Taronga in 1940 is a very strange story. The ship did not return the a foreign country after getting  information of the German invasion of Norway in 1940.No. The ship went to Larvik and was later on taken on by the Germans. My father sailed as chief mate on the ship

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Paying vist to small libraries pays off finding books of the golden age of the Norwegian fleet after the second world war.

 

 

Wilh.Wilhelmsen 1861-1994

A brief history by Bård Kolltveit and a fleet list by Michael Crowsly. Published 1994 in England

 

Tedd Urnes

02.02.2026