All this was excitedly observed from the shore . ... such a ship as hadn't been seen in decades. This was long after the great days ofNorwegian sail, but it was a coast inhabited by many of the old sea captains. there to Seattle by cross-country bus. From England he sent large lighthouse at Lista. People reported a ship heading easttwenty tons of rigging wire and five tons of paint. Captain such a ship as hadn ' t been seen in decades. This was long after Boman rerigged and refitted Moshulu and then proceeded to the great days of Norwegian sail, but it was a coast inhabited sail the big four-master to Australia with only twenty people by many of the old sea captains. The big vessel sailed before a fresh breeze from the northall told-a total of twelve deck hands, six sailors to a watch. Each fo'c's'le, port and starboard, was designed as quarters for west, deep laden. What was the meaning of the ship? It was the exactly twice that many sailors in her German days. day following the German invasion. On arrival in Australia, Moshulu took her place as a regular Finally she came close enough that the name could be in the grain race and circled the world four times in this trade. read-Moshulu. She proved her mettle against her celebrated fleet mates. The German army, occupying Norway, soon ordered the Under Captain Michael Sjogren she won the grain race for unloading of the grain cargo, a valuable one in wartime. 1939, reaching Queenstown, Ireland, in 91 days from Spencer's Captain Sjogren put a stop to this and protested vigorously Gulf, Australia. Aboard was the writer Eric Newby from (and one would think at some risk)-he declared the cargo was Britain, who wrote a book about the voyage. destined for Denmark. He finally elicited a receipt from the The outbreak of World War II in all its fury on September German commandant and was able to report making the best 3, 1939, had an immediate effect on Captain Erikson and his of a bad situation to Gustav Erickson in Mariehamn in the remarkable fleet. Most of the gallant ships were laid up, except Aland Islands (Finland). for one more grain cargo for Moshulu-not a world-circling On May 22, the discharge of cargo began at Kristiansand voyage as was the style in the Australian grain trade, but an where the ship had been moved. TheMoshulu was then laid up Atlantic Ocean voyage down to Buenos Aires. During her in Movig, near Kristiansand, a favorite anchorage in southern absence, Denmark, the destination for her cargo, fell to the Norway since the Middle Ages. In the 17th century, Movig Germans. A letter by Captain Michael Sjogren, who took over was used by the Baltic (grain) fleet; as many as forty ships command in 1938 from Captain Boman, describes her return dropped the hook there awaiting a favorable wind. For two years after her return , the Moshulu lay undisturbed, into the dangerous, war-tom waters off North Europe, fighter planes circling the ship and cannon fire within earshot: but in July of 1942 she was taken over by the German military "Then I asked the pilot, who appeared to be nervous, why to be rigged down. J. Ferrell Colton wrote in Windjammers there were so many German planes. He answered that the Significant: "Knowing that this move would be the beginning of the end Germans had invaded Norway last night and that there is total war. 'You must get away from Norwegian territorial for this magnificent barque, Sommarstrom (Erikson's repwaters, otherwise you are sure to be sunk.' I then started to resentative) objected violently in the interest of the owner. think-Norway is a land at war, so we shall continue the The German authorities threatened to have him hanged, voyage to Denmark. The pilot left us and we continued the whereupon he realized the futility of further endeavors to voyage. The wind was light and we made 4-5 knots. maintain the vessel and soon returned to Aland." "At noontime I heard the news. Then it was reported that In November Moshulu was towed to the navy yard at even Denmark was occupied by the Germans. Then I did Horten, outside of Oslofjord ... "und dort abgetakelt" (rigged not know what to do. Denmark was also at war! We decided down) . She was then towed north, as a barge, stationed at then to try to getto some Swedish port. We continued After being laid up in Seattle from 1929to 1935, Moshulu was purchased our sailing. The wind was still weak from southwest by the Finnish shipowner Gustav Erikson and took her place as a regular and we still made about 4-5 knots. in the grain race, circling the world four times in this trade . Moshulu is "At about 7 hours in the evening I again heard pictured here in 1937 in The Sound near Kronoberg, Sweden . news on the radio. The minefields were given. Skagerack was blocked with mines from Hirthal to Lindesnes. Also, the Swedes had laid out mines around their coast. Now good decision was expensive. We had about 15-20 nautical miles to the minefields and those ;:2 we could not get past. ~ "There was now nothing else to do than to try to ;;:r;; get in to some close port in Norway ." -' f... Captain Sjogren picked up a pilot who could guide ~ him into a snug anchorage behind an island in the little ~ port of Lotshamnen, but the wind was wrong to sail ~ around the island to get there. Moreover, the pilot, a ~ steamship man, didn't understand what a sailing ship 8 could and could not do. Studying the chart, Sjogren ~ discovered a narrow back-door passage behind the ~ island-the Moshulu might just make it but she would have to douse sail and drop anchor the moment she emerged. It worked. The ship was physically safe. All this was excitedly observed from the shore. The vessel had made landfall north of Egersund, on April 10th she was observed west ofRekefjord, at noon off the SEA HISTQRY 61 , SPRING 1992
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