Freezing I

The sinking of the Arctic ship "Fryser 1"

The Arctic ship "Fryser I" was built under the name "Alekto" at the Skaaluren shipyard in Rosendal in 1900. When the boat was delivered, it had these dimensions: 159,5 feet long and 28.6 feet wide. It had a gross tonnage of 552. It was powered by a 374 hp three-stage steam engine, built at Stavanger Støberi & Dok.

"Alekto" was delivered to AS DS Alekto in Stavanger and was used in freight traffic. The boat ended up in Oslo in 1917 under the ownership of Skips AS Loddings rederi. During the 1920s, the boat changed owners several times. The new owner in 1924 was Dampskibsaktieselskapet Alekto in Tønsberg. After a forced auction in 1926, we find the boat registered at DS AS Trio in Tønsberg in 1927. Only a year later did the boat end up in Bergen at AS Obii. Here too, the boat was only for a short period, Lars Christensen in Tønsberg was the new owner in 1929. Norsk Havfiske AS, Tønsberg was allowed to sail the boat in 1930. It is now registered as a fishery with the mark V 13 T. The boat goes on freight traffic, and is periodically rented by the kvalkokeriet "Pioner" as a freezer and depot ship. In 1931, a partnership with HG Melsom, (one half) Aksel and Peder Luhr took over the boat.

In 1933 the boat changed its name to "Fryser I" and received the fishing mark O 24 O. Now H. Tungvaag and Lovin Bratlid owned the boat. In the trade register, Norsk Frysecompagni AS (H. Tungvaag and Captain Bratlid) was registered as the owners. In 1934 "Fryser I" was rented to Richard von Tscharner in Oslo for 9 months. The tenant wanted to use the ship for seal hunting. He had an idea to not only take skin and blubber, as the other ships did, but also freeze all the meat from the seals and bring it home.

Things were not going so well for the "Fryser I" on seal hunting. While hunting in the Vesterisen on March 27, 1934, the ship brutally hit a foot of ice with its stern and hit the propeller. They were lying in heavy ice, and saw little hope of getting out of the ice. The Arctic ship "Vestad" was nearby and was contacted for assistance with towing out of the ice. But "Vestad" could manage on its own in the dense ice, and had to refuse requests for assistance.

An attempt is then made to hoist some tarpaulin to sail to try to steer the ship out of the ice. This is also unsuccessful, and contact is now made with the "Polar Bear" who will come to assist. On board the "Polar Bear" they are looking bleakly at interrupting the hunt for a longer period, but they are willing to take on the crew from the "Fryser I". But the captain is not quite ready to leave his ship yet, and the "Polar Bear" initially takes on half the crew and continues the hunt.

"Veslekari" was also contacted for towing to Norway, but unfortunately they were much further away from the casualty. It ended with "Polarbjørn" gradually picking up the entire crew from "Fryser I", which had now also developed a major leak after the rudder had also been knocked off. "Polarbjørn" also took nearly 800 skins, some provisions and two boats from "Fryser I". There were now a total of 54 men on board "Polarbjørn". This was too many men to continue the fishing, and "Polarbjørn" therefore gradually left the ice and headed home.

In the deck diary of "Polarbjørn", kept by Kristoffer Marø, we can read more about these days surrounding the sinking of "Fryser I":

Thursday 15.03.34

At 5 a.m. Passed Cap. Orlov.

At 6 am the lighthouse on Penisula passed. Light southeast breeze, light snow showers.

 Friday 16.03

At 1 am. Passed Vardø 3 nautical miles off. At 7 am. Passed Kjølnes, calm and fine weather. At 4 am. Passed Nordkapp about 6 nautical miles off. Log shows 347` and is now set to 0`. Course is set to west-northwest. Sails added light breeze from south-southeast. Partly cloudy air, light.

Saturday 17.03.

Last night we had a fresh gale from the east-southeast and heavy snow. 7 am. I put in two reefs in the mainsail and lowered the jib. 12 am. It's a bit of a shame and it's going southeast, snow showers. At 5 am we have gone out 193'. The barometer is falling steadily.

Sunday 18.03

At 8 a.m. Has the wind gone south and snow showers. Log shows 318`. We are at 72<sup>0</sup> 50`No. 98 10⁰ . Now changing course to west, heavy sea from east. At 12 noon. Measured log 355`. At 7 am. Wind is westerly and easing but heavy sea from east, cloudy sky.

Monday 19.03

At 8 am. Log shows 1 and 500. The wind is fresh northwest. We lower the sails and head towards. At 1 am. Log shows 532`. The wind is north-northwest. We set two furled mainsails and steer northwest to west half west heavy sea from northeast fresh gale. At 6 am. We hit the first ice floes. At 9 ½ am we hit a strip and lay still for the night. Log shows 586`.

We should now be at 73.⁰ 50`No. And 5<sup>0</sup> 45` LVgr. The wind is fading and it is getting cold.

 Tuesday 20.03

Going west through the strips. The ice is in strips. We meet many ships, they report poor catches. Only M/C "Nordland" has caught 1200 whitefish. We continue west, fine weather, light southerly wind, a little snow. We have caught 4 blimps.

 Wednesday 21.03

Going outwards and inwards and working our way westwards. At 8 am. We come up with some seal pups. But we are 10 boats in a small patch so it won't be much. It's getting dark so we have to use our searchlights. We get about 550. Fresh southerly breeze.

 Thursday 22.03

When it gets light in the morning we find a 150 seal. We then go south, but don't find any more seals again. We then head northwest and at 8 am. We come up to some humpback whales and piglets and get about 50 of them by dark. Light southerly wind and fog. At 10 am we lay still for the night. We are now together with M/K "Nordland" and a large cargo ship that we don't know, probably "Fryser 1".

 Friday 23.03

Today I have caught some fish in the strips. We have had snow all day so it has been difficult to orient ourselves. We have caught about 280 sculpins and grebes. Now there is a breeze from the northwest, towards the evening it will ease up. We do not have a sure position, but assume to be at 72⁰ 10` north latitude 8⁰ longitude west of Gr. We are far inside the ice, but here there is a heavy swell coming from the southwest.

 Saturday 24.03

Last night we had a strong northwesterly gale that gradually eased throughout the day. We have been fishing in a strip all day and have caught about 400 bream and bream.

We see Jan Mayen in the south-southwest and are then at 72⁰ north and 8 west.

 Sunday 25.03

The weather is nice in the morning but towards the evening we get a snowstorm from the east-northeast. We have caught in the same strip as yesterday. The ice is now in strips with large gaps in between. We have caught about 500 seals today. Many boats have arrived here, so there will probably be tough competition.

At 9 am we have to prepare for storms and snowfall.

 Monday 26.03

The wind is blowing and it's lightening up. We're going in strips from time to time and getting 330 pigs and clappers. Blowing wind.

 Tuesday 27.03.

We are located in the Vesterisen at about 72,10⁰ northern latitude and about 8⁰ west. At 7 am we hear on the radio that "Fryser 1" has lost its propeller and needs help.

"Fryser 1" was in a westerly direction to us and we immediately went west to him. We were asked by the captain to wait nearby, as he was waiting for a telegram from his shipping company.

We camp for the night near him. The weather is fine but the ice is bad. We had intended to go north to hunt for young seals, but now we have to stay here.

Caught 100 animals today.

 Wednesday 28.03

We have been anchored near "Fryser 1" all day. Fresh easterly wind with snow. We do not want to wait here any longer, but offer "Fryser 1" to take the crew on board if they want to abandon the boat. We are asked to wait until the next morning and we agree to that. The wind is blowing and it is lightening.

 Thursday 29.03

At 9 am we receive a telegram from our shipping company not to wait any longer, and we offer to take the crew on board, but the captain does not think he can leave the ship, after which half the crew remains on board "Fryser 1", while the rest goes on board with us, a total of 14 men. At 12 noon we are ready to leave "Fryser 1", now with a weak southwest wind and fog.

We go east and get some animals, about 100 in total. At 10 am we lay down quietly for the night. We then hear by radio that the rest of the crew will leave the ship, and we agree to go back to get them.

 Friday 30.03

At 4 am we head west towards "Fryser 1". At 9 am we are alongside and take on board the rest of the crew, as well as catch, some provisions, a motorboat and a catching boat. We finish this at 5 am and then head north where we see several boats catching. We have taken on board from "Fryser 1" 565 bluebacks and 208 humpbacks. There are now a total of 54 men on board, of which 28 men from "Fryser 1".

 Saturday 31.03

We praised several vessels that the day before had caught from 400-600 animals. I am now going east and southeast as I want to look at the ice edge for seals, but no catch here.

 Sunday 01.04

We continued southeast, but no catch. Only bad ice. In the fog we have gotten away from the other sealers, and I find it difficult to continue here and go into the ice with so many people on board, so I decided, after a conference with the shipping company, to interrupt the trip and go home immediately. We left the ice on Monday, April 2nd and arrived at Brandal on Friday morning, April 6th, where the crew of "Fryser 1" goes ashore.

During the time we were attached to "Fryser 1", several of the other sealers have, according to reports, caught from 500 to 1500 animals. In addition, we had to interrupt the trip too early in order to bring the crew home, whereby further loss of catch must be calculated.

 Kristoffer Marø

Einar Aambakk writes in his book "Time I Remember" under the chapter "On a privateer's expedition in the Vesterisen" more about the sinking of "Fryser 1".

Aambakk writes that it was Easter Sunday and they were there in a group of 4-5 ships not far from the wreck. Towards the afternoon, several of the crew said to the skipper that they should go forward. There might now be some loose cargo on board that could be useful. They ended up taking the cargo. Only at a slow speed, and not directly. They hooked here and there but steadily getting closer. Then the other ships understood what was going on and there was a race among the ships to be first. And why not, says Aambakk, the ship was now abandoned cargo. Four or five of us guys were chosen to jump aboard as soon as our ship reached it. Among them was the captain who was complaining about a bad galley stove, and was curious if there might be a better one on board. When the ship arrived, it was moored to the side, while the "privateer crew" had long since come on board. Then the other ships arrived. Some 40-50 men had now come on board "Fryser 1".

It turned out that it was the northerners who had the most business sense. They sniffed out the provisions ahead of time. Soon both sacks of halibut meal and breadcrumbs were distributed among the ships.

People were absolutely wild about writing Aambakk, they behaved like scoundrels. The most stingy ones went wild on doors, cabinets and other furnishings.

It was a ribbed ship crew left out the evening after the naval battle, Aambakk writes further. And the galley stove? Yes, we had it safely brought on board for us, and it worked fine. The old galley was tipped overboard, and soon the boiler was put on the new galley. The steward shone like the sun, and did not skimp on the coffee bread for the rest of the trip.

But the ship wouldn't sink. Finally, a couple of ships decided to take her tow to Norway anyway. It seemed to be going well for a long time, but then she started to get heavier and heavier in the sea and suddenly she put her bow down and disappeared into the depths.

Following this sinking and the salvage operation, the shipping company at Brandal submitted a claim to the insurance company and the Ministry of Trade for salvage, lost catch and "1st class catering for the sunken crew". The claim was for NOK 10.000.

The insurance company believed that the claim was unreasonably high given that Polarbjørn had taken so much catch, etc. from the casualty. Kristoffer Marø has stated in a note what Polarbjørn took from the wreck:

5 pcs chickpeas

3 rifles

1 motorboat

1 chronometer

16500 rounds of ammunition

565 pcs Blueback

208 Klapmyds

The shipping company responded that the claim had been set as low as NOK 10.000 because what they salvaged from the casualty was considered part of the "salvage pay".

Supreme Court attorney Johan Cappelen later wrote on behalf of "Freezer 1" that "Polarbjørn" also allegedly took with it 4 barrels of salted meat, 200 kg of sugar, 300 kg of margarine, 4 boxes of unsweetened milk, 100 kg of coffee, 6-7 sacks of flour, 1 box of canned meatballs, 1 ½ boxes of corned beef, 40 kg of pork, 1 box of raisins, 1 box of fish cakes, 1 box of onions, 2 boxes of prunes, 1 box of syrup, some cheese, etc.

 It later emerged that "Polarbjørn" had brought some provisions with it to provide for the rescued crew, but most of them had probably been taken on board by the other ships that participated in the naval battle on Easter Sunday. The captain of "Fryser 1" then came up with a fairly long list of provisions that were supposed to have been on board.

In later correspondence with the owners of the other ships that were nearby, it was agreed to pay NOK 100 for what they were owed for taking from "Frysar 1". It would be 1,5 years before all parties involved in the case were satisfied with the settlement.

AS "Polarbjørn" was allowed to keep what they had salvaged as compensation for the operation.

Text: Webjørn Landmark