Hercules II

Construction began in July 1912, and the first trip on the Arctic Ocean was in 1913.

In 1914 they had a catch from the Arctic Ocean of 225 walruses, 200 fur seals, 1 live and 21 shot polar bears, plus several barrels of salmon. The purpose of this trip was also to continue catching whitefish, but when they began to run out of coal they had to end the trip and go home.

Disappeared without a trace in the disaster year of 1917 with 14 men on board. Read about the disaster in 1917 here: https://www.ishavsmuseet.no/fortellingar/paskemysteriet-i-vesterisen-1917/

On 4 April, "Hercules II" left Ålesund. This was the third year the schooner was going to catch quail ross off West Greenland. After it left the Norwegian coast, no one knows more about where it went or where it may have sunk. The skipper had stated before departure that they expected to be home in mid-September, but that it could be October. But when it was November and they had not returned home, one began to fear that it might have sunk. From the ship control it was said that the boat was extremely strong and well built, and with "magnificent machinery". They ruled out that "Hercules II" could have sunk in the open sea. If the schooner had sunk, this must have happened because of a collision with an iceberg, or because the ship had hit a mine. Another reason could be ground noise or ice screwing.

The 14 who came away with the Admiral were: Knut Olsen, Ålesund, Christian Tonning, Larvik, Peter B. Knutsen, Bergen, Peter Hagen, Johannes Larsen, Mosjøen, Joakim Molvær, Ålesund, Johan Follestad, Ålesund, Lars Fylling, Ålesund, Oscar Olsen, Østersund, Per Fiskå, Ålesund, Daniel Bjerknes, Ålesund, Johan Lervåg, Nordland, Dankert Sylte, Ålesund and Abel Larsen, Ålesund.

The logbook of "Hercules II"

There was little trace of the shipwreck in 1917. One fishing boat was found. But with so many ships, there should have been so much more.

An object was found from the "Hercules II" that left Ålesund bound for Greenland.

It was the skipper of the "Hercules II", Knut Olsen, who wanted so badly to send a greeting home to his wife before he sank into the sea. Yes, he wanted it so badly that the greeting would arrive, even if it took almost 30 years, and with the help of all the good powers in the world.

It so happened that when the "Hercules II" sank in the sea, the ship's log floated up. Such a log usually lies in a drawer in a dresser, but this time the log floated up after the sinking and remained adrift in the sea.

Much later, a Faroese fisherman found the journal floating in the sea and took it home. By then, this journal had been lying in the sea for so long that all the writing was illegible. But this fisherman took care of this journal. It is unknown why, the text was illegible.

And then we arrived at 1940. Then there was a boat called "Silva" that wanted to escape from the German occupation power here. It came to Brandal and hired a skipper from here, Bertel Landmark.

He was the brother of the widow of the skipper who went to sea in 1917.

"Silva" went to Thorshamn and remained there for the five years of the war.

Somehow, this skipper, Bertel Landmark, found out that there was an old fisherman who was supposed to have the ship's logbook for "Hercules II". He caught up with the fisherman and had the logbook handed over to take home to the widow of skipper Knut Olsen, who was then Bertel Landmark's sister.

But then it turns out that Bertel becomes ill, he is admitted to a hospital in Thorshamn and later dies there.

Should the journal still remain there?

No, fate strikes again. 3 of Brandal's schooners remain in Hallifax throughout the war. These are now on their way home. They get a storm in the Atlantic, and use more bunkers than planned. They have to go to the Faroe Islands to bunker down.

Here, one of these skippers, Knut Olsen, who is the son of the Knut Olsen who went to sea in 1917, finds out that his uncle, Bertel, is in hospital here and goes to visit him.

Here he is handed the ship's log from the "Hercules II", and takes it home to his mother.

28 years after the sinking, the greeting came.

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When the journal of the "Hercules II" was found in the Faroe Islands, it may be a theory that the Hercules sank near the Faroe Islands and not in the great storm in the West Ice. Could there still be truth to the rumor of a mine explosion?

Many families were severely affected by the disaster of 1917. Ole and Godtfred Brandal were two brothers who escaped the storm.

Andrea Olsen, born Landmark, was left with 7 children aged 12 years to 3 months after Knut left on the "Hercules II". Knut's brother, Oluf, died the same year. A third brother, Theodor, left on the "Kviteggen" three years later. They found no trace of her there either.