Polar Ocean

The "Polarhavet" was on its first trip to the White Sea in 1919 and returned home with a catch of 1500 seals and 1 walrus.

On March 14, 1928, the "Polar Sea" became stuck in the ice. The day before, they had caught 500 seals east of Cape Gorodetskji. The next few days there was a fresh wind, but they were able to continue their catch. But on March 18, the ice changed abruptly, and a churning began that built up into large churning farms. 4 row supports on the port side were cut straight off, and the entire crew worked around the clock chopping and shooting ice with dynamite to reduce the pressure on the ship. On March 20, the ice loosened and they managed to move a few hundred meters before the ice pressure set in again. The engine was stopped and the ship lay in a small cove in the ice. But late in the evening, the ice began to pack together around the ship again. On March 21 at 2:00 p.m., the situation was so critical that all men were called to deck. At 3 p.m. the ship's sides were pressed together amidships and the ladder down to the saloon was blocked. The deck was breached, and all men had to abandon ship immediately. No one managed to salvage any personal belongings. 15 minutes later the "Polar Sea" sank. The crew set out on a journey. There were many ships around them, and they were spread out over several ships. 19 ships sank in the White Sea this year. 11 of them in the same 24 hours.

Trip to the White Sea with S/S Polarhavet, 1921

It shines and shines until March 1.

Then it's time to gear up for another trip to Kvitesjøen.

The crew had to be mustered and all equipment had to be taken on board. The blubber tanks that were lying out in Vallkvæ were to be hauled on board. This was done by anchoring with 3 locks of chain and then mooring the ship ashore astern. Then we rowed ashore with a wire and stuck a piece of boiler pipe down the manhole with a wire strap in it. Then it was up to the winchman to haul the tank aboard. The worst job was to haul the tanks into place down in the room. After that it was to get everything else needed for the trip in place. The compass had to be corrected. At that time it was N. Svabø, who was the optician with Grønvold Meier who corrected. Or it could have been the Seaman's School director and teacher H. Sandset who corrected our compasses.

Tuesday 15th March we left Brunholmen and arrived in Kristiansund at 3 pm. Clear weather and southeast breeze. We will take on board bunkers here.

Wednesday, March 16. We have been taking coal on board all day so now the ship is stuffed full, a total of 1200 hl. It was Svalbard coal we got, and it would later turn out that we were cheated on that deal. There was a lot of snow in the coal and it was bad.

Our engineer was Peder Strand from Volda.

At 2 pm we cast off and raised the anchor.

We went out of Nordsundet and further north through Trondheimsleia. At 6 pm the watches began to turn. The wind turned from SE to SW. There are rain showers.

Wednesday 17 March. Arrived at Kirkholmen in Stokksund at 3 pm.

There we unloaded 50 barrels which we put up on the quay. At 7 am we threw out the cargo and went to Bessaker and anchored. We have now made the ship seaworthy so that we can take a berth if necessary. At 7 pm we hoisted up and anchored further inland. High seas, storm from the SW

Friday, March 18. At 6 am we raised anchor and headed north from Grunen and set course across Folla to Haraldsøkråka.

There was a fair wind so we stretched out the mainsail, jib and mizzen.

At 12 midnight we passed Sandnessjøen. The wind has swung from southwest to southeast with rain showers.

Saturday 19 March. The wind shifted to the north, so we had to lower all sails. We met many cargo ships. The wind shifted a little so the mainsail was furled. Passed Støtt at 10 am. Arrived in Bodø at 7 pm. S/S "Signalhorn" from Brandal was already here. Skipper on it is Ola Rebbestad.

We took a trip ashore to get some hair and beard done. There were only ladies with the hairdresser. I think it was a bit embarrassing, but we got on just fine. I also went into a shop with someone named Ulrik Riedel and bought me a guitar. Riedel was deaf and mute. As soon as I got to the counter, he took a notebook and a pencil and handed it to me. I got a good guitar and wanted it to have more tone than the man had.

Sunday, March 20. Weighed anchor at 4 a.m. We left Landegode and headed across the Vestfjord to Lødingen and on through Sandtorgstraumen. At 12 midnight we passed Harstad. Nice moonlight, quiet.

Monday 21 March. Has been going uninterrupted last night. At 5 am we passed Finnsnes and at 6 ½ am we passed Gibostad. We arrived in Tromsø at 11 am. Anchored off the northern breakwater at Pølsehavna. Strong current.

We rigged out the splitter boom and put a lot of guy rope on the main rig. We blew off the boiler to get new water on it. The seal catchers from the south located here are: S/S "Ice Havet", S/S "Vesterhavet", S/S "Hvitehavet", S/S "Polheim", S/S "Kap Flora", S/S "Sælfangeren", S/S "Signalhorn" and so on. Clear weather, light wind from the north.

Tuesday, March 22. This morning the water boat came alongside with us and pumped water on board for the boiler. We also filled the starboard fore tank and the forward water tank.

We got the shoal at its peak this afternoon. Monrad and I were in town doing various purchases for the trip. We also sent letters and telegrams south. Some of the ships went north last night. Snow flurries and southwest gales.

Wednesday, March 23. Early today we raised anchor and headed north. Raised the mainsail and jib. Later the mizzen was also raised.

At 10 o'clock in the afternoon we passed Hammerfest. The S/S "Hvitehavet" entered the town but we continued on, fresh wind from the southeast, clear weather.

Thursday, March 24. We arrived in Honningsvåg at 7 am. The customs officer came on board to inspect. Later, the harbormaster also came for his check. At ten am, Benjamin and I went to visit the Oskar Paulsen family. At 3 pm, we weighed anchor to go further into the harbor. All the sealers who were in Tromsø have now arrived here. Some had been in Hammerfest last night. There is a gale from the southeast and it is cold.

Good Friday, March 25. We sailed out at 5 o'clock in the morning and rigged the bowsprit. At 7 o'clock we weighed anchor and set sail from the harbor and set course for Nordkyn. S/S "Polheim", skipper Severin Hessen and S/S "Sælfangeren", skipper Johannes Torvig, S/S "Signalhorn" skipper Ola Rebbestad. These three ships were left in Honningsvåg. The other ships are now sailing in a line eastward, first S/S "Ishavet", then "Vesterhavet", then we and finally S/S "Hvitehavet". We are all sailing under full sail. We have passed Nord Kyn and we have set the log. The course is east to south, ½ south. Light wind from the southeast, clear weather, the sea calm.

Saturday, March 26. The wind has now turned more in the direction of the wind, so it's not going so fast. We had to lower all sails so that we wouldn't get too far off course. It's supposed to be Easter Eve today, but I can't tell. And it's probably the same with the other guys too. It's only when you eat that you can tell it's the weekend. There's more wobble after we lower the sails.

Easter Sunday, March 27. A pleasant Easter morning – we were called to reef the sails. We put two reefs in the mainsail and stretched it. Then we stretched the jib, between the jib and the mizzen. We are lying east to north. The speed is not greater than that we have had to start the log several times. We have got another ship in sight. It is apparently the S/S "Kap Flora", the skipper on board is Peder Andresen.

We passed a motorboat that was in front of other boats. It probably came from the North Ice. This morning we were the last boat in line, now we are the first again. We must be getting closer to the ice, because it has started to get colder. It is starting to freeze a little on the line too. Gusts from the south east, snowy air, high seas.

Easter Sunday, March 28. The wind has been against us the whole crossing, so we have not had a chance to stay on course. Last night the wind died down, so we lowered all the sails and took them in the moorings.

The course was changed from east to north to south east. "Kap Flora" is in the lead and "Vesterhavet" next to us. At 9 o'clock in the morning we hit the first knot trip. The log was checked and it showed a sailed distance of 295 minutes. The ice is in strips. Here also the occasional young seal is throwing, and we have picked on board 50 of them. We have filled the port stern with coal from the room.

Before it got dark we saw S/S "Remø" from Ålesund, skipper on board is Sigvald Remø. We also saw a Russian guard boat that will be on guard on the line Kapp Kanin – Sviatoi Nos. It is freezing cold. Everything is freezing. Tonight, when it is dark, we will be on guard alone. Strong wind from the south east.

Tuesday, March 29. The one-man watch stopped at 6 in the morning.

Have cast full starboard stern from the hold. The storm tore the ice from the strip we were in, so we had to move to firmer ice. Have got 13 animals. The people have gone far into the ice with hook ropes and pulled them on board.

The storm has been blowing all day, but now towards evening it died down. The water pipe from the water tank froze, so we couldn't get water for the galley pump.

Wednesday, March 30. We have been fishing all day. The ice is dense and bad. Occasionally there are large flakes. The catch for today is about 300 animals. It is a mixture of young and old seals. "Kap Flora" has been fishing near us. We praised "Remø" a while ago and they could tell that they had about 3-400 seals. They could also tell that they had praised a Russian icebreaker that was 10.000 tons and had 200 men on board, they said that they had 20.000 seals. But if it is true, see it?

Nice breeze from the south. Snow showers and cold.

Thursday, March 31. We worked a three-man watch last night to empty the amidships tank of coal. We have been fishing all day, but it has been slow. The result today is about 150 seals. On the horizon we can see the "Vesterhavet", the "Ishavet" and the "Sælfangeren". We have flattened the catch from yesterday onto the amidships tank, a total of 365 seals. At 12 o'clock the clock was set forward 1 ½ hours. We will have many foot baths. One after the other we walk through the ice and get our feet wet.

The sun shines beautifully during the day, but it is still cold. Tonight there will be a man's watch. Nice draft from the south. Clear weather.

Friday, April 1. We started walking at 6 am.

Have caught a little. This evening the port boat was put on the water together with the light boat. We shot from both boats about 50 seals. Later in the day we passed "Polheim". They had about 600 seals. A manned guard was posted for the night.

Light wind from the east. Big swell from the northwest.

Saturday, April 2. At 4:30 we were sent out to get ready for another fishing trip. But there was little to see in the forenoon.

We praised "Kap Flora". It had about the same catch as us. "Vasterhavet" also has about the same catch as us.

It was decided that we would go east to see if there was anything to do.

We walked out of the ice and across a bay to the next headland.

There we hit the seal again. There is a big swell, there is a big swell, almost like you can turn your stomach, right up to your ears. Got about 80 seals today. We have spawned in front of the middle tank.

Sunday, April 3. We have only been drifting for wind and weather. In the morning we went up a little. We have flattened all the rails that were on deck for the center tank.

There's a huge storm coming from the west. Big swell.

Monday, April 4. We have gone through the ice crisscrossing the landscape to find the seals. Just before noon we came across some seals and the result was 96 animals. In the morning we saw land for the first time. Presumably it is the coast that extends from Cape Rabbit and eastwards. (We were later about 200 meters from that stretch of coast. It is a low coast, but the landscape rises to a height of about 200 meters above sea level. The coast itself is in the reeds after the sea level).

S/S "Vesterhavet" has teamed up with us and caught. At 7 in the afternoon we put up for the night. The skipper took a trip on board the "Vesterhavet". Big swell from the west.

Tuesday, April 5

We started at 4:30 in the morning. There are few seals and seals. We have caught about 30 animals and it is decreasing. I was ordered to catch walruses at 2 in the afternoon. But as soon as the ship got close enough, the walrus went into the water. It was impossible to use the boat because the ice was too thick. The walrus uses small flakes to lie on, if it goes into the sea it just rolls off the flakes. There is a big swell and a nice breeze from the south.

We see land. Kalle hit a hole in his knee. He fell on the chainsaw, but I got the blame.

Wednesday, April 6.

We started walking at 5:30 in the morning.

At 8 o'clock the southwesterly wind picked up, so we had to stop to put the ship adrift in the lee of an ice floe. The wind increased so we had to stretch the mainsail and jib. We can see 5 ships on the horizon. There is a huge southwesterly swell.

We have flattened all the rails and lashed everything on deck. The wind has swung from southwest to northwest. We are backing southwest. Time is passed with "casino", "syringe" and solitaire. Or we just stare at the horizon.

Thursday, April 7.

We have been lying and aground. At 10 o'clock we stretched the foresail and went at half speed in the engine. The course is southwest. We see land to the southeast, but no ice to be seen, only a strip of ice. We see the other ships ahead of us. We are far out to sea, the southwest and northwest have pushed the ice inland and eastward. At nine o'clock there is a squall from the southwest again. The sails are lowered and we are going with the engine against the wind.

It's so cold that as soon as the sea spray hits the deck, it freezes into ice.

Friday, April 8

Last night the wind became too strong, so we stretched out the mainsail and jib and headed west. When it got light we saw Cape Kanin in the SW to W. We have joined some Tromsø and Bodø ships. There is "Polarulv" from Bodø and "Johanne Schelderup" and others.

"Kap Flora", "Remø", "Hvitehavet" and "Ishavet" are also here. Just before midnight we went to the edge of the ice and lay still. We lowered the sails and let the ship drift. When we had stopped we saw something that looked like a cloud passing by in the sky. It looked like the moon in the first quarter. It was a solar eclipse, we only saw a small part of the sun.

Last night we signed a contract about who could stay away from tobacco. The contract hasn't been signed yet. I've managed for a day now. It's unusual not to have anything to suck on, even though I have a lot of tobacco.

We went into the ice this afternoon. The swell has grown a lot. The crests of the waves inside the ice floe are so big that we can only see a foot of the crest of the ship that is in the next trough, and at other times we can't see anything.