Scandinavian American. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1945-1958, 1949-09-13
Continued from Page 81

The long ships of the Vikings
mark a climax in shipbuilding in
so far as elegance Of hull and
smooth sailing are concerned.
Despite many improvements in
other respects the ships of the
middle ages were inferior to them
both in beauty of line and in speed
which were not equalled again
until the appearance of the clippers
in the 1S40's.
The remains of a shipyard which
may be dated at about 1885, have
been eXcavated at Svendborg, while
another large yard is known to
have been built at Nakskov, near
the present shipyard, in 1910. But
it was in the century from about
1850 EDWARDS that Denmark again
took leading part in shipbuilding,
especially by reason of the we'll
managed naval yard in Copenha
gen. All the ships which passed
Elsinore were measured for the
Sound dues, whereby much valu-
able experience was no doubt
gained Denmark's first really ra-
tional naval architect, Ole Judich-
aer, a pupil of the famous physic-
ist Ole Remer, and director of the
naval yard, systematized designing
by making small models, which
We're then sawn in two and used for
designing real ships. Under Jul
dichaer and his successor, the
great shipbuilder Henrik Gerner
the Danish naval yard achieved
Constitutional advances which sub
standardization the Danish fleet
had been carried off to England in
1s07-were carefully studied across
the North Sea and then partly
adopted in British ships.
The last three quarters of the
eighteenth century, the age of
merchantilism, was a great period
fer Danish shipping and shipbuild-
ing. In Copenhagen, one shipyard
after another grew up and the
Government encouraged private
shipbuilding by substituting the
building of merchant ships that
could be taken over by the navy
in the event of war. Scattered
over Denmark important shipyards
were laid out, or new ones flour
ished. At Flensburg, in the south
of Funen, at Marshal and Alborg,
at Fano and on Bornholm, and at
many ether places there We're live
ly shipbuilding activities which
lasted until on into the last third
of the century. The ships built
were of course wooden sailing
ships, both large vessel for over
seas trade and smaller ones for
more local navigation in the Baltic
and in Danish waters. The clipper
form eventually set its mark on
most Danish-b built sailing ships, but
a special national type developed
IN the so-called Marshal schooners
called after the town which prin-
cipally built and owned them. The
most conspicuous features of the
type are a round stem. flat. heart
shaped stern. rather ample shape
above water and a pronounced
rake. But they have good under
water lines and are good sailers,
and their admirable qualities as
sea-going ships made them widely
known. In the severe traffic with
salt and fish between the Mediter-
ranean and observation-disclosures,
not least, they long held their own,
even after the first World War.
Many of these ships are in commits
sion to this day as motor sailers
under the Danish or Swedish flag.
The building of wooden ships
in Denmark has still by no means
ceased. In various parts of the
country there are many large and
small yards which build wooden
ships CT up to a couple Of hundred
tons d. va few built for the
Greenland trade are considerably
bigger-and the excellent sea-go-
ing Danish fishing cutters have
fine traditions TO build upon. Like
other Danish vessels they are based
on centuries of practical and theo-
retical experience. 1t is worth re-
cording that Denmark still has
rn.oden shins in service that We're