Of Norsemen, Chinese Pirates and German Gunboats

My father-in-law told me of his father’s adventures as a merchant seaman. Like many young Norwegians, Alf took to the sea once he passed the age of confirmation. (In old Norway, people considered confirmation the age when a child became an adult.). This was age 13 or 14.

In the years before World War I, several Chinese ports were controlled by Western countries. For example, part of Shanghai had been run by several Western nations. Called the International Community, it was policed and governed by the  British commonwealth the United States, Denmark, Italy, France and Germany. The Germans also controlled the ports of Tsingtao, Hangkow and Tianjin

Alf  was on a ship headed for one of the German-controlled ports. They were probably sailing on a square-rigged windjammer. These sailing ships were faster than the steam ships of the time, used no fuel, and hauled bulk cargo. On the way into port, they found themselves being followed by Chinese pirates. The Norwegian ship hastened into port, pursued by the Chinese.

They made it!

Once into port, the incident with the pirates was reported immediately to the port authority. The ship’s captain gave the location of the pirates. Within minutes, a German gunboat left port to hunt down the Chinese sea wolves.

Some time afterward, the German gunboat returned to port. Hanging from its lines and railings were the Chinese pirates. The German Navy (Kriegsmarine) knew how to send a message to others who might try their hand at piracy in those waters.

German Gunboat. Lots of places from which to hang pirates.

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If you enjoyed this story, please read some of the other articles on this blog.

The Whiskey Cask and Captain Oblivious

The Whiskey Cask

My father-in-law told me a story about his father’s sailing days. Back then, there were many fleets of windjammers. These were square-rigged sailing ships with two to five masts. Windjammers ran from the late 19th century until the 1950s. They were used for large, low-cost cargoes such as lumber, grain, guano and ore. Because they did not use fuel or water for steam, they were economical. Also, many were faster than the steam ships prior to the 1940s.

One captain had a ritual when he did the run from Norway (to Australia or the west coast of South America). He would put a cask of fresh akvavit (Norse moonshine) in the hold of the ship. The captain claimed that by the time the ship ended its return voyage, the whiskey would have aged perfectly. He swore by this.

On one voyage, some of the sailors tapped the keg for a few drinks. They did this a few times, so that the cask was almost empty. Afraid they might get caught, the men refilled the cask with liquor they bought at one port or another.

When the voyage ended and the captain called for his cask, the men were sure they would be caught. The fresh liquor had no time to age. So it was that the captain had the cask brought to him. The men were concerned as he opened the keg and poured himself a drink. The old seaman took a whiff, smiled, and drank a shot.

The sailors were sure their pilfering would be exposed.
“Ah, yes,” said  the captain, “Perfect as always.”
The sailors breathed a sigh of relief.

Alf had other adventures during his young sailing days. He had been aboard three ships that were torpedoed during World War I. Alf was also aboard a ship that was pursued by Chinese pirates in the years just prior to the War.