Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Fall/Section018/Captain Otto Olsen

Biography

Early Life

Captain Otto Olsen was born in 1883 on a dairy farm in a Norwegian town of 14,000 to two Lutheran parents, along with three sisters and a brother. He went to school and helped his family on the farm. However, he disliked doing both of those things and instead took up sailing when he was thirteen and a half.

Working for the British and Shipwreck

Captain Olsen began working for the British when he first started shipping. At fifteen he joined a voyage that took him to China for two years. The voyage then had to stop by Galveston, Texas to get cotton to bring back to England. As the ship reached the Gulf of Mexico it was hit by a massive storm and, out of the thirty-nine on board, Olsen was the only survivor. He was picked up by a passing ship and taken to Galveston, where he ran into an old friend of his. He allowed Olsen to stay with him, and in his house they rode out the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900. After helping clean up from the storm, Olsen went to New York for six months before going back to England to attempt to collect his wages. Once he got there, the court attempted to try him for desertion, but he escaped.

Working for the Dutch

After escaping the British, Olsen went to work for the Dutch. He circumnavigated the globe three times, and got in two more shipwrecks, one in the Baltic Sea and one off the coast of Siberia. He got books from every country, as well as women and alcohol.

Settling Down

Once he decided he was too old to be sailing the high seas, Captain Olsen retired to New Bern, North Carolina, where he worked on a dredge boat. He got married and adopted a boy and a girl. He, while being a practicing Lutheran, let his daughter go to the Baptist church and his wife and son go to the Episcopal church, and he would go with them whenever he was in town. He did not live with his wife whenever he would be out on the dredge boat.

Social Issues

Norwegian Immigration

Starting in the mid-18th century until the mid-19th century, Northern European immigrants entered the United States in droves. While they did face prejudice, it was not as substantial as the prejudice that non-white immigrants faced. The Nordic immigrants were often denied jobs and pushed into others because, as a white settler explained, “Many of us take for granted that all Norwegians are “natural” sailors”. They were decently well liked in the pre-established communities, and the centennial anniversary of Norwegian immigrants in America was “an event of historical importance in both countries… as proved by the presence of President Coolidge”.

Shipping Rivalries

At the time of Captain Olsen’s voyages, the shipping rivalries were incredibly competitive. While privateering had gone out of practice and therefore these rivalries did not turn violent, they were still incredibly tense between the countries. Captain Olsen joining a Dutch crew after being ousted by the British was an act of revenge. These countries despised each other. Norwegians acted more as free agents in the conflict, but once a person chose a side they would stay there. Captain Olsen stood in blatant defiance of societal norms.

Bibliography

Christmas, Earl. "Heirs to the Vikings in America." Current History (New York) 23, no. 1 (Oct 01, 1925): 61.

"Farm Wife, 1900" EyeWitness to History (2007),

TANGERAAS, LARS. "Norwegian Sailors in American Waters, 1850-1914." Scandinavian Studies 54, no. 2 (Spring, 1982): 137.

"The Galveston Hurricane of 1900" EyeWitness to History (2005),

Warner, Arthur. "NATIONAL RIVALRY IN SHIPPING." Current History (New York) 39, no. 1 (Oct 01, 1933): 51.