Svend Foyn
Encyclopedia
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
whaling and shipping magnate who pioneered revolutionary methods for hunting and processing whales. Svend Foyn introduced the modern harpoon gun and brought whaling
Whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
into a modern age.
Background
Svend Foyn was born at Foynegården in TønsbergTønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
, the son of shipmaster Laurentius Foyn and Benthe Marie Ager. Svend Foyn wed Elise Amalie Tvede during 1839 in a marriage which ended in an amicable separation in 1842. His former wife, later known as Elise Wærenskjold
Elise Wærenskjold
Elise Wærenskjold was an Norwegian-American writer, temperance leader and early pioneer in Texas.-Background:Elise Amalie Tvede Wærenskjold was born in Dypvåg parish, in Kristiansand in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway...
, immigrated to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
during 1847. Foyn maintained a long distance friendship with his ex-wife throughout the remainder of their lives. In 1849, Foyn married Magdalene Margrethe “Lena” Bull, with whom he would be married for the remainder of his life.
Career
The whole process of whalingHistory of whaling
The history of whaling is very extensive, stretching back for millennia. This article discusses the history of whaling up to the commencement of the International Whaling Commission moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986....
was changed drastically when Svend Foyn invented the exploding harpoon. By doing so, he removed much of the danger from whaling although it remained a very dangerous undertaking. His invention increased the efficiency by which whales could be captured and made it possible to hunt the larger and faster rorqual
Rorqual
Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. They include the largest animal that has ever lived, the Blue Whale, which can reach , and another that easily reaches ; even the smallest of the group, the Northern Minke Whale, reaches .-Characteristics:Rorquals...
s, the largest group of baleen whales.
Svend Foyn introduced mechanized, steam-powered catcher boats equipped with bow-chaser deck cannons and heavy-caliber harpoons that exploded on impact. Foyn constructed his 86-ton, seven-knot Spes et Fides, the first steam-powered whale catcher. The ship was equipped with seven whale guns separately mounted on the forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
, each firing a harpoon
Harpoon
A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument used in fishing to catch fish or large marine mammals such as whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target animal, allowing the fishermen to use a rope or chain attached to the butt of the projectile to catch the animal...
and grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
. The vessel was 94 feet (29 m) long, with a 20-horsepower (15-kW) engine. It could reach a speed of 7 knots (13 km/h).
Svend Foyn patented his grenade harpoon gun in 1870. He modified existing designs and utilized ideas developed by Erik Eriksen
Erik Eriksen (explorer)
Erik Eriksen , was a Norwegian ice sea captain born in Lyngør, Norway. He later moved to Hammerfest, Norway. Eriksen was the inventor of the grenade harpoon used in modern whaling. Erik Eriksen travelled to Tønsberg with a wooden model to commercialize the harpoon with the help of Svend Foyn....
. It consisted of a cannon that fired a barbed explosive head harpoon. Aimed and fired, the harpoon barb would hook into the whale. A moment later an explosive charge in the head of the harpoon would inflict a mortal wound. Then the whale was retrieved by a winch. Once alongside the whaling vessel, the whale was pumped full of air to keep it afloat, as the whale was moved to the location of processing.
With this development, he launched Norway into a new and profitable industry. After years of perfecting a cannon that could fire a grenade and harpoon simultaneously, Foyn finally managed to catch 30 whales in 1868. These increased efficiency and volume, enabling the harvest not only of all of the species that had been hunted for, but also the largest species which had eluded all previous hunting technologies. The whaling industry was in decline when Foyn first began his development of the bow-mounted harpoon cannon. Foyn's eventual successful development of the cannon, in combination with fast and sleek steam-powered catcher vessels, ushered in a modern whaling industry that was to become dominated first by the Norwegians, then the British and finally the Russians and Japanese.
The Antarctic Expedition of 1894-95 was funded by Svend Foyn and led by Henrik Johan Bull. The expedition was a whaling expedition that sailed to the Ross Sea
Ross Sea
The Ross Sea is a deep bay of the Southern Ocean in Antarctica between Victoria Land and Marie Byrd Land.-Description:The Ross Sea was discovered by James Ross in 1841. In the west of the Ross Sea is Ross Island with the Mt. Erebus volcano, in the east Roosevelt Island. The southern part is covered...
aboard the ship Antarctic
Antarctic (ship)
The Antarctic was a Swedish steamship built in Drammen, Norway in 1871. She was used on several research expeditions to the Arctic region and to Antarctica through 1898-1903. In 1895 the first confirmed landing on the mainland of Antarctica was made from this ship.-The ship:Antarctic was a barque...
.
Svend Foyn's worker's homes, restored and protected flats for workers built 1857-70. In 1865 there were 73 flats and 303 residents. There was a library, prayer room and the country's first kindergarten. Svend Foyn was not only a man before his time in the modern whaiing industry, but also as regards social conditions. Svend and Lena Foyn's Memorial, a home for elderly ladies founded by Lena Foyn in 1896. Since 1983 the building has been used for business purposes. Svend Foyn's Chapel, was consecrated 5 November, 1876. There was seating for 500 people and at the time it was Norway's largest and most beautiful chapel.
Svend Foyn residence
The former residence of Svend and Lena Foyn on Storgaten in TønsbergTønsberg
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, southern Norway, located around north-east of Sandefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tønsberg....
is a protected house. Built in 1700, Svend Foyn's complete townhouse complex is a shipowner's house from 1750, and Svend Foyn's childhood home, protected in 1924. It is the only complete house of its style from the 18th century in the town.
Later years
Foyn was entered as a Knight in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1853, was promoted to Commander in 1870 and received the Grand Cross in 1893. Foyn died during 1894 in NøtterøyNøtterøy
Nøtterøy is a municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Borgheim.The parish of Nøtterø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, followed by the death of his widow Lena during 1905. The couple had established “The Svend Foyn and Wife Mission Fund” (Norwegian: Svend Foyn and Hustrus Missionsfond) with an endowment of over . The fund was intended for the benefit of their workforce and for the welfare of their families. His statue, by Norwegian sculptor Anders Svor, was erected outside the cathedral in Tønsberg (Tønsberg domkirke) in 1915.
Legacy
A number of locations related to the Antarctica and the surrounding area are named for Svend Foyn including:- Foyn IslandFoyn IslandFoyn Island is the second largest island in the Possession Islands, East Antarctica, lying 4 miles southwest of Possession Island. The island was explored by a Norwegian expedition of 1894-95 led by Henrik Johan Bull. The island was named for Svend Foyn, primary sponsor of the expedition. An...
- the second largest island in the Possession IslandsPossession IslandsThe Possession Islands are a group of small islands and rocks extending over an area of about , lying in the western part of the Ross Sea, southeast of Cape McCormick, Victoria Land...
of East AntarcticaEast AntarcticaEast Antarctica, also called Greater Antarctica, constitutes the majority of the Antarctic continent, lying on the Indian Ocean side of the Transantarctic Mountains...
. - Foyn CoastFoyn CoastFoyn Coast is that portion of the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula between Cape Alexander and Cape Northrop. Discovered in 1893 by a Norwegian expedition under Captain Carl Anton Larsen, who named it for Svend Foyn, Norwegian whaler of Tønsberg whose invention of the grenade harpoon greatly...
- on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula between Cape AlexanderCape AlexanderCape Alexander is a cape which forms the south end of Churchill Peninsula and the east side of the entrance to Cabinet Inlet, on the east coast of Graham Land. It was charted by the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and photographed from the air by the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition in...
and Cape NorthropCape NorthropCape Northrop is a conspicuous, rocky bluff which rises to 1,160 m, forming the north side of the entrance to Whirlwind Inlet, on the east coast of Graham Land. Discovered by Sir Hubert Wilkins on a flight of December 20, 1928, and named for Jack Northrop, designer of the Lockheed airplane used on...
. - Foyn PointFoyn PointFoyn Point is a point, surmounted by a peak 525 m high, marking the north side of the entrance to Exasperation Inlet, on the east coast of Graham Land. Sir Hubert Wilkins on a flight of December 20, 1928 photographed what appeared to be an island off the east coast, later charting it in 6630S, 6230W...
- marking the north side of the entrance to Exasperation Inlet, on the east coast of Graham LandGraham LandGraham Land is that portion of the Antarctic Peninsula which lies north of a line joining Cape Jeremy and Cape Agassiz. This description of Graham Land is consistent with the 1964 agreement between the British Antarctic Place-names Committee and the US Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names, in...
. - Foyn HarborFoyn HarborFoyn Harbor is an anchorage between Nansen Island and Enterprise Islands in Wilhelmina Bay, off the west coast of Graham Land. Surveyed by M.C. Lester and T.W. Bagshawe in 1921-22. Named by whalers in the area after the whaling factory Svend Foyn, which was moored here during 1921-22....
- anchorage between Nansen IslandNansen IslandNansen Island or Isla Nansen Sur is the largest of the islands lying in Wilhelmina Bay off the west coast of Graham Land, lying 4 miles east of Emma Island. Nansen Island was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition under Adrien de Gerlache and named for Dr...
and Enterprise IslandEnterprise IslandEnterprise Island or Isla Lientur or Isla Nansen Norte or North Nansen Island is an island that is 1.5 miles long and lies at the northeast end of Nansen Island in Wilhelmina Bay, off the west coast of Graham Land. Today, a visit to Enterprise Island is often part of Antarctic cruises.Enterprise...
in Wilhelmina BayWilhelmina BayWilhelmina Bay is a bay wide between the Reclus Peninsula and Cape Anna along the west coast of Graham Land. It was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition, 1897–99, under Adrien de Gerlache, and named for Wilhelmina, Queen of the Netherlands....
, off the west coast of Graham Land.
Additional sources
- Gill, Peter (2001) Whales Dolphins & Porpoises (Springfield, MA.: Federal Street Press)
- Jacobsen, Alf R. Svend Foyn. Fangstmann og nasjonsbygger (Oslo:AschehougAschehougH. Aschehoug & Co , commonly known as Aschehoug, is one of the largest independent publishing companies in Norway. -History:...
, 2008) - Nielsen, Aage Krarup (1942) En Hvalfangerfaerd: Gennem Troperne til Sydishavet(Kobenhavn: Gyldendalske Boghandel, Nordisk Forlag)
- Tønnessen, J.N.; And A.O. Johnsen (1982) The History Of Modern Whaling. (translated By R.I. Christophersen. University Of California Press)
- Henrik Johan Bull (1898) Sydover. Ekspeditionen til Sydishavet i 1893-1895 (British Library, Historical Print Editions) ISBN 978-1241418274