Pre-war life and career

He was born in Holmestrand

Holmestrand

is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Holmestrad. The city was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The neighboring rural municipality of Botne was merged into the municipality of Holmestrand on 1 January...

 as a son of ship-owner Hans Ludvig Lorentzen (1840–1905) and Thala Margrethe Bredrup (1849–1941). His family lived in Argentina and Brazil between 1891 and 1895. Lorentzen finished

Examen artium

Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...

 his secondary education in 1901, and studied shipbuilding at Berlin Institute of Technology from 1901 to 1906. In April 1908 he married Ragna Nilsen (1885–1976), a daughter of Peder Nilsen

Peder Nilsen

Peder Nilsen was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1889, representing the constituency of Lillehammer, Hamar og Gjøvik. He sat through only one term....

. In 1923 they had 5 sons and one daughter: Hans Ludvig Ph.D.; Per Arne; Ingjerd Ragna; Oivind Harald; Erik Finn; and Erling S. Lorentzen]], who went on to marry Princess Ragnhild of Norway

Princess Ragnhild of Norway

Princess Ragnhild of Norway, Mrs. Lorentzen, is the eldest daughter of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. She is the older sister of His Majesty King Harald V of Norway and of Princess Astrid of Norway.Princess Ragnhild married Erling S...

, and had the children Ingeborg

Ingeborg Lorentzen

Ingeborg Lorentzen is the daughter of Erling Sven Lorentzen and his wife, Princess Ragnhild of Norway, the expatriate sister of King Harald V of Norway and Princess Astrid of Norway....

, Haakon

Haakon Lorentzen

Haakon Lorentzen is the son of Princess Ragnhild of Norway and Erling Sven Lorentzen. Princess Ragnhild was the older sister of King Harald V and Princess Astrid of Norway....

 and Ragnhild Lorentzen

Ragnhild Lorentzen

Ragnhild Alexandra Lorentzen was born in Amparo Feminino Hospital in Rio de Janeiro, the youngest daughter of Princess Ragnhild of Norway and Erling Lorentzen. Her grandfather was the late King Olav V of Norway...

.

He became a partner in his father's company Lorentzen & Co in 1908. In 1914 Lorentzen was behind the acquiring of Norway's first motor ship

Motor ship

A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The name of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V.- See also :...

, MS Brazil. The vessel was bought by Fred. Olsen & Co.

Fred. Olsen & Co.

Fred. Olsen & Co. is a large shipping company based in Oslo, Norway. The company was founded by Petter Olsen in 1848. Today it is the holding company that controls the Olsen family's interest through Bonheur and Ganger Rolf.-History:...

 already at the end of the year, but Lorentzen became manager for the ship's South America service, organized through Den Norske Syd-Amerika Linje. In 1920 Lorentzen advanced to CEO of Den Norske Syd-Amerika Linje, a position he left in 1938 to further his own shipping business.

Partly, the conflict was grounded in Lorentzen's engagements outside of Den Norske Syd-Amerika Linje. When being hired in Den Norske Syd-Amerika Linje, he had left his family company, but continued working with the company Sobral (founded 1915). When Sobral bought four vessels in 1936, Lorentzen offered to participate with these vessels in the ventures of Den Norske Syd-Amerika Linje, but it was rejected. He instead founded the Northern Pan-American Line (Nopal Line) with his son as CEO. This company trafficked Northern Brazil and the US.

War and post-war life

In 1939 he was hired as Director of Shipping, leading ones of the directorates under the Norwegian Ministry of Provisioning

Norwegian Ministry of Provisioning and Reconstruction

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Provisioning and Reconstruction was a Norwegian ministry that existed from 1939 to 1950.It was established on 1 October 1939 as the Ministry of Provisioning, though having no relation to the Ministry of Provisioning which existed from 1916 to 1922. The name was...

. In 1940, Norway was entangled in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, and the state reorganized the country's shipping into Nortraship

Nortraship

The Norwegian Shipping and Trade Mission was established in London in April 1940 to administer the Norwegian merchant fleet outside German-controlled areas. Nortraship operated some 1,000 vessels and was the largest shipping company in the world. It is credited for giving a major contribution to...

. Lorentzen became director of Nortraship, but stayed in the United States, whereas Ingolf Hysing Olsen was the director in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, where most of the Norwegian administration-in-exile sat. The war years saw disagreements, especially between Lorentzen and Arne Sunde

Arne Sunde

Arne Toralf Sunde was a Norwegian politician, Olympic shooter and army officer. He is best known for his participation in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign, his participation in Nygaardsvold's Cabinet during its 1940–1945 exile in London and three years as an United Nations ambassador...

 and Hilmar Reksten

Hilmar Reksten

Hilmar A Reksten was a Norwegian shipping magnate. After studying business in Cologne, he started his own company in 1929...

. The actions of Øivind Lorentzen and his son Per were scrutinized by a government committee between 1943 and 1945, and was exonerated. Hysing Olsen took over as director after the war.

Lorentzen instead continued his career in South American shipping. He officially retired in 1959. His eponymous company existed until 1987. Lorentzen was also a co-founder and first chairman (1947–1957) of the humanitarian organization .

He was also involved in a lengthy court case. In 1950 his company Sobral sued the former CEO and board of the shipyard Moss Værft & Dokk. Sobral claimed that Moss Værft & Dokk neglected their contract agreement regarding the construction of two vessels during the war. First, claimed Sobral, Moss Værft & Dokk had instead used their capacity on arming whaling vessels. The two vessels had been delayed, and when they were completed, they had been taken over by Kriegsmarine as minesweeper

Minesweeper (ship)

A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...

s. The court case lasted several years, reaching the Court of Appeal

Court of appeal (Norway)

In Norway, the court of appeal is the second level of courts of justice, reviewing criminal and civil cases appealed from the district courts. There are six courts of appeal, each covering a jurisdiction and based in a city. Each court is led by a senior judge president and several appellate...

 in 1954.

He was decorated as a Knight, First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1938. He was promoted to Commander with Star after the war. He died in May 1980 in Norway, 98 years old.