Christina Kjellson, Ph D candidate, Mid Sweden University

My paper concerns the building of sailing ships in the early 19th century in Sweden. First I would like to give a short background about Sweden in those days before I tell the story about the brig Argo that was built in the year of 1839 at the shipyard of Wifstavarf and went to the bottom of the sea in the year of 1854. I will also say something about the effects of shipbuilding and what it probably meant to the population in terms of complimentary incomes for peasants.

First part: background:

To understand the importance of shipbuilding in Sweden in the early 19th century we must look at two different factors that are strictly economic, namely demand for and supply of ships. Sweden was a small country in northern Europe and in great need of many ships mainly of two reasons, namely trading and war. Later the reasons changed and after 1814, Sweden was not involved in any war and the demand for warships decreased. Trading became the most important reason for shipbuilding. From the middle of the century there also came new reasons for the need of ships, and it had to do with the emigration primarily to the United States. One must also remember that a ships lifetime at those days was not always very long. The ships made of tree were very exposed of wind, water and waves.

In the whole of the 19th century there was an always-increasing demand for consumer goods, due to the increasing population of the country. This meant that the demand for ships rose steadily. Necessary goods were imported; especially salt was of great need, which was bought from countries primarily around the Mediterranean, like France. Besides necessary goods, there were also an import of luxury goods, for example sugar and coffee. Those were imported mostly from Brazil. Beside the import, there was also a demand for ships that could be used for carrying exported goods. Sweden had during earlier centuries been the greatest exporter in the whole world of iron primarily to England. In the middle of the nineteenth century the export of woods started to grew and in the end of the century it was enormously, because of increasing demands from the rest of Europe. The ships sailed from Sweden loaded with iron or wood and back with salt, coffee and sugar.

The statistics about the Swedish shipyards in the first two decades of the century are rather diffuse, but it is quite possible that the total supply of ships was diminishing which was related to the change of the Swedish borders. The Napoleonic war had concerned most countries at the European continent. In the beginning of the 19th century Sweden had a different geographical look than today, as Finland was a part of Sweden until 1809. This is an important fact, though it concerns the dissemination of the shipyards in Sweden. The most shipyards in the country had earlier been situated in Finland and Northern Sweden around the Baltic See. After 1809 the number of the shipyards decreased greatly when the Finish yards no longer supplied the expanding demand for ships in Sweden. The effect of the loss of Finland made the shipyard industry a lucrative market, partly a reason for the already existing shipyards to build more ships on the Swedish side of the Baltic Sea, partly for new investors to start new shipyards.

The combination of increasing demand and decreasing supply made the shipbuilding industry in Sweden important. In northern Sweden the shipyards grew and mostly it was sailing ships that were built. Most towns in northern Sweden have their own story about its own important yard, which one can read about in their local history. In the 1830s, the amount of steamships began in a small scale, but not until the late 1860s did they become of any use in foreign trade. The production of sailing ships continued to rise until the beginning of the 1870s, and then it decreased very fast. In the 1880s steamships replaced the sailing ships in the Swedish merchant navy. Important for us to know is the growing markets for the building of sailing ships in the first half of the 19th century.

Second part: the story of Argo from 1839 to 1854

One shipyard in northern Sweden was Wifstavarf that was situated 400 kilometres north of Stockholm. It was founded 1798 and built all together circa 65 ships until the 1870s. Besides shipbuilding the company was involved in trading and farming. It also started a fabric for making sails and later a sawmill industry. Around 300 people were living in the community. The households were involved in different areas, for example did women carry and wash boards that came floating down the river. The carpenters and other workers were circa 40 persons. Besides shipbuilding they were taking care of boards, masts, beams, spars and other forms of wood that was floated down by the river, a work that was strongly connected to shipbuilding. Another important task, done by the carpenters was travelling to remote areas to instruct people what kind of trees that was good enough to use in shipbuilding and how these should be cut down.

Table 1 shows that the months from April until September were the busiest months at the shipyard. The total days of labour were a little over 30 000. Each day consisted of 12 hours and every week consisted of six days. The company used a little more than 5000 working days for the building of Argo. Argo measured 109 svåra läster, which is circa 266 tons (1 svår läst equals 2 448 kg). The length of a brig was about 30-35 meters. A brig was not big but it had good sailing qualities and that's probably a reason why it was very common during the first part of the nineteenth century.

Table 1. Days of labour used to build the brig Argo compared with the total amount of days of labour in the year of 1839 at the shipyard Wifstavarf

The brig was built during the first half of the year, in spite of very cold weather and many dark hours in the day-time. Most days of labour were done in April. During the same period the company also built another brig and one bigger ship. For the other brig the company used nearly 6000 days of labour and for the bigger ship it used circa 2300. All together they used a little more than 13 000 days of labour this year for shipbuilding. It is important to emphasise that the carpenters and workers that were living in the community were not enough. The amount of days that they put in was a little more that 8 000. For remaining working days the company had to engage people living in other places. Peasants and crofters came to the yard and worked. At least 350 persons had done days of labour, some just a few, but very many put in a great amount of work. One may ask why they did not build more ships at Wifstavarf if there were such a big demand that I have suggested. This was also discussed at one meeting in September in 1838, where the shipbuilding master at the company, was invited to the ship owners meeting, to discuss the demands for new ships. He pointed out that there were not enough ship beds and said that it was one big problem. ¹ In the end of 1838 the shipyards owners had another meeting where they had to say no to several persons that desired the company to build new ships. There were demands for at least four ships that the company could not build.² In October in 1839 they did however build another ship bed. This was just solving one problem; another problem was how to get enough people to work at the company. The shipbuilding industry was a concurrent to farming and the company had to engage workers from other parts of the country.

Argos building can be divided in four parts. The first part included the design of the ship and its laying-down at the mould loft floor. Here the shipbuilding master was the most important person. Eric Abraham Hägglund was shipbuilding master at Wifstavarf when Argo was built. He constructed the ship and was leader of the work at the yard. He was responsible for everything, which included all, from buying wooden material until the ship was ready to sail. During the 18th century Friedrich af Chapman had been the most important shipbuilding master in Sweden. He wrote several books about the technology in building sailing ship and his theories were used in the educational literature at the naval school in Carlscrona in the south of Sweden. His influence at Wifstavarf can be seen primarily through Eric Abraham Hägglund, while designs during his time did become more in use at the company. It is quite possible that he had one standard design for Argo and other brigs, while there still remain designs that were used many times. It seems as he made those designs at his time in Carlscrona, when he got his education at the naval school.

In the second part the carpenters had an important function, while they did make the hull. Most of those men had long experience of shipbuilding, while they had been working for several years at the yard. They began with putting the keel and keelson on the blocks. Then they raised the frame, the stern and sternpost. As material the Swedish pine tree was most common when building Argo. Their work was of course very hard, while it was done by hand. Their part of the shipbuilding was extremely important for the ships future sailing abilities. Af Chapman had pointed out that a ships form was important both for this, but also when it came to how one should load its cargo. The function of the floor timber and the rest of the frame were partly to bear the pressure from the water outside of the ship, partly to bear the weight of the cargo. Beams and bindings were then put in place. Planking and ceiling were done and the decks were laid. Before the brig was put into the water there was an important task, namely to make the hull totally dense, with help of a mallet and oakum made from old black cordage.

The third part consisted of the launching and the rigging. For the launching the people at the yard were invited to a party there they were served meat, herring, bread, butter and beer. This was a common practice when a vessel was put into the water. As for rigging af Chapman had pointed out that it was an important part of a ships building. A good ship could be destroyed of bad rigging. Every detail as blocks, tackle, masts, yards, bars, cables and the sails were of great importance. In villages outside of Wifstavarf there were several persons that were sewing sails for the company. Besides sails there was also use of other textiles, as for example flags, which also was done nearby the yard. People at the yard did this part, Mrs Hägglund, as for example, probably the wife of the shipbuilding master. There were also crofters outside of the yard as Johan Sellgren and Anders Ström in Tösta in Selånger that made sails to Argo.

The fourth part was the last work that had to be done before the brig was ready to sail. The brig was equipped and necessary items were brought onboard. Here we can for example see that equipment made of iron was bought from the ironworks nearby Wifstavarf, which means that shipbuilding had impact on other industries in north Sweden. Besides all things that were to become part of the brig there is also important to remember the things that the crew needed. As for Argo there are also several forms of items that was brought aboard, for example meat, flesh, potatoes, herring and all sorts of food along with medication, water paper, glasses, spoons, etc. In this part several persons were involved. For example carpenter did buy meat on an auction in Härnösand, a town near the yard. Supposedly the women at the yard did bake the bread and brew the beer that was brought on Argo.

After the launching Argo was sent to Coves in England to get coppered. The coppering was necessary because the brig was destined to go to Rio de Janeiro.³ Already in February this coppering is discussed in a letter to the gentlemen Shaw & Casternei in London as Wifstavarf wants to get it done in Coves instead of London, as it would then be cheaper.⁴ In the Baltic See, the ships did not need any coppering, because of the cold water. As soon as the ships where headed outside the Baltic Sea there would be a problem with the ships worm.

Between 1839 and 1854 Argo made different journeys every year, mostly to Brazil, but also to Europe and it was on one of those trips that Argo made its last journey. In the end of September in 1854 the brig Argo, under the command of captain Åkerberg, had loaded salt in Portugal and was headed back to Sweden. The hatches were covered with double coats and the vessel was in good shape to continue its trip to Gothenburg. In the 27th of September under the guidance of a pilot they brought up the anchor outside of Lissabon and set sails. In the evening at half past seven they anchored at the castell of Belem. Next morning the pilot left and they set sail with a breeze from east. The journey had from that day until the 19th both storms and beautiful weather. At every watch the vessel was empty of water.

In the morning on the 20th of October there was however an observation of 18 inches of water in the vessel at 8 am. The stearbord watch pumped away the water and went to sleep at 2 pm. At half past five, the same afternoon, the crew made the observation that the vessel had 40 inches of water inside. The crew worked with both pumps but after one hour and a half the depths of the water had become 66 inches. They could not find any leak but decided to make the rescue boats ready. When those were put in the sea, they could observe that the water nearly reached the middle deck.

Half past eight in the evening they went in to the rescue boats. When they had come a bit away from the ship they saw how it was standing down in the water with the bowsprit but the stern still over the water. Short after it started to shake enormously and it sank with a terrible noise at circa 10 a m. Some hours later the crew got sight of a lantern, which belonged to a Prussian brig Fidelitas. The captain Miedbroth from Stralsund took the crew aboard and all the things they had carried from Argo.

On the 27th of October they got to Helsingör, Denmark. The yawl was left to the Prussian Captain as a replacement for the help. The place of Argos sinking was in the Nordsea, latitude north 54^o26' and longitude east 3^o13' in relation to the Greenwich meridian.⁵ Earlier years had this vessel sailed many times between Sweden, Mediterranean and Brazil. This last misfortunate journey did however not end in a tragedy for the crew, while they all were rescued.

Argo was a good ship, which carried lots of goods in different directions before it went to the bottom 150 years ago. One question that can get no answer is why Argo sank the 20th October in 1854. There could be all sorts of reasons, perhaps the bad weather. But Argo must have experienced bad weather lots of times before. Perhaps it was a combination of shipworm and extremely bad weather. af Chapman was of the meaning that shipbuilding should improve if the masters were to use a more scientific way of handling the buildings, especially from using designs and not just intuition, which had been common in earlier periods. One can also suppose that the lifetimes of sailing ships made of wood had a shorter life than those built of iron or steel.

Third part: what shipbuilding industry meant to the Swedish society

I have, with the example from one brig, tried to show something of the Swedish shipbuilding industry in the early 19th century. This period of shipbuilding is very often forgotten, because of the newcomers in form of steamships. The building of sailing ships in tree meant a lot for many people as a way of getting an extra income, not just for the timbermen and their families, but also for many smallholders. The work connected to sailing ships was in many areas. The most important work was of course building the ship, but it also handled about taking care of floating boards and of weaving and sewing sails. The building of sailing ships was an industry in the nineteenth century that was important for the country and much more widespread than we know of today. More people were involved than the officials record tells us.

Footnotes

¹ Styrelseprotokoll 7 september 1838 S 11, A I:1, Wifstavarfs AB, Huvudkontoret, Merlo archive.
² Styrelseprotokoll 3-4 december 1838 S 15, A I:1, Wifstavarfs AB, Huvudkontoret, Merlo archive
³ Styrelseprotokoll 27 juli 1839 S 3, AI:1, Wifstavarfs AB, Huvudkontoret, Merlo archive
⁴ Brevkopiebok 14 februari 1839, B 4, Wifstavarfs AB, Huvudkontoret, Merlo archive.
⁵ Argos sinking is based on the investigating of the average held in Helsingör on the 28th of October 1854. Haveriutredning för Argo I Helsingör 1854, Övriga handlingar, F II: 7, Huvudkontoret, Wifstavarfs AB, Merlo archive.