June 4, 1913 was a significant day for the Norwegian America Line. With the departure of the D/S Kristianiafjord bound for New York in 1913, the company’s newly established route to the United States was officially launched — an event that did not go unnoticed.
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Kristianiafjord leaving Kristiania 1913. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum
At 10 o’clock in the morning, the Norwegian America Line’s first ship departed from the quay in Kristiania under brilliant summer sunshine. The King, members of the Government, Parliament representatives, and numerous other prominent guests had been invited on board to lend prestige to the occasion. Several small boats had made their way out into the fjord to follow the mighty steamship. Back on the pier, crowds of spectators had gathered — some to witness this historic moment, others to wave farewell to a family member, a sweetheart, or a friend.
The regular route included stops in Kristiansand, Stavanger, and Bergen before the final leg to New York. After a ten-day journey across the Atlantic Ocean, Kristianiafjord was to arrive in the Promised Land: America.
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The King arrives just before departure. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum
Norway’s foremost photographer, Anders Beer Wilse (1865–1949), was on board to document the grand occasion. Fifty-one of his photographs were later published in an album titled «Et Reiseminde S/S "Kristianiafjord"s første Tur Kristiania-Bergen den 4de til 7de Juni 1913» («A Travel Memory: S/S "Kristianiafjord’s" First Voyage Kristiania–Bergen, June 4–7, 1913»). Head of Bergen Steamship Company, Kristofer Lehmkuhl (1855–1949), was one of the passengers who received one of these albums. The year after Lehmkuhl’s death, the album was donated to the Bergen Maritime Museum.
Wilse's lens was focused on the honorary passengers and their time spent on the ship's promenade deck. In the photographs, we see King Haakon VII, Parliament members, and representatives from, among others, the foreign service, business, and the press — engaged in what appear to be both cheerful and businesslike conversations. We see how both Kristiansand and Stavanger were decorated for the celebration, and how large crowds had turned out — it almost looked like the Norwegian Constitution Day. Kristianiafjord's first voyage was covered by newspapers across the country. All of this reflects the national significance of the Norwegian America Line.
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King Haakon in the middle in front. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 2/10
Representatives from the press. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 3/10
Parliament member Christopher Inderberg (right) and Minister of State Bernhard Brænne plays a ring game. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 4/10
From the left: Kristofer Lehmkuhl, Bernhard Brænne, Hans Jørgen Darre-Jenssen, Jørgen Løvland, Nils Claus Ihlen, Andreas Urbye. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 5/10
King Haakon VII og captain Samuel Hjortdahl. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 6/10
Crowds and soldiers awaits the King's visit in Kristiansand. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 7/10
Crowds in Rådhusgata in Kristiansand. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 8/10
Kristianiafjords besøk in Stavanger. Crowds welcome the passengers. The ship in the background. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 9/10
Crowds at Stavanger harbour. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum - 10/10
Kristianiafjord reaching Bergen. Photo: A. B. Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum
At the same time, Wilse’s photographs show nothing of the actual America-bound emigrants — the passengers who were on board for reasons quite different from those of the distinguished guests. When the Kristianiafjord set course for New York for the first time, it carried 28 first-class passengers, 85 in second class, and 320 in third class. Who were these travelers, and what opportunities did they hope to find at the end of their long journey?
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Towards America. Photo: Anders Beer Wilse/Bergen Maritime Museum
