Hans Ditlev Bendixsen (October 14, 1842 – February 12, 1902) was a Danish-American

shipbuilder Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

who was instrumental in the development of the merchant marine industry on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

. His lumber schooners were built in or near

Eureka, California Eureka (Wiyot: ''Jaroujiji'', Hupa: ''do'-wi-lotl-ding'', Karuk: ''uuth'') is the principal city and county seat of Humboldt County in the Redwood Empire region of California. The city is located on U.S. Route 101 on the shores of Humboldt ...

in shipyards on

Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, United States. It is the largest protected body of water on the West Coast between Sa ...

for over 30 years. These schooners played a major role in the historic west coast lumber trade.

Background

Hans Ditlev Bendixsen was born in Thisted of

Region Nordjylland The North Jutland Region ( da, Region Nordjylland), or in some official sources, the North Denmark Region, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform, which abolished the tra ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, the son of Frederik Carl Bendixsen, a tobacco merchant and Mariane von Mehren Bendixsen, both members of prominent Danish families. Bendixsen was apprenticed to the shipbuilders' trade in Aalborg for two years, When he had completed his apprenticeship he worked at various shipyards in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, after which he went to sea as a ship carpenter.

Career

Bendixsen came to California via

Cape Horn Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

, and found employment in Turner's shipyard, at

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, until the year 1867, at which time he came to Eureka, California. He entered the employ of E. Cousins' shipyard, prior to beginning shipbuilding independently. From Eureka, Bendixsen moved his shipyard to nearby

Fairhaven, California Fairhaven (formerly Rolph) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) adjacent to Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. It is located west-southwest of downtown Eureka, at an elevation of above sea l ...

. Spread out over fourteen acres were shops, sawmills, slips, timber yards, and even cottages and gardens for 150 workers. C A Thayer

Often, Bendixsen owned shares in Bendixsen-built ships—vessels plying the coast with lumber or trading out to the sugar islands. After many good years, an economic crisis within the lumber industry in 1877 forced Bendixsen to sell his shipyard so that he could pay his employees and creditors. He rented the shipyard from the new owners and continued to build ships. Seven years later he was able to buy back the shipyard. Between 1875 and 1901 he launched 50 three and four-mast

schooners A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

and

barkentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing r ...

s at his Fairhaven yard, and in his lifetime built some 115 vessels of all types including two-mast schooners, South Sea schooner and

brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Older ...

s, and

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s. Bendixsen is best remembered for the three, four, and five-mast schooners he built for the west coast lumber trade. In 1901 he sold his shipbuilding plant for close to a quarter-million dollars.

Legacy

Certain of Bendixsen's lumber schooners have survived into the 21st century. The '' Wawona'', built in 1897, was berthed at

South Lake Union Park Lake Union Park is a park located at the south end of Lake Union in Seattle, Washington in the South Lake Union neighborhood. The park is owned by the City of Seattle and operated by Seattle Parks and Recreation. The park property was gradual ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. The ''Wawona'' was hauled to the Puget Sound Shipyard on March 4, 2009 and has since been dismantled. A surviving Hans Bendixsen vessel is the '' C.A. Thayer'', built in 1895, located at

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park is located in San Francisco, California, United States. The park includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, a maritime museum, and a library/research facility. The park used to be r ...

. The ''C.A. Thayer'' has been restored and sailed back to the

Hyde Street Pier The Hyde Street Pier, at 2905 Hyde Street, is a historic ferry pier located on the northern waterfront of San Francisco, California. Background Prior to the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, it was the ...

on April 12, 2007.''C A Thayer'' (San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park)
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References

External links

C.A.Thayer (Schooner)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bendixsen, Hans Ditsev 1842 births 1902 deaths Danish emigrants to the United States American shipbuilders Maritime history of California Ships built in Eureka, California History of Humboldt County, California People from Eureka, California People from Thisted

Background

Career

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links