Ivar Peter Bagger Knudsen (1 April 1861 – 23 March 1920) was a Danish engineer. As the director of

Burmeister & Wain Burmeister & Wain was a large established Danish shipyard and leading diesel engine producer headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded by two Danes and an Englishman, its earliest roots stretch back to 1846. Over its 150-year history, it ...

(B&W), Knudsen led the development of the , the biggest, most advanced diesel-powered vessel of its time.

Early life

Knudsen was born to Jens Elsbert Knudsen (1826–1901), a manager of a grocery firm, and Julie Vilhelmine Rønberg (1828–88). He trained to be a mechanic in Aarhus and worked in this profession until 1882 when he went to Copenhagen to study at the

Technical University of Denmark The Technical University of Denmark ( da, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet), often simply referred to as DTU, is a polytechnic university and school of engineering. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's fir ...

. After finishing his studies in 1887 he was involved in the design of the

fortifications of Copenhagen The fortifications of Copenhagen is the broad name for the rings of fortifications surrounding the city of Copenhagen. They can be classified historically as follows: * The medieval fortifications dating from the 12th century * The bastioned fort ...

. He then worked as a mechanical engineer for the electric utility of Copenhagen.

Engineering career

In 1895 he joined B&W as chief mechanical engineer. He was promoted to Director of the engine department in 1897 where he started a comprehensive modernization. Knudsen realised the potential of the diesel engine as ship propulsion and traveled to Germany to meet

Rudolf Diesel Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (, ; 18 March 1858 – 29 September 1913) was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who is famous for having invented the diesel engine, which burns diesel fuel; both are named after him. Early life and educat ...

who was testing the new engines at

MAN AG MAN Truck & Bus SE (formerly MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, ) is a subsidiary of Traton, and one of the leading international providers of commercial vehicles. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, MAN Truck & Bus produces vans in the range from 3.0 to 5.5 t ...

in Augsburg. Consequently B&W obtained the patent rights on the Diesel engine for Denmark. The following years saw numerous tests and improvements, eventually resulting in an efficient and reliable machine. In 1908 Knudsen became the head of both the machine factory in Christianshavn and the shipyard in Refshaleøen. selandia diesel

Hans Niels Andersen Hans Niels Andersen (10 September 1852 – 30 December 1937) was a Danish shipping magnate, businessman, diplomat and founder of the East Asiatic Company. Early life Born into a working-class family in Nakskov, he trained as a shipbuilder befor ...

, founder of the East Asiatic Company, saw that diesel powered ships would mean a leap forward for the

shipping industry Maritime transport (or ocean transport) and hydraulic effluvial transport, or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people ( passengers) or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by sea has been widely used thro ...

, and in December 1910 placed an order with B&W for a large oceangoing

motor ship A motor ship or motor vessel is a ship propelled by an internal combustion engine, usually a diesel engine. The names of motor ships are often prefixed with MS, M/S, MV or M/V. Engines for motorships were developed during the 1890s, and by th ...

, the . The first voyage in February 1912, with Andersen and Knudsen on board, was from Copenhagen to Bangkok via London and Antwerp. The ship was received with great interest and many people visited the Selandia including the

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, and other high ranking naval officers. MS Fionia VIPs

''Selandia'' had two sister ships, the and the ; finishing their sea trials in June 1912, and July 1912, respectively. The ''Fionia'' was met with similar interest in Germany during

Kiel Week The Kiel Week (german: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the largest sailing event in Europe, and also one of the largest Volksfeste in Germany, attracting ...

, where visitors included German Emperor

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

and

Albert Ballin Albert Ballin (15 August 1857 – 9 November 1918) was a German shipping magnate. He was the general director of the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) or Hamburg-America Line, which for a time was the world's largest s ...

, director of the

Hamburg America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent citi ...

. Knudsen resigned from the yard's daily management in April 1919, joining the company's board as an advisor.

Death

Ivar Knudsen died "mysteriously" from food poisoning while on a trip to India on 23 March 1920.

Awards

* Order of the Dannebrog (1900) *

Medal of Merit Several countries award a military or civil medal called Medal of Merit: * Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) * Medal of Merit (Denmark) * Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman * Medal of Merit of the National People's Army (East Germany) * Medal o ...

(1912)

References

External links

"Knudsen, Ivar"

Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon ''Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon'' is a Danish encyclopedia that has been published in several editions. The first edition, ''Salmonsens Store Illustrerede Konversationsleksikon'' was published in nineteen volumes 1893–1911 by Brødrene Sa ...