The Norwegian Lady Statues are located in the
sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
of
Moss, a coastal town and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Østfold
Østfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in southeastern Norway. It borders Akershus and southwestern Sweden (Västra Götaland County and Värmland), while Buskerud and Vestfold are on the other side ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
, and at the Oceanfront (
boardwalk
A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of brid ...
) in the coastal resort city of
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. They commemorate the lives lost in the 1891
shipwreck of the Norwegian
barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts having the fore- and mainmasts rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) rigged fore and aft. Sometimes, the mizzen is only partly fore-and-aft rigged, b ...
''Dictator'' off the coast of Virginia Beach and the lifesaving efforts of the community.
Wreck of the ''Dictator''
On
Good Friday, March 27, 1891, the Norwegian barque ''Dictator'', whose home port was the coastal town of
Moss, Norway
is a coastal List of cities in Norway, town and a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Moss. The city of Moss was establis ...
, was lost in the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
south of the mouth of the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
off
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
. The ''Dictator'' had a crew of 15 and the captain's family aboard. The sailing ship had been en route to
West Hartlepool
West Hartlepool was a predecessor of Hartlepool, County Durham, England. It developed in the Victorian era and took the name from its western position in the parish of what is now known as the Headland.
The former town was originally formed ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
from
Pensacola, Florida with a cargo of Georgia Pine
lumber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
. After being caught and disabled in several storms along the East Coast of the United States, she was headed up the coast for port at
Hampton Roads at
Norfolk, Virginia to make repairs when she encountered gale force winds.
Just a few miles south of
Cape Henry, and the comparative shelter of the Chesapeake Bay, the sailing ship was driven aground on a sandbar over 300 yards (300 m) offshore of Virginia Beach near present-day 37th street. Her only two lifeboats were destroyed as the main mast and other rigging fell onto the deck. As the vacationing guests of the Princess Anne Hotel and area residents of the small new resort town watched, members from
Seatack and
Cape Henry Lifesaving Stations of the
United States Lifesaving Service
The United States Life-Saving ServiceDespite the lack of hyphen in its insignia, the agency itself is hyphenated in government documents including: and was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian effort ...
(a predecessor agency of the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
) worked in the high winds and seas at rescue efforts beginning about 10:45 A.M.
Combined with efforts of the ship's crew, 8 of the 17 persons aboard were saved using several methods including a
breeches buoy
A breeches buoy is a rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one place to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg har ...
before it was too dark to continue. Johanne Jørgensen, the pregnant young wife of Captain Jørgen M. Jørgensen, and their 4-year-old son Carl Zealand Jørgensen, were among those who drowned in a final escape attempt as the ship broke up. One more sailor survived, but five other sailors were also drowned. The Captain was somehow spared and washed ashore semi-conscious, but still alive
Captain Jørgensen and the 9 surviving members of his crew were taken to Norfolk. They were aided by the Norwegian Consul and various religious and benevolent shipping groups. All but one of those drowned were buried in Norfolk's Elmwood Cemetery. The remaining sailor, whose body washed ashore a few days later after the wreck, was interred at a local cemetery near the Oceanfront.
In those days, the tragic shipwreck of the ''Dictator'' (and the resulting loss of life) was not an unusual event for the local citizenry in this northernmost area of the
Graveyard of the Atlantic
Graveyard of the Atlantic is a nickname for the treacherous waters and area of numerous shipwrecks off the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States, which are due to the coast's shifting sands and inlets. To a lesser degree, this nickname has ...
. The treacherous waters in the area extend south along the
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
coast and had claimed many hundreds of vessels. However, as an impromptu memorial was erected shortly thereafter, the story of the ''Dictator'' and the souls aboard her would become part of both local tradition and legend in coastal
Princess Anne County and Virginia Beach.
Ship's figurehead: Norwegian Lady memorial
Since early days of navigation, a ship's
figurehead
In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...
had often been a feature intended in some way to help ensure a safe and prosperous voyage. After the breakup and sinking of the ''Dictator'', the ship's wooden female figurehead had washed ashore nearby. Spotted by a young guest, it was retrieved by the manager of the Princess Anne Hotel. He subsequently had it placed in a vertical position facing the ocean near the boardwalk as a memorial to those who lost their lives in the
shipwreck. Known as the "Norwegian Lady", it was a landmark at Virginia Beach's Boardwalk at 16th street for more than 60 years as the town became incorporated in 1906 and grew to become a small city in 1923.
In the brutal coastal weather, the figurehead gradually became weathered and eroded. Then, during
Hurricane Barbara in 1953, it was significantly damaged and was removed to a city-owned building for safe-keeping. Subsequently, a few years later, city officials could not locate it, speculating that it had been stolen, or destroyed by accident. Figureheads had long-since been discontinued as a feature of most ships, but the Norwegian Lady had become more than a mere ship's figurehead to the people of Virginia Beach; she was a memorial and a community
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
.
New statues for sister cities
As the story of the lost memorial grew in Virginia Beach, community interest spread across the ocean to Moss. A drive began at both ends to replace the memorial. With a substantial contribution of the Norwegian Shipping Association, enough funds were raised to pay for not just a replacement for Virginia Beach, but ''two'' new statues.
Norwegian sculptor
Ørnulf Bast
Ørnulf Bast (25 January 1907 – 28 October 1974) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter particularly known for his public monuments.
Background
Ørnulf Bjarne Bast was born in Oslo. His parents were Halsten Andersen Bast Birklund (1870–19 ...
was commissioned to create two nine-foot bronze replicas of the original figurehead. The Norwegian Lady statues were unveiled on September 22, 1962. One was presented as a gift to Virginia Beach, and an exact duplicate was erected in Moss, Norway to unite the two cities. Each statue gives the appearance of facing the other across the
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
(but in reality, the directions of their respective gazes are almost perpendicular to each other).
Moss and Virginia Beach officially became
sister cities
A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties.
While there are early examples of inter ...
in 1974. Every year on the anniversary of the wreck, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Virginia Beach Volunteer Fire Department places a wreath at the base of the statue there. On October 13, 1995, during a state visit, Her Majesty
Queen Sonja of Norway
Sonja (born Sonja Haraldsen on 4 July 1937) is Queen of Norway since 17 January 1991 as the wife of King Harald V.
Sonja and the then Crown Prince Harald had dated for nine years prior to their marriage in 1968. They had kept their relatio ...
visited the Norwegian Lady statue in Virginia Beach, and placed memorial flowers
The statue in Moss receives similar honors. Virginia Beach officials have traveled to Moss, and paid similar respects to the "other" Norwegian Lady.
On the pedestal of the Virginia Beach statue, these words are inscribed:
I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home.
References
* William O. Foss ''The Norwegian Lady and the Wreck of the Dictator''. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Noreg Books, 2002. .
External links
The Norwegian Lady, Mosssite has good photos of both statues
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20050520082444/http://www.bellman12-13.org/english-nl.htm The story of Moss and the Norwegian Lady Statues
{{coord, 36.853593, N, 75.975815, W, display=title
1962 establishments in Norway
1962 establishments in Virginia
1962 sculptures
Bronze sculptures in Norway
Bronze sculptures in Virginia
Buildings and structures in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Culture of Virginia Beach, Virginia
History of Virginia Beach, Virginia
Maritime history of Virginia
Monuments and memorials in Virginia
Outdoor sculptures in Norway
Outdoor sculptures in Virginia
Sculptures of women
Statues in Norway
Statues in Virginia
Tourist attractions in Virginia Beach, Virginia