Captain Jorgen Amundsen | First Cousin of Explorer Roald Amundsen

Jorgen Amundsen: from a family of shipowners, captains and Polar explorers

Captain Jorgen Henrik Waldemar Amundsen was born on December 24, 1850, in Hornes, Skjeberg (now Sarpsborg), Østfold County, Norway, into a family of shipowners and captains.

His first cousin, once removed, was the famous Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who led the first successful expedition to reach the South Pole in 1911. Jorgen’s grandfather, Amund Olsen Utgard, was Roald’s great-grandfather.

Sunk by German submarines - twice

Six years later, during World War I, in 1917, Jorgen Amundsen was the captain of the SV Natuna, a three-masted iron barque. They embarked on a voyage from Savannah, Georgia, USA, to Odense, Denmark, carrying a cargo of cotton seed oilcake. Despite receiving a telegram warning of German U-boat dangers in the area, the ship continued its course north of the Shetland Islands.

On the evening of May 2nd, Natuna was shelled and sunk by the German submarine U-44 (Paul Wagenführ), approximately 70 nautical miles northwest of Shetland. The captain and crew managed to escape in two lifeboats. One lifeboat drifted south and reached Aberdeen a few days later. The second lifeboat, skillfully navigated by Captain Amundsen, rowed to safety, landing in Shetland around 2 a.m. There was no loss of life.

This was not the first time Jorgen Amundsen had been sunk by German submarines. In 1915, he was captain of MV Oscar, which was shelled and sunk by the German submarine U-38 (Max Valentiner), southwest of Lindesnaes. There was no loss of life.

MV Jorgen Amundsen

Fast forward to 2023, and a vessel named MV Jorgen Amundsen arrives in Lerwick, Shetland Islands, en route to the Arctic. This vessel, a converted Norwegian lifeboat built in 1966 for the Norwegian Redningsselskapet, was named and funded by the descendants of Captain Amundsen. During her 31 years of service, the RS Jorgen Amundsen assisted 1,032 vessels at sea and saved 70 lives.

Originally constructed as an ocean-going tug, the MV Jorgen Amundsen has 13 sister ships, several of which were frequent visitors to the Shetland Islands from the 1960s through the 1980s.

Find out more about her history in the Norwegian Rescue Service

Honouring a rich maritime history

Over the years, the vessel has had various names and uses. However, when we acquired her in 2020, we restored her original name to honour her rich maritime history.

Jorgen Amundsen passed away on March 5, 1940, in Fredrikstad at the age of 89. The photograph above currently hangs in the crew quarters on board. It was taken in 1937, when Jorgen Amundsen was aged 87.

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