The Schooner.
The three-masted schooner Fulton was built in Marstal, 1915, by shipbuilder C.L.
Johansen.
Skipper and part owner Marius Eriksen ordered the construction of the schooner. It was
made of oak, at a price of 33.000 dkr. The schooner was one of 150-170 smaller sailing
vessels from Marstal of which a large number traded worldwide and they were often
called ”the sparrows of the oceans”.
The schooner was named ”Fulton” due to the owner’s admiration of Robert Fulton who
constructed the first steamer in America.
Eriksen’s wife contributed to the decoration on the schooner with embroidery bearing
an inscription in golden thread and it was hung above the settee in the cabin abaft,
saying:
God be with Fulton
Through gales and waves
In the 18th century most vessels from Marstal stayed in the port during winter but after
1900 it became more common for the vessels to trade all the year round due to
competition from the steam ships. Therefore they arrived more irregularly at their
homeport.
The ship is a three-master fore- and aft schooner. It has a gross tonnage of 101 and a
length of 25.70 meters excluding 8 meters of bowsprit. It is 7.00 meters wide and the
depth to the upper deck is 3.15 meters. The height of the mast above water level is 24,5
meters. The schooner has a sail area of 450 square meters and a Scania main engine of
326 HP/230 kW.
For many years wind and current was the only source of energy for propulsion and the
schooner and her crew of four made very long and extremely rough voyages. From the
very beginning the schooner plied ”the dried cod trade” which meant that after staying
in port during the winter the schooner went in ballast to New Foundland. In several
small ports, dried cod was loaded for Portugal and the Mediterranean. This often
continued for 1 or 2 month as the vessel had to await the catch and the drying of the
fish. However, the freight could at times amount to 25.000 dkr. which was a
considerable sum compared to the cost of the vessel.
Typically, in Portugal and the Mediterranean, salt was loaded for England and from
there often coal to Denmark.
In 1919 Eriksen sold his share in Fulton and in the winter of 1922-23 the other part
owners gave up trading. The vessel was sold to captain Karl Johansson from
Barsebaeck in Sweden, at the sum of 39.500 dkr. Fulton continued trading in Northern
Europe under her original name.
In 1925, while the vessel was on slipway in Landskrona, she had a 38 HP propulsion
engine installed.
In 1960, when Captain Roar Nielsen from Aalborg bought the schooner at the sum of
40.000 dkr., with the intention of continuing the trade with cargo in Northern Europe,
the vessel again hoisted the Danish flag.
The Fulton Foundation
In 1970 Fisker & Nielsen – the producers of the world-famous vacuum cleaner
”Nilfisk” - celebrated their 50 years anniversary as a joint-stock company, and the
founder, Mr. P.A. Fisker, wished to mark the anniversary with a special event.
It had come to Mr. Fisker’s ears, that the National Museum wanted to purchase a
traditional Danish wooden sailing vessel in order to preserve it for the future. After
contacts with Mr. Ole Crumlin-Pedersen, the curator at the museum, the schooner
Fulton was bought and on the 31st of May 1970 the vessel was handed over to the
National Museum. - In spite of the fact that there had been continuous changes in the
rigging and the general layout, Fulton was still a worthy representative of the fleet of
small well-built and seaworthy sailing ships, which for more than a century had plied
the oceans. They were the vessels whose seamanship and financial success formed the
basis of Danish shipping trade today.
Under the skilled guidance of Ole Crumlin-Pedersen and the skipper Mogens Frohn,
who had been looking for a suitable sailing ship for rehabilitation and education of
young people from troubled homes, the rigging was restored to its original state.
Continuous changes have been made and are still being made in order to bring the
vessel back to its original. This, obviously, has to be done with due consideration to the
comforts of a crew of today – more than 90 years after the ship first set sail in Marstal.
In 1970 the National Museum announced to Danish schools, that they could offer their
students a stay on board Fulton as part of their curriculum. To ensure an all-round use of
the vessel, several of the weekly cruises were reserved for e.g. students of underwater
archeology, sports divers, groups of disabled and private associations, - a combination
still used today.
As support for the crew during cruises, with students and other guests, some of the
young people, under the rehabilitation programme, assist on board and guide the
charters. When given responsibility for vital functions on board, the youngsters often,
for the first time in their life's, experience to be appreciated by other people.
In 1971 the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde took over the responsibility for the
operation of the ship, the board of the Museum being responsible to the authorities.
The Fulton Foundation, consisting of the National Museum, the Viking Ship Museum
and Friends of Fulton, was established in 1976 and the running of the enterprise was left
to a board representing all three institutions. The purpose of the Foundation is to
stimulate - encourage public activities and social work in connection with sailing ships.
In 1979, the Foundation received funds, enabling them to acquire the protected old
building ”Postgaarden” in Assens as a shore base and school for young people during
education. - The Foundation also runs a small branch in Odense, supervising young
people living on their own.
The Operation.
The Fulton project is sponsored by annual contributions from the Ministries of Culture,
Education and Social Affairs and by fees from the local authorities, sending young
people to the project.
However, the amount of money received from these sources is not sufficient to cover
the daily expenses in connection with running a school project, housed in old protected
buildings and an old wooden sailing ship, requiring a high standard of safety.
Therefore, the project dependent on financial support from private persons and
foundations. – During recent years, donations have made it possible to renew the
schooner’s main engine, the main- and weather decks and other things, but more urgent
and more costly projects, like the modernization of the crew’s quarters, and other items
are in need of attention in the near future, in the continuing process of maintaining the
vessel considered a national heritage.
Any financial support is therefore much appreciated and may be directed to
Fulton Fonden
Fulton kontor
Østergade 42 1.tv
5610 Assens
A major contributor for covering foreseen as well as unforeseen expenses is the nonprofit association Fultons Venner (Friends of Fulton). A membership can be obtained
for a small annual fee. All contributions will be used for the preservation of the
schooner.
Applications for membership to the chairman
Preben Andersen
[email protected]