Capt. Wieting -- Johann Friedrich, Copernicus & Gauss
Michael Palmer
> A monument to the German ship captain, Heinrich Wieting, is on his grave
> at Bethany Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina. The inscription says
> that he brought immigrants to Charleston from Bremen during the period
> 1840 until his death in 1868. His ship or ships were the bark(s) Johann
> Friedrich, Copernicus & Gauss. (I am not sure if that is one or three
> ships?)
>
> Capt. Wieting was born on 23 July 1815 in Ronnebeck amt Blumenthal
> Hannover.
>
> Does anyone have any further information on Capt. Wieting or his ships?
Heinrich Wieting (1815-1868) was familiarly known as the "Vater der
Auswanderer", for the large number of emigrants he transported to North
America in the 29 years he was a captain. Peter-Michael Pawlik, _Von der
Weser in die Welt; Die Geschichte der Segelschiffe von Weser und Lesum
und ihrer Bauwerften 1770 bis 1893_, Schriften des Deutschen
Schiffahrtsmuseums, Bd. 33 (Hamburg: Kabel, c1993), p. 232, reproduces a
photograph of Capt. Wieting, and I am sending you a scan of this
photograph, in .JPG format, by separate e-mail.
Of the three vessels commanded by Capt. Wieting, I can give you the
following information:
1. Bremen bark JOHANN FRIEDRICH (commanded by Wieting 1838-1850).
The bark JOHANN FRIEDRICH was built by Johann Lange, of Vegesack/Grohn,
for the Bremen firm of N. Gloystein S"ohne, and launched on 3 December
1835. 140 Commerzlasten; 29 x 8,2 x 4,9 meters. Her masters were, in
turn, Friedrich Hederich, from Bremen, and, from 1839, Heinrich Wieting,
from Vegesack. The vessel was employed primarily in the emigrant trade
to New York but also, under Capt. Wieting, to Charleston.
On 20 February 1839, the JOHANN FRIEDRICH, Hederich, master, bound for
Brazil, collided with the Danish brig DELOS, Johannsen, master, in the
English Channel off Folkestone. The DELOS sank, but the JOHANN FRIEDRICH
safely reached Ramsgate, where the necessary repairs were made.
On 10 October 1850, the JOHANN FRIEDRICH, Wieting, master, sailed from
Bremerhaven for Charleston with approximately 150 emigrants on board.
However, severe storms in the North Sea forced Wieting to return to
Bremerhaven. On 21 October 1850, the JOHANN FRIEDRICH again set sail for
Charleston, but again encountered severe storms; on 24 October 1850, she
grounded on Gunflert Sand, off Harwich, and became a total loss.
Fortunately, all on board were saved and transported back to Bremerhaven,
where 125 passengers boarded the bark LEONTINE, G. Thormann, master, and
sailed for Charleston on 22 November 1850 [Peter-Michael Pawlik, _Von der
Weser in die Welt; Die Geschichte der Segelschiffe von Weser und Lesum
und ihrer Bauwerften 1770 bis 1893_, Schriften des Deutschen
Schiffahrtsmuseums, Bd. 33 (Hamburg: Kabel, c1993), pp. 188-189, no.
133]. Pawlik's work contains a small black-and-white reproduction of an
oil painting of the JOHANN FRIEDRICH, by Carl Justus Harmen Fedeler and
dated 1842, of which I am sending you a scan, in .JPG format, by separate
e-mail. To inquire about the possibility of obtaining a color
reproduction of Fedeler's painting of the JOHANN FRIEDRICH--which is
apparently in private hands--, contact the
Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum
Hans-Scharoun-Platz 1
D-27568 Bremerhaven
Germany
http://www.dsm.de
2. Bremen bark COPERNICUS (commanded by Wieting, 1851-1857)
The bark COPERNICUS was built by Johann Lange, of Vegesack/Grohn, for the
Bremen firm of N. Gloystein S"ohne, and launched on 16 April 1851. 223
Commerzlasten/481 tons; 37,8 x 8,8 x 4,9 meters (length x beam x depth
of hold). Her masters were, in turn, Heinrich Wieting, Bremerhaven, C.
J. H. Rahe, Bremen, Hermann Mahnken, Vegesack (1860), and J. Haesloop,
Vegesack (1864).
In 1864, Gloystein S"ohne sold the COPERNICUS to T. M. Wiel, of
Fredrikshald, Norway, who renamed the vessel NORA. In 1894, the NORA was
acquired by T. S. Aschehoug, also of Fredrikshald, from whom she passed
in time to Thv. Lund. Masters of the NORA were, in turn, O. E. Eriksen,
C. Hansen, and B. Eriksen.
On 7 July 1903, bound from Fredrikshald for Bristol with a cargo of
Lumber, the NORA was abandoned at see off Helder [Peter-Michael Pawlik,
_Von der Weser in die Welt; Die Geschichte der Segelschiffe von Weser und
Lesum und ihrer Bauwerften 1770 bis 1893_, Schriften des Deutschen
Schiffahrtsmuseums, Bd. 33 (Hamburg: Kabel, c1993), p. 220, no. 211].
Pawlik's work contains a color reproduction of an oil painting of the
COPERNICUS by Fritz M"uller, dated 1852, of which I am sending you a scan,
in .JPG format, by separate e-mail.
3. Bremen bark GAUSS (commanded by Wieting, 1857-1868)
The bark GAUSS was built by Johann Lange, of Vegesack/Grohn, for the
Bremen firm of N. Gloystein S"ohne, and launched on 11 April 1857. 279
Commerzlasten/641 tons; 44 x 10,2 x 5,4 meters (length x beam x depth of
hold). Under her master, Heinrich Wieting, she was employed for many
years in the freight and passenger service between Bremerhaven and North
America.
On 18 April 1866, the _Wochenschrift f"ur Vegesack und Umgegend_ printed
the following report of a particularly long passage from Bremerhaven to
New York:
Die Bremer Bark GAUSS, Wieting, von Bremen in New York angekommen,
hatte sehr st"urmisches Wetter den gr"ossten Theil der Reise; war
drei Wochen in der Nordsee und 30 Tage vor Fair Island unterwegs.
In April 1866, the GAUSS was purchased by the Bremen firm of Everhard C.
Delius. Wieting, however, remained in command until his death in
Charleston, South Carolina, in 1868. The _Wochenschrift f"ur Vegesack und
Umgegend_ for 9 December 1868 published the following report of Wieting's
passing:
Capitain Wieting vom Schiffe GAUSS ist laut einer in Bremerhaven
eingetroffenen Depesche in Charleston gestorben. Diese Nachricht
wird Manchen schmerzlichen ber"uhren, denn wohl selten gab es einen
Capitain, der im Kreise aller derer, die ihn kannten, hier sowohl wie
jenseits des Oceans sich einer gr"osseren Popularit"at erfreute.
Wieting was succeeded as master by Bernhard Steengrafe, who remained in
command until the vessel was sold Norwegian in 1877 (it is noteworthy that
in twenty years under the Bremen flag the GAUSS had only two captains).
On 29 March 1869, the GAUSS was purchased by the Bremen firm of Joh. Fr.
Arens (5/8) and Johann Jacob Bornemann (3/8). On 16 March 1877, these
sold the vessel to W. Petersen, of Holmestrand, Norway, who renamed
her NEPTUN, and from whom she passed, in the same year, to Pettersen &
Holst, and others. From 1887 onwards, the records give the owner of
the NEPTUN as Br"odr. Bjaertness, Holmestrand, and from 1891, Ole T.
Bjaertness, also of Holmestrand; in 1898, the vessel passed to Andreas
Hannestad, of Fredrikstad First master of the NEPTUN, ex GAUSS, under the
Norwegian flag was Hans Johannesen, who was succeeded in 1891 by Axel
Steen, and in 1898 by C. A. Hansen.
On 6 March 1894, the 46-year-old bark NORA, ex GAUSS, J. Hansen, master,
bound from Dr"obak for Geestemunde with a cargo of ice, was abandoned at
sea in a sinking condition, the crew being rescued by the German steamer
HEPPENS [Peter-Michael Pawlik, _Von der Weser in die Welt; Die Geschichte
der Segelschiffe von Weser und Lesum und ihrer Bauwerften 1770 bis 1893_,
Schriften des Deutschen Schiffahrtsmuseums, Bd. 33 (Hamburg: Kabel,
c1993), pp. 232-233, no. 236]. Pawlik's work contains a color
reproduction of a painting of the GAUSS by Oltmann Jaburg, dated 1859,
and a photograph of the NEPTUN, ex GAUSS. I am sending you scans, in
JPG format, of both images by separate e-mail.
Michael Palmer
--
Michael Palmer
Claremont, California
mpa...@netcom.com