THE M/S CONCORDIA DOCKS AT THE SCANDINAVIAN CENTER

In the Scandinavian Center

Thousand Oaks, California
Ernst F. Tonsing, Ph.D.
3 September 2009

In looking around the Scandinavian Center, it doesn't take long to discover that
Scandinavians have this thing about ships. A rya rug has three Viking ships knitted into
its design, a stained glass window depicts a ship under full sail, and there are models of
ships in the display cases of the museum. One of the finest, most detailed, accurate and
the largest, is one that came recently into the collections from the family of Dagfinn
Gunnarshaug.

Gunnarshaug was born in Haugesund, Norway, in 1933, and died in Westlake

Village, California, July 18, 2009. He had worked in the Norwegian shipping industry in
his home country and in New York City for many years, and had settled in Southern
California where he was the President of the Norwegian American Chamber of
Commerce, and also the Honorary Vice Consul of Norway in Los Angeles. He was
involved in the Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation, and was Vice
President of the association at his death. This model had been exhibited in his offices
during his professional life and at his home.

The ship is a model of the M/S Concordia, which was built in 1960 by the
Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, and operated by Christian Haaland's Concordia Line from
Haugesund, Norway, until 1980. The vessel was 492 feet 4 inches long 68 feet wide, and
was propelled by a powerful diesel engine.

In Scandinavia, there are ships of all sorts constructed according to their

functions. Thus, there are fishing trawlers, automobile ferries, icebreakers, oil tankers,
passenger ships, and ocean liners. There are also boats of all kinds, from fishing boats
and ferry boats to church boats. (For sailors, terminology is important. They distinguish
carefully between a ship and a boat, and size counts. A boat can be taken aboard a ship,
but a ship cannot be taken aboard a boat. Woe to those who mix up the two!)

The splendid model in the Scandinavian Center accurately depicts a large cargo
ship which carried general cargo, iron and aluminum ores, alloys, steel, explosives,
ammunition, manufactured products and semi-finished products. At the bow (the front of
the ship) below the forecastle (fo'c'sle or forward deck), one can see the anchor held by
chains. To anchor the ship, it must stop and back up in the water. Then, the anchor is
dropped quickly, the rattling of the chains thundering loudly as it plunges into the depths.
As the ship backs up, the prongs of the anchor dig into the bottom mud. A long length of
chain would extend from the ship to the anchor to cushion the rise and fall of the ship in
the waves and to allow the ship to turn in the wind while keeping firmly anchored.
 Just aft (behind) the anchor winch are the first of a series of booms. When
loading or offloading cargo, the hatch covers (the square, gray boxes along the center of
the ship's deck) would be removed, and the booms would swivel to pick up the cargo
from the dock and deposit it in the hold (cargo area) of the ship. Today, ships carry large,
metal containers already packed for shipping, but when this ship was operating, cargo
was placed in crates, each of which had to be loaded and stowed below decks
individually.

Midships in the superstructure (the white structure) is the quarters for the crew,
the galley (kitchen), mess (cafeteria), Captain's and Executive Officer's quarters, and,
perhaps, cabins for some passengers. There are two life boats, which stand on divots that
can launch the boats automatically if the ship lists (tips) far enough to one side or
another. The white and black stack with "H" on it is the exhaust for the ship's engine far
below it in the bowels of the ship.

Forward of the "smokestack" is the bridge of the ship, where the Officer of the
Deck guides the ship by giving orders to the Helmsman nearby, who regulates the
direction and speed the ship is sailing. Located here are navigation charts (maps), radar,
radio and other apparatus used for piloting the ship. Extending up from the bridge is a
mast that holds the radio antennas for communicating with other ships and the shore, and
the radar antenna which rotates to identify other vessels and obstacles. From this mast,
square signal flags can be run up that contain coded messages. In the days before radio,
other ships could read these flags from a distance. The white framework of pipes outside
the pilothouse would hold canvas to give cover from the sun or rain. On the starboard
(right) side is a gangway (staircase) that is lowered to permit debarking or embarking of
the crew and passengers.

The stern (the back part of the ship) has more booms, and on the after castle, a
replacement metal prop (propeller) stored on deck in case the one below the ship is
damaged or lost. Under the stern is the rudder which turns to port or starboard (left or
right), turning the ship in the water. (Nautical terminology developed by the ancient
Vikings named the right side the "starboard," since their rudder, or "steering board," was
fastened to that side. The "port" side, then, was the opposite or left side, since that side
could be guided alongside the dock without fouling or damaging the rudder. Check the
rudders on the ancient Viking ships in the museum.) Finally, a proud Norwegian flag
flies off the stern, indicating that the ship is underway (moving through the water).

Note how carefully the model of the Concordia is made, accurately depicting the
working parts of the ship. Look at the precise details of the rails, the rigging, the winches
and the graceful shape of the ship, and imagine that you are standing on a dock looking at
its booms moving independently back and forth, lifting and lowering cargo like a
gigantic, slow-motion ballet, or that you are at sea passing by on another ship and
watching the mammoth craft steam noiselessly towards the horizon. To see such a large
vessel moving rapidly through the water is a magnificent sight. No wonder Vikings, both
ancient and modern, love their ships.