Vom Eise zerdrückt im Jahre 1799: das Schicksal der Brigg Jomfrue Giertrud des Kongelige Grønlandske Handel

Abstract

Even today, shipwrecks are common occurrences in shipping. They often turn up only in statistics, while in some cases they serve as the basis for stories about the destinies of crews and ships. Nevertheless, eyewitness reports of the ship disasters of earlier centuries are rare. This source edition is one such eyewitness reports, written in the ship’s journal of the brig "Jomfrue Giertrud" of the Danish Royal Greenland Trade Company. Damaged by the ice, the "Jomfrue Giertrud" sank off the west coast of Greenland in February 1799. The ship’s journal provides insight into various occurrences on board during the passage to the Danish-Greenland Colonies, and during the winter stay at Julianehåb. Captain Boy Lorentz Petersen gives a gripping account of the state of being "beset", i.e. closed in by the ice, and the loss of the ship. The source transcription, appearing here with a German translation, is supplemented by comments, historical and linguistic background material and information on the captain, the ship and the ice off the west coast of Greenland.