Captain Martin A. Hinrichsen

Captain Martin A. Hinrichsen was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1862, and came with his parents to America at the age of twelve years, the family settling in Baltimore, Md., where Martin attended the public schools until he was fifteen years of age. His first experience in sailing was on salt water out of Baltimore, as fireman on coasting vessels, and he continued thus for some time. He then went to Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1880 shipped on the Minnehaha before the mast, remaining on her for three seasons. In 1884 he shipped as wheelsman on the tug Relief for the full season. In 1885 he made three trips on the David Dows as wheelsman; was on the Rutter before the mast, and finished the season as mate of the schooner Monitor. His next season was put in as mate of the Wagstaff and before the mast on the barge Republic. In 1887 he entered the employ of J.W. Averill, in the fishing business out of Cleveland for the season, and in the fall of that year he took out pilot's papers and shipped as master of the tug Jesse Enos for one season. He was then transferred to the tug Enterprise, which he sailed three years, in the employ of Crangle & Co., out of Cleveland harbor, and following that he held mate's berth on the schooner Helvetia, closing the season on the Monohansett. In the fall of 1893 he was appointed master of the tug Markwell, for Munson & Sons, in the fishing trade, and held that command three years, until the close of the season of 1896.

On January 3, 1886, Mr. Hinrichsen was united in marriage to Miss Martha M. Ruiter, of Cleveland, formerly of Canada.

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Volume I

This version of Volume II is based, with permission, on the work of the great volunteers at the Marine Captains Biographies site. To them goes the credit for reorganizing the content into some coherent order. The biographies in the original volume are in essentially random order.

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.