Captain P. Petersen

Captain P. Petersen has had considerable knowledge of salt water sailing in addition to his experience on the Great Lakes. He was born July 27, 1865, at Sandefjord, Norway, the son of Peter Petersen, a farmer of that place, who never came to America. The Captain sailed seven years on the ocean previous to his removal to this country, visiting East Indies, Germany, Russia, Holland, Sweden and South America. On his arrival in the United States he settled in Cleveland, soon afterward resuming marine life on the lakes, and he continued to follow that occupation up to the present time. He first went before the mast on the Speedwell, transferring from that boat to the Francis Pond and Zach Chandler in the same capacity. He then shipped on the Henry A. Kent as second mate and later became mate, remaining on her four years in all, after which he was on the William Home. >From this boat he went to the Bradley line as mate on the Adriatic, following which he sailed the Alva Bradley, upon which he was in command when she was lost, August 13, 1894, on Lake Michigan. From this time he was master of the Moravia for one and a half years, and from her came to the John Scott Russell, upon which he is in command at the present time.

Captain Petersen was married in July, 1892, to Miss Matilda Nelson, of Cleveland, and they have one child, Frances Matilda.

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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.