Jens Jacob Eschels
Encyclopedia
Jens Jacob Eschels was a nautical captain
and is the author of the oldest known captain's autobiography in German.
, was born in Nieblum
on the North Frisia
n island of Föhr
, where many seafarers of the early modern era came from.
He was the son of a penniless family, his father often sailed "before the mast" for the Dutch East India Company
. In 1796, aged eleven, Eschels joined the crew of an Amsterdam
whaler
as a deck boy, repeatedly lost his ship in the Arctic, but returned unharmed. Afterwards he sailed on various Amsterdam whalers. During the winter season he learned the "art of navigating
".
In 1778 he changed to the less dangerous and on a long-term prospect more prosperous trade shipping. Thereby he sailed all European seas. In 1781 he eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on a journey to the Caribbean
. In Grenada
he was given the chance to move to a Hamburg based ship as "sub-navigator". In the next year he was accepted as navigator on the barque
Henricus de Vierde. Due to illness and death of his captain in Haiti
he took over the post of the vessel's captain on the journey back to Europe and as such he would further command the ship on numerous journeys until 1798.
Later he stayed on land as the German seafaring experienced difficulties due to the Napoleonic Wars
. By his journeys he had gathered certain assets and now worked as a manufacturer of tobacco products, as merchant, shipowner and expert in nautical questions in the then Danish
town of Altona (which is now a part of Hamburg
/Germany).
His comprehensive and enthralling autobiography was written based on diaries and ships' logs prior to 1832, originally it was only intended for family purposes. It was published in 1835. The 355-page book not only provides a wealth of information about contemporary seafaring, but also offers a view on everyday life and thinking of the time. Eschels died in Altona in 1842.
Captain (nautical)
A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...
and is the author of the oldest known captain's autobiography in German.
Life
Eschels, a great-great-grandchild of whaling captain Matthias PetersenMatthias Petersen
Matthias Petersen was a sea captain and whaler from Oldsum on the North Frisian island of Föhr...
, was born in Nieblum
Nieblum
Nieblum is a municipality on the island of Föhr, in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.-Geography:...
on the North Frisia
North Frisia
North Frisia or Northern Friesland is the northernmost portion of Frisia, located primarily in Germany between the rivers Eider and Wiedau/Vidå. It includes a number of islands, e.g., Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, Nordstrand, and Heligoland.-History:...
n island of Föhr
Föhr
Föhr is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest North Sea island of Germany....
, where many seafarers of the early modern era came from.
He was the son of a penniless family, his father often sailed "before the mast" for the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
. In 1796, aged eleven, Eschels joined the crew of an Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
whaler
Whaler
A whaler is a specialized ship, designed for whaling, the catching and/or processing of whales. The former included the whale catcher, a steam or diesel-driven vessel with a harpoon gun mounted at its bows. The latter included such vessels as the sail or steam-driven whaleship of the 16th to early...
as a deck boy, repeatedly lost his ship in the Arctic, but returned unharmed. Afterwards he sailed on various Amsterdam whalers. During the winter season he learned the "art of navigating
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
".
In 1778 he changed to the less dangerous and on a long-term prospect more prosperous trade shipping. Thereby he sailed all European seas. In 1781 he eventually crossed the Atlantic Ocean for the first time on a journey to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. In Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
he was given the chance to move to a Hamburg based ship as "sub-navigator". In the next year he was accepted as navigator on the barque
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
Henricus de Vierde. Due to illness and death of his captain in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
he took over the post of the vessel's captain on the journey back to Europe and as such he would further command the ship on numerous journeys until 1798.
Later he stayed on land as the German seafaring experienced difficulties due to the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. By his journeys he had gathered certain assets and now worked as a manufacturer of tobacco products, as merchant, shipowner and expert in nautical questions in the then Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
town of Altona (which is now a part of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
/Germany).
His comprehensive and enthralling autobiography was written based on diaries and ships' logs prior to 1832, originally it was only intended for family purposes. It was published in 1835. The 355-page book not only provides a wealth of information about contemporary seafaring, but also offers a view on everyday life and thinking of the time. Eschels died in Altona in 1842.