Louis Palander
Encyclopedia
Adolf Arnold Louis Palander af Vega (October 2, 1842 – August 7, 1920) was a Swedish naval officer, mostly remembered as the captain on Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld's
Vega
expedition, the first successful attempt to navigate the Northeast Passage.
(lower half) in the Swedish Royal Navy, and the director of the Royal Navy shipyard in Karlskrona
. His mother was Emelie Jacquette Constance du Rées. Louis Palander became a naval cadet
already at the early age of 14. In 1864 he graduated from the Navy Academy in Karlberg as a second lieutenant
and participated in expeditions to the Mediterranean, Sierra Leone
and Liberia
on the corvette
Gefle, as well as in a trip to the United States
. After several other appointments at sea, Louis Palander participated in Nordenskiöld
s expedition to Spitsbergen
in 1868, on board the steamer Sofia (the ship's captain was baron
Fredrik von Otter
). He married Anna Katarina Grischotti the same year.
Thereafter, Palander served on the ship Vanadis on an expedition to the Mediterranean in 1869–1870. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant
and was the ship's captain on the postal steamer
Polhem, first during the winter of 1870–1871 between Gotland
and main land Sweden
, and then during 1871–1872 to secure the postal route across the Öresund
in severe winter conditions. He was also the ship's captain on the steamer Polhem during Nordenskiölds winter expedition to the Spitsbergen islands in 1872–1873, where he displayed exceptional courage and skill and significantly contributed to the scientific work. From the base camp at Mosselbay, Palander and nine other men accompanied Nordenskiöld on the unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole
in May–June 1873. Upon return to Sweden, Palander's request for an honourable discharge from the navy was granted, and he took employment first as a captain on cargo ships en route to England
, and later as a captain for a steamer line based in Gothenburg
.
and officers
. The ship sailed from Karlshamn
on June 22, 1878, and arrived in Tromsö (Norway
) on July 17 where Nordenskiöld boarded the ship. The expedition, which was carried out during 1878–1879, was ultimately successful, and shortly before the end of the voyage, he was promoted to the full rank of captain
. Upon return to Sweden, he was made a noble by the Swedish king Oscar II
under the name of Palander af Vega, and parliament awarded him an annual pension
of 4,000 Swedish crowns
yearly. Palander was an accomplished amateur photographer and brought home approximately 60 photographic plates depicting the journey and people encountered during the trip.
to the director of the Royal Navy shipyard in Karlskrona, as well as to the Department of Sea Warfare during 1886–1889. In 1889 he was promoted to commander
and in 1893 he was appointed as chief of the supply service for the administrative office of the Swedish Royal Navy (Swedish: Marinförvaltningens intendenturavdelning). In 1896 he was promoted to rear admiral
(lower half) and first aide-de-camp to the king, and subsequently in 1897 appointed as the director of the Royal Navy shipyard in Karlskrona. In 1899 he was made the director of the administrative office of the Swedish Royal Navy (Swedish: Marinförvaltningen) and in 1900 promoted to full rank of rear admiral (upper half). In 1901 he became a cabinet minister responsible for the Department of Sea Warfare. In 1903 he was promoted to vice admiral
.
On August 2, 1905 he resigned his post as cabinet minister together with the rest of the government (as a consequence of the political crisis arising from the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden) and resumed his post in the Swedish Royal Navy.
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
Freiherr Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld , also known as A. E. Nordenskioeld was a Finnish baron, geologist, mineralogist and arctic explorer of Finnish-Swedish origin. He was a member of the prominent Finland-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists...
Vega
Vega (ship)
SS Vega was a Swedish barque, built in Bremerhaven Germany in 1872. She was the first ship to complete a voyage through the Northeast Passage, and the first vessel to circumnavigate the Eurasian continent.-Construction:...
expedition, the first successful attempt to navigate the Northeast Passage.
Early navy career
Louis Palander was born in Karlskrona in October 1842. His father Axel Fredrik Palander was a rear admiralRear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
(lower half) in the Swedish Royal Navy, and the director of the Royal Navy shipyard in Karlskrona
Karlskrona
Karlskrona is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with 35,212 inhabitants in 2010. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to Sweden's only remaining naval base and the headquarters of the...
. His mother was Emelie Jacquette Constance du Rées. Louis Palander became a naval cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
already at the early age of 14. In 1864 he graduated from the Navy Academy in Karlberg as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and participated in expeditions to the Mediterranean, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
and Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
on the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Gefle, as well as in a trip to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After several other appointments at sea, Louis Palander participated in Nordenskiöld
Nordenskiöld
Nordenskiöld or Nordenskjöld or Nordenskjold or Nordenskiold may refer to:* Nordenskiöld , people with the surname Nordenskiöld-See also:* Nordenskjold Archipelago, an island group in the Kara Sea....
s expedition to Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen
Spitsbergen is the largest and only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in Norway. Constituting the western-most bulk of the archipelago, it borders the Arctic Ocean, the Norwegian Sea and the Greenland Sea...
in 1868, on board the steamer Sofia (the ship's captain was baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Fredrik von Otter
Fredrik von Otter
Fredrik Wilhelm von Otter was a Swedish friherre, naval officer and politician, most notably serving as Prime Minister of Sweden from 1900 to 1902....
). He married Anna Katarina Grischotti the same year.
Thereafter, Palander served on the ship Vanadis on an expedition to the Mediterranean in 1869–1870. He was subsequently promoted to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and was the ship's captain on the postal steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Polhem, first during the winter of 1870–1871 between Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
and main land Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and then during 1871–1872 to secure the postal route across the Öresund
Oresund
The Sound , is the strait that separates the Danish island Zealand from the southern Swedish province of Scania. Its width is just at the narrowest point between Helsingør, Denmark, and Helsingborg, Sweden...
in severe winter conditions. He was also the ship's captain on the steamer Polhem during Nordenskiölds winter expedition to the Spitsbergen islands in 1872–1873, where he displayed exceptional courage and skill and significantly contributed to the scientific work. From the base camp at Mosselbay, Palander and nine other men accompanied Nordenskiöld on the unsuccessful attempt to reach the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
in May–June 1873. Upon return to Sweden, Palander's request for an honourable discharge from the navy was granted, and he took employment first as a captain on cargo ships en route to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and later as a captain for a steamer line based in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
.
The Vega expedition
In 1877 Palander returned to the Royal Navy and offered to become the captain on the expedition to navigate the Northeast passage. For this purpose, Palander secured the whaling ship Vega, and selected the crewCrew
A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard...
and officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
. The ship sailed from Karlshamn
Karlshamn
Karlshamn is a locality and the seat of Karlshamn Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden with 12,957 inhabitants of the city core and 30 918 in the municipality ....
on June 22, 1878, and arrived in Tromsö (Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
) on July 17 where Nordenskiöld boarded the ship. The expedition, which was carried out during 1878–1879, was ultimately successful, and shortly before the end of the voyage, he was promoted to the full rank of captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
. Upon return to Sweden, he was made a noble by the Swedish king Oscar II
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
under the name of Palander af Vega, and parliament awarded him an annual pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
of 4,000 Swedish crowns
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
yearly. Palander was an accomplished amateur photographer and brought home approximately 60 photographic plates depicting the journey and people encountered during the trip.
Later navy and political career
During 1881–1883, Palander served as an aide-de-campAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the director of the Royal Navy shipyard in Karlskrona, as well as to the Department of Sea Warfare during 1886–1889. In 1889 he was promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and in 1893 he was appointed as chief of the supply service for the administrative office of the Swedish Royal Navy (Swedish: Marinförvaltningens intendenturavdelning). In 1896 he was promoted to rear admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
(lower half) and first aide-de-camp to the king, and subsequently in 1897 appointed as the director of the Royal Navy shipyard in Karlskrona. In 1899 he was made the director of the administrative office of the Swedish Royal Navy (Swedish: Marinförvaltningen) and in 1900 promoted to full rank of rear admiral (upper half). In 1901 he became a cabinet minister responsible for the Department of Sea Warfare. In 1903 he was promoted to vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
.
On August 2, 1905 he resigned his post as cabinet minister together with the rest of the government (as a consequence of the political crisis arising from the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden) and resumed his post in the Swedish Royal Navy.
Honours
- Honorary Knight Grand CrossKnight Grand CrossKnight Grand Cross is the most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are obsolete. The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
of the Royal Victorian OrderRoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(GCVORoyal Victorian OrderThe Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
), 1908