Bernhard Blanke (1818-1877): Kapitän und Hafenmeister in Bremerhaven

Abstract

A three-and-a-half page autobiographical text written by Bernhard Blanke of Bremen has been placed at the disposal of the German Maritime Museum. In it, Blanke - who lived from 1818 to 1877 - briefly describes his career from his employment as a ship's boy on a Bremen brig to his position as harbour captain in Bremerhaven. The text appears here as written, with a few cautious corrections in cases of obvious errors. Basic information is moreover provided on each of the ships he travelled on, taken from the reference works by Peter-Michael Pawlik and Wolfgang Walter as well as the municipal archive (Stadtarchiv) in Bremerhaven and the state archive (Staatsarchiv) in Bremen. The aim of this publication is to make a brief autobiographical document available to scholarship.