Fredriksvern Shipyard

The Commander's Residence

The elegant Commander's Residence was ready for occupation by the commander in 1751.

The building was used as residence for the commander at the shipyard as recently as 2002.

New life on historic ground – stately function rooms to let

Today the Commander's Residence is used for representation, and can be leased as a function room.

The Commander had a dominant role in local social life

He was, in addition to being a trained officer, often schooled in drawing, painting, dancing and music and frequently introduced new customs and ideals to the local communities where he was stationed.

The Commander's Residence is far larger than the modest officers' flats in the barracks beyond the shipyards walls.

The King's Hall

The building has three wings; and in the centre wing there are several halls.

The largest hall is called the “King's Hall” because there is a large portrait from floor to ceiling of the dockyard's founder King Fredrik V.

In the south wing there originally was a kitchen and the servants' quarters. In the northern wing there were outhouses, stables and toilets. The summer house in the garden dates from 1778.

The commander's picturesque pavilion can be leased for parties and gatherings.

Shipbuilding at the slip

Fredriksvern - a galley shipyard and fleet station

In 1750 Kong Fredrik V of Denmark/Norway decided that a galley shipyard and fleet station were to be built in Stavern.

In the event of a war with Sweden, one would thus have a fleet that could withstand the Swedish fleet that operated along the Norwegian coast.

Stavern was chosen due to its close proximity to both Denmark and Sweden, while at the same time having a favourable harbour with two mouths. Vessels could thus sail in and out regardless of which way the wind blew.

The vessels that were to be a part of the fleet were to be built at the shipyard.

Long workdays

Here at the slip the vessels that were to be a part of the Norwegian naval fleet were built. Toward the end of the 1750s there was extensive building activity with around 200 men at work.

Initially most of the workers came from western Norway, later on more came from northern Norway. Working conditions were harsh, with 12-14 hour workdays and poor living conditions.

Traces of the slip

A slip is a ramp where the hulls of vessels are built and from where they are launched. The part of the slip that descends into the sea is known as the slipway. The slip that originally was located here was built in the latter half of the 1760s.

The outline of the slip is indicated in the grass. You can also see remains of the slip's oak poles in the sea, which are the remains of the slipway.

Last vessel

The naval brig Fredriksværn was the last large vessel to be built, and was launched on 29 September 1814.

A project is currently ongoing to realize the building of a copy of Fredriksværn.

The shipyard's only frigate, Christiania, was built here in 1774. A total of 51 vessels were built at the shipyards up to 1840.

Shipbuilding halted due to a lack of suitable oak timber.

Saluting at the fortresses

You can see the salute cannons on Fredriksvern Shipyard in front of you.

Ordinarily there are three cannons in a salute battery. Each cannon has a crew of two; one who loads and one who fires. The crew is from the home guard, and they carry the appropriate uniform. On weekdays the salute is at noon, while on Sundays it is at 1 p.m.

Commands

The salute commander heads the salute troop and gives the orders to fire the salute. He cries the cannon's number and “Fire!” (Ild) No other commands are used in this context. One fires from right to left in the firing direction.

Number of shots

Ordinarily 21 shots are fired. For important events in the royal family there is a double royal salute, which is two times 21 shots. In the case of deaths in the royal family, there is a 21 shot mourning salute. There is a gap of five seconds between the shots in an ordinary salute and a gap of 30 seconds between the shots in a mourning salute. In a double salute there is a one minute gap between the series.

The Royal Family is saluted

Dates for regular saluting:

• 21. February - H.M. King Harald's birthday
• 08. May - Liberation Day after WWII (1945)
• 17. May - Constitution Day (1814)
• 07. June - Dissolution of the Union with Sweden (1905)
• 04. July - H.M. Queen Sonja's birthday
• 20. July - H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon's birthday
• 19. August - H.R.H. Crown Princess Mette-Marit's birthday

Steinbrakka - cultural arena

From warehouse to cultural arena and function room

Steinbrakka was formerly used as a magazine (warehouse) for equipment for the vessels that were built at Fredriksvern. In Steinbrakka new life is created on historic ground through the art gallery activities.

Steinbrakka has a characteristic appearance

The large building from 1752 was originally built with external wood panelling. Due to the risk of fire, it was reinforced with stone externally in 1790, which gave it its name.

Steinbrakka at the inner part of the canal was built in 1790-91 and acted as a warehouse for rigging, masts, crossbeams and rope.

The channel was dug by hand

The channel made it easier to load equipment and goods from the magazine building onto the vessels. It was dug by hand between 1751and 1755.

New use – cultural arena and function room

Steinbrakka is leased as a function room for social gatherings and events

Open and accessible shipyard area

It is a goal for NDEA National Fortification Heritage to provide an open and accessible fortress areas. Throughout the year there are a number of interesting events – plays, exhibitions, concerts and guided tours in cooperation with outside parties.

The galley sheds

You are now standing at the characteristic galley sheds at Fredriksvern.

There can be a lot of weather out here on the coast.

The five galley sheds were built in the 1760s for the storage of galleys and equipment. Originally the row was longer and comprised ten sheds, and these were preserved until around 1900.

What is a galley?

A galley is a long, slender, light sailing and rowing vessel with a large crew, which could have 18 - 26 oars. The Nordic galleys had 1 to 4 powerful cannons at the front and smaller cannons on the sides. The galleys were not particularly seaworthy. In Norway, galley was a common name for cannon barges, cannon dinghys and skerries boats.

New activities

Today the galley sheds are used for performances, exhibitions and function rooms.

Model of Fredriksvern in shed 16

In shed no. 16 you can see a model that shows what the whole of the extensive facility at Fredriksvern Shipyards originally comprised. Fredriksvern Shipyards was originally divided in two – a fortified part and a civilian part with the barracks, square and church in connection with Stavern town.

The facility currently comprises 26 buildings, whereof 16 are from the 1700s. Most of the original brick buildings have been preserved, but previously there were a lot more larger and smaller wood buildings at the shipyard.

The Cadet Barracks

The Cadet Barracks - one of Norway's largest wooden buildings. 71 metres long and 11 metres wide.

This huge wooden building was erected in 1774. In 1772 the Swedes were once again rattling their sabres, and for that reason the Cadet Barracks were used as a supplies warehouse. Six months' supplies for 1,000 men were stored as well as one year's supplies for the shipyard's own crew. At the end of the 1800s, the Cadet Barracks were brought into use as quarters for the cadets.

Prison camp during WW II

During WW II the occupation forces used Fredriksvern both for storage, as an internment camp and prison camp. Among others, Russian prisoners of war were imprisoned in the building. Norwegian teacher students and students from the University of Oslo were interned here in the Cadet Barracks.

Royal drawings

In he 1920s the then Crown Prince Olav took part in summer exercises at Fredriksvern Dockyards for several summers when attending what is now the Norwegian Defence University College.

In the so-called Commander Sergeant Room there are large drawings by the Crown Prince and several of his classmates on the walls.

The room may be visited on guided tours.

The Gunpowder House

The old Gunpowder House from 1779 is now adapted for exhibitions and gatherings, and is leased to functions. After all, use is the best protection!

The Gunpowder House was built to supply gunpowder to the numerous warships stationed in Stavern harbour. The Gunpowder House was also used as a prison for a period, but has largely been used as an ammunition depot up until the 1980s.

High risk of explosion

The risk of explosion was high. For that reason, the Gunpowder House's walls were reinforced with counter-reinforcements, (supporting pillars for brickwork), on the three sides that face the shipyard and sea. The blast of an eventual explosion would be directed at the weakest wall, towards a harmless area, instead of towards people and vessels.

New splendour

In this process all external plastering was removed and the building was re-plastered with new, traditional limestone plaster that allows the brickwork to “breathe”.

The colour was also reverted from yellow to terracotta coloured plaster, as the archive material shows that this was the original colour.

The Gunpowder House before rehabilitation:

All work has been carried as traditionally as possible. For example, when repairing the floors on the second floor, a special “planer hoe” was used to imitate axe marks.

The Memorial Hall and the Blockhouses

From where you are now standing you can see two major landmarks - the Blockhouses and the Memorial Hall Memorial Hall On the hill to the south you can see the large pyramid-shaped

Memorial Hall

The Seamen’s Memorial Hall in Stavern is a national monument. It commemorates Norwegian merchant seamen who died in service in two world wars.

The crypt under the Memorial Hall contains 36 copper panels with the names of the dead from the first and second world wars.

Associations with mausoleums and pyramids

The Memorial Hall is built as a pyramid with wide views towards the Skagerrak, and the design conjures up associations with both mausoleums and navigational beacons. The interior is decorated with reliefs by the artist Nicolai Schøll showing scenes from seamen’s lives at home and at sea, in war and in peace. The Memorial Hall was opened by King Haakon VII on 1 August 1926.

Local building materials

The site where the Memorial Hall now stands was originally part of the fortress. It was split off for this purpose on condition that the building material should come from the area.

The Blockhouses

In the late 1780s, the defences were strengthened with three blockhouses on the landward side. The blockhouses were built as combined lookout posts and gun emplacements.

Two bockhouses preserved

Two of these blockhouses have been preserved, and you can see them towards the north, behind the dockyard and Stavern centre – small red buildings on top of two hills. The third blockhouse was larger than the two that remain, and was built for larger guns (cannon). It was further south, close to the tall mast you can see today. There are plans to rebuild this blockhouse according to the original drawings.

Lookout posts and gun emplacements

The blockhouses were built as combined lookout posts and gun emplacements. They are made of timber and shaped like a storehouse with a projecting upper floor. The reason is that, as well as firing horizontally, the men also needed to be able to shoot or thrust downwards at the enemy if the blockhouse was attacked directly. Take a look at the blockhouse again, and imagine how it would be used:

Rarities

The two blockhouses at Fredriksvern Shipyard are the only known structures of this type in Norway. They are very well preserved, with flaps protecting the embrasures with original 18th century hinges.

The sundial

A sundial shows the time of day, based on the sun's position in the sky. The sun shines on a piece of metal that casts a shadow on the dial.

Long tradition

The sundial in front of you is most likely from the 1950s – but there is a long tradition of sundials at Fredriksvern. In documentation from 1752 a sundial placed on the King's battery is described as having a “marble dial and brass hand”. This sundial is now in the Naval Museum in Horten, and was probably moved in the early 1900s.