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Alfred Holt on the Varfluda, 1876

Introduction.

After gaining valuable experience operating ships between Liverpool and the West Indies, the Liverpool steam-ship owner Alfred Holt (1829-1911), together with his brother Philip (1830-1914), founded the Ocean Steam Ship Company (‘Blue Funnel’) in 1865, trading to China and the Far East. In its early years the line proved immensely profitable, and with the profits Alfred was able to invest in a private steam-yacht built at the shipyard of Scotts, Greenock, on the Clyde. The yacht was called ‘Argo’, and was launched in 1875. However, as Alfred’s private journal shows (see below), the motive for building this vessel was not simply for personal pleasure, although the same source does make clear his almost boyish enthusiasm at the prospect of owning a private steam-yacht in which to travel to places he had only read about. With that in mind the first cruise took place in 1876, and the destination was Norway. It was to end in near disaster when the ‘Argo’ ran aground at speed on a rock in the Storfjord. It was perhaps the most dramatic incident in Alfred’s life, and his journal, which he kept until 1878, provides a good account of who was on board, and what happened. Two other accounts of the event also survive – one by Alfred’s sister Anne (1821-1885), and the other by Hester Emily Booth (1842-1906), the sister-in-law of his brother Philip Holt. Relevant parts from all three accounts are transcribed below, together with some notes about those on board and other background information. In later years Alfred Holt was to re-visit the location of the near-wreck on at least three occasions. Accounts of those visits also exist, and they too are abstracted here.

Alfred Holt and his second wife Fanny. Both were on board the ‘Argo’ when it ran aground on the Varfluda in 1876.
(Se fotoalbum)

In May 2007 Penny and I decided to visit Norway, and to see if we could find the location where the ‘Argo’ ran aground. Not only were we able to achieve that but also to unearth additional information about the accident and its historical resonance in the vicinity today. I have appended an account of what we learnt, illustrated by some of the photographs which were kindly sent to us subsequently. (Other photos are my own or from Holt family records.) But first, the account by Alfred Holt:

‘On Saturday June 24th [1876] we started for a long thought of yacht voyage in the "Argo", and a very memorable voyage it turned out while it lasted and by reason of the occurrence which brought it to a close. Our party leaving Liverpool were John Swire, my brother George, John and Bertha Woodcock, Dr. Davidson, Ed[war]d Norton, my sister, Misses Florence Melly, Blanche Potter, Emily Booth & Margaret Holt, Philip and Anna, Fanny, Jenny and myself. Also for his company and to give additional confidence in the Hebrides our old friend Capt. Middleton. We started on a bright fine clear day, a number of friends seeing us off, we were a very happy party, the vessel was clean, roomy, well and comfortably fitted out, I thought I never saw so promising a start. We first made for the Isle of Man passed through Ramsay Bay, and anchored in Lamlash. 25th long walk in Arran. 26th went on to Greenock [on the Clyde, near Glasgow], embarked Mr & Mrs Scott and disembarked George, same evening anchored in Loch Crinan. 27th thro’ Sound of Mull saw Staffa and Iona very favorably and back to Tobermory. 28th anchored about 11 am in Loch Scavaig landed walked round famous Loch Coruisk, and spent night in the harbour of Isle Ornsey. 29th thro’ Loch Alsh round Cape Wrath and anchored in Loch Eriboll, fished at midnight, girls helping, caught 141 at one haul. 30th called at Thurso, parted from Capt Middleton with three cheers, got and posted letters, and went on in the evening to Kirkwall. July 1st saw what was to be seen at Kirkwall, walked & rode over to the Standing Stones of Stennis &c – 2nd Sunday, sailed 7 am for Lerwick arrived about 1 pm, saw what was to be seen in the capital of Shetland, where harbour happened on that day to be very gay with the Dutch fishing fleet, and left at 10½ pm for Norway, made the coast thereof next afternoon, and same evening arrived at Bergen. Spent 4th (our wedding day) seeing our first Norwegian town and I in engaging a pilot one Christian Larson who I took on the recommendation of Messrs Wilsons agent, and on the faith of many & very high testimonials. I was told he was about the best pilot in Norway, his only fault being that he failed slightly on point of sobriety, that seeing we had control of his drink supplies I did not mind. Same evening sailed under his charge for Drontheim [Trondheim], arrived there in some 26 hours, and finding it perfectly light at midnight, the girls being enthusiastic, and we at our Northern limit of latitude, landed at what might very inappropriately be called the witching hour of night and climbed a neighbouring mountain, saw the sun’s actual body about 1.45 am, tho’ his rays were never lost. Next day (or rather day of which that was the morning) saw Drontheim whereof except Cathedral there is not much to see. Cathedral very interesting. It is not Milan Cathedral far from it, no Carlo Borromeo at Drontheim, but a stunted, heavy, dark coloured, weather worn edifice, some parts almost grotesque, but I felt attracted by its great antiquity & interesting history, and also because it was the shrine of a religion perhaps gloomy, but which has made good, forcible, strong men for generations; in afternoon took a walk about 5 miles to see two very beautiful waterfalls, quite worth the walk, and saw some little of Norwegian farming of the better sort on our way. On 9th left Drontheim and passing through Christiansund [Kristiansund] arrived same evening at Weblungsnaes [Veblungnes], the point where the Romsdal mountains and valleys are seen. On 8th saw them and shall not easily forget our cavalcade – got on board again about midnight. Sunday 9th after breakfast left Weblungsnaes, saw the Geiranger fiord (very fine indeed) and anchored for night at Hellesyllt, where we had some peasants and their pastor on board & had some singing &c. Next morning, 10th at 7½ am sailed, and at 10.15 am a beautiful, calm, sunny morning, water like glass, ship going about 12 knots were run hard and fast on a rock with about 9 ft water on it; we were in the Storfjord just opposite and about 3/8 of a mile off a little bay called Narvik [Nordvik], and about 3/4 of a mile off a better known place called Tasvig [Tusvik], between entrances to Sukelven [Sykkylven] and Jörund Fiords. The pilot was perfectly sober and attentive, he and Capt Jackson were on the bridge – no neglect or misconduct on any ones part, except the very grave fault in the pilot of undertaking to conduct a vessel over waters he was not thoroughly acquainted with. I take it the rock was not generally known, except possibly to the fishermen of the fiord. Of course after the event every one said they knew it but I don’t believe them, certainly another pilot to my personal knowledge had a very vague idea of its whereabouts. It was a never to be forgotten crash, two separate blows as it were, some 3 or 4 seconds apart, with the second which was amidships she stopped dead and fell over on her port bilge, deck so steep that it was difficult to stand on it. After a moment of very great consternation, seeing she held fast confidence returned, the ladies were at once landed, then the gentlemen, and stewards and cooks &c and after them the luggage and stores bedding, mens clothes &c, all in terrible confusion. This was done fearing she would become a wreck. Every one behaved very well & exerted him or herself to the utmost, and when an hour or two had passed and the alarm had subsided, spirits and animation returned amongst the girls and they began to view the matter in the light of a picnic party. On night of 10th all slept in a barn of which we had taken possession, swept out and put our beds in, on 11th sent off entire party except Scott, Norton & myself to Aalesund distant about 14 miles in a large fishing boat. It was a most miserable transit. From that place they made their ways home via Bergen and Hull with considerable discomfort but perfect safety landing in as they had left from England in a steamer called the "Argo". We who stayed behind set ourselves to save the vessel if possible and imprimis made ourselves reasonably comfortable by moving from our barn quarters at Narvik to the house of an old Capt C.L. Leid at Tasvig. This old gentleman treated us very hospitably and his two daughters Maria and Louisa were unremitting in their attention to our comforts. Louisa especially should not be forgotten, a short, active, smiling girl of 2 or 3 and twenty. She rowed a boat, carried our luggage, cooked our meals, dried our clothes, made our beds, and did everything for us with such evident pleasure that tho’ neither could speak a word of the others language we got quite friendly especially Scott & Norton who were twice as long at Tasvig as I was, and I am not sure when we came to parting whether all eyes were dry or not.

The ship was hung by the middle and my plan was to lighten the ends to avoid strain but not take so much out as to float her till I could get a steamer and diver. These arrived from Copenhagen on 16th and on 17th we commenced operations; the serious leakage was in engine compartment only, and the bulkheads holding good we got her off with that compartment full on 21st and on 22nd towed her safely to Aalesund. There the diver rammed all the openings in her bottom with oakum, wedges, moss, heather &c and gradually closed them until on 26th her own pumps cleared her, we then re-embarked our selves and on 29th started in tow for Bergen and got there safely on 30th, rather nervous work going round Stadtlandt. At Bergen we got into a graving dock, and a most extraordinary close fit it was, we had about 14 inches to spare in length and 1" [inch] in depth, there we made her bottom fairly tight and connected the engine pipes which were broken and sailed under her own steam for Liverpool Aug 7. We got there on 13th having had to lie at anchor 3½ days in Loch Eriboll weatherbound. So ended a cruise which so long as all went right was one of the happiest imaginable. I shall remember it all my life. I rather realized the feeling even before the accident that such perfect enjoyment could not last. Till we struck the weather was good, the scenery beautiful, the party congenial, but from the moment that accident happened, all was bad weather, anxiety, discomfort, and parting. We cannot be sufficiently thankful that our sole loss was money, we had a very narrow escape for our lives, if the ship had fallen off the rock instead of on to it most likely a number would have been thrown into the water, had the steam from the boiler escaped, and the boiler was moved in the collision, no one could predict the loss, and confusion; and again had it happened at night, or in rough water, all could hardly have escaped, but as it was the unheard event happened of a vessel going 12 knots running on a rock, and every one landing unhurt. We cannot be too thankful. Capt M.H.F. Jackson was master and very agreeable he made himself. . . Thursday 17th had an "Argo" party, distributed our effects, nothing lost.’

‘July 3. Crossed to Bergen, first approach a low rocky line of coast islands with mountains behind, all barren, but for occasional openings into green wooded valleys or fjords with little red roofed houses. Enter the Kors Fjord about 4 p.m. in and out round corners till we reached Bergen, a red roofed town on steep hillsides, the houses coming down to the water’s edge. Curious old-fashioned boats, and an old castle on a promonotory. Landed at 8 p.m.

July 4. Went shopping in the town. Sailed at 7.30 p.m.

July 5. Coasted between the islands and the mainland. Enter the Tronjem [Trondheim] Fjord in evening. Beautiful sunset about 10.30. Landed at Tronjem and climbed the hill to see the sunrise. Effects of sunset and sunrise at same time. No dusk at all.

July 6. Went to see the Cathedral, grey stone, Norman Gothic. Beautiful tombhouse under a dome supported by columns. Walked in the town. Long rows of painted wooden warehouses close down on the water.

July 7. Sailed down fjord, past Christiansund [Kristiansund], along a wonderfully narrow channel, the town built on islands. Sail up the Molde Fjord and up the Romsdal F. a continuation of it. Magnificent scenery. Went through narrow water passes, great cliffs with fir trees all up them, snow peaks of the Dovrefeld [Døvrefjell] behind. Land at Viblingnas [Veblungnes] at 8 p.m. Walk to Aak 3 miles off, getting fine views of the Romsdal Horn etc.

July 8. Went in curious carrioles up the Romsdal, sheer precipices with waterfalls leaping down in clouds of spray, topped with rocks of weird shapes, great tumbled boulders and river Rom below. Back to the yacht at midnight.

Sunday July 9. Sailed up the Stor Noid [Storfjord] and into Glerangor [Geiranger], wonderful rocks and waterfalls which we steered close past. Anchored at Heelesilt [Hellesylt] 8 p.m.

July 10. Back along Storfjord, struck on rock 11 a.m., got off in the boats to land. Engine compartment filled with water, but Argo remained steady on her point of rock, heeled over at a considerable angle. In the course of the day a quantity of things, stores and bedding were brought to shore and piled under a boat shed and some 200 y[ar]ds up the valley was a convenient large barn where we moved the bedding and got it ready for the night’s encampment. As low water came and the yacht showed no sign of straining, hopes were entertained that after all she might be saved. The Capt. and crew remained on board. Mr. Swire, Mr Scott and Mr Norton kept watch by the boathouse at night, and P.H.H. [Philip Holt], A.H. [Anna Holt] etc. up at the shed.

Next morning it was fixed to charter a large fishing boat that was on the beach that the party might be conveyed to Aalesund about 20/25 miles off. A.H. [Alfred Holt]. Mr Scot and E Norton to stay behind to look after the yacht and all our properties except the light packages we could take with it. At noon we got off in pouring rain and a pretty strong wind, A.H. going as far as Aalesund with us. We went under the Argo’s stern to take farewell of the Capt. and crew, and, as it seemed then, very likely a last farewell to the Argo. We got to Aalesund in about 5 hours very wet, got dried and rested at the hotel, and then went on board a miserable steamer, the ‘Ganger Rolf’, A.H. returning to the yacht after telegraphing Liverpool and Copenhagen for assistance. At Bergen we got the steamer ‘Argo’ for Hull, getting home July 15th.

After we had left, the ship was lightened as far as possible and the bulkheads caulked to keep out the water from the other compartments. The gentlemen moved from the barn to the house of an old Norwegian skipper a mile off, leaving the stewards to watch at the shed. The second night after we left was very rough and Capt. Jackson finding the ship pitching and straining, and the men refusing to stay on board, all came off in the boat. By morning the wind had abated and it was found that the Argo was still safe though damaged by bumping. It rained and blew all week and they watched the ship anxiously and whiled away the time (and got good fare) by fishing.

The expected salvage steamer came from Copenhagen on the 16th and, after much anxiety in settling terms, an agreement was made and the first business was to stuff the holes in the ship’s bottom. Then they pumped the water out and lightened her still more and an ineffectual attempt was made to get her off. At length however, on Friday 21st, she was dragged off the rock, and though she filled amidships the bulk heads held, and she was towed 12 miles down the fjord to a sandy bay where they anchored. Next morning they got her on to Aalesund and then some of the party steamed back to Tusvig [Tusvik] (the scene of the wreck) to bring off the stores.

At Aalesund the Argo was made safer and Mr. Scott and Mr Norton left for Bergen and Hull. The Argo, with A.H. on board, was towed to Bergen, packed up there and came on to Liverpool, putting into Loch Eriboll for shelter during some bad weather. She reached Liverpool safely on 13th Aug., was put into graving dock where a great part of her bottom had to come out, 9 feet of keel was left on the rock.’

3. Account of Anne Holt, Alfred’s sister (LRO 920 DUR 1/5).

‘July 17, Monday. On Saturday I & most of our yacht party reached home in safety, our most pleasant trip having been brought to an untimely and about this very time (11 a.m.) last week. A beautiful day, a calm sea, a broad fiord with one well-known invisible rock near the left hand shore & the pilot, an elderly well-esteemed man, drove us straight on to it! For a few minutes the most experienced thought all were lost, but the ship lay steady where she struck, the boats were quickly got down, the ladies put ashore, & by afternoon everything was got out of the ship with no loss of life or injury to lib. That night we all bivouaced in a large barn, & next day were rowed in a native boat with 8 men to Aalesund where we met the Norwegian steamer Ganger Rolf which took us safely to Bergen, where we got straight aboard the regular trader Argo & were landed at Hull on Saturday morning. Alfred, Mr. Scott and Mr. Norton stayed with our ship. It sounds all easy & straight-forward enough now, but in fact we have had a very near escape & cannot be too thankful that all lives were saved; &, a tug steamer with necessary apparatus having been sent out, it is hoped the Argo herself will not be a complete wreck, though the loss must be large. It is a sad ending to a most delightful cruise, & as utterly unnecessary & blameable a shipwreck as ever occurred – entirely the pilot’s fault. . .

July 23. A telegram received from Alfred yesterday announced that the Argo had been got off the rock & was at Aalesund. . .

August 3. Mr. Scott & Mr. Norton arrived in England on Saturday, Alfred remaining at Bergen to see to further repairs necessary for the Argo, which is hoped to be fit to return in ten days or so.’

As the accounts of both Alfred Holt and Hester Emily Booth show, most of the party returned to England on a steamer which, by coincidence, was also called ‘Argo’. This little steamer (778 tons) had been built in 1860 and belonged to the Wilson Line of Hull (England). It was employed by Wilsons in the Norwegian emigration trade, and ran a regular service between Bergen, Stavanger and Hull. By the late 19th century Wilsons had acquired a virtual monopoly of this trade. Alfred Holt’s account shows it was Wilsons who, as agents, recommended Mr. Larson as the Norwegian pilot.

Alfred Holt’s personal narrative also contains some information about the ‘Argo’ which was the first steam-yacht of that name built for him. He records that on 17 March 1875 the ship-builder John Scott was invited to a dinner party which Alfred gave in Liverpool. Alfred wrote that Scott had come ‘to talk over the construction of a yacht and went away at 11 o’clock after the party with an order for one 206 +26 +16 [dimensions in feet]. Rather large for a yacht but we have an ulterior object in doing so foolish a thing as laying out £18,000 in a pleasure boat and it is this. Subsidized steam lines are the curse of steam ship owning, cheapening freight and passage money where ever they go, but postal communication is an imperial necessity, and if private interests suffer to enable letters to travel, suffer they must. But it has so happened, naturally enough perhaps, that subsidies have fostered extravagence, have taught the receivers of them that large ships, heavy expenditure & costly establishment pleased the post office and caught the public approval. This has as we think shown the vulnerable point in their armour which is that their extravagence has been so great that they have required a subsidy greater than the actual cost of carrying the mails in smaller but equally rapid vessels conveying neither goods nor passengers. If this yacht can perform so as to warrant us in offering against the great companies on lower terms and with an engagement not to interfere with trade, we think one of the following results must happen, either the contract will fall into our own hands or the companies will have to take so small a subsidy on renewal as will incapacitate them from injuring outsiders, in either case a very desirable result being attained. But speaking for myself I look forward with great pleasure to her use as a yacht, visions of visiting Iceland, Norway, the Mediterranean and even farther parts of the world float before me, perhaps never to be realized but to be the possessor of a good sea going yacht has been the wish of my life, and this will be one "and no mistake" as the saying is.’ (LRO 920 HOL 2/52, pp. 116-117).

Alfred’s narrative shows that ‘Argo’ (I) was launched at Scotts, Greenock, on 3 November 1875. As his account shows, the yacht was originally intended not simply as a pleasure vessel, but also to provide the means by which Alfred could tender for contracts for some of the government mails. Hence its size and the cost of building it. However, Alfred never did secure a contract so the ‘Argo’ was never used for that purpose.

Holt family and other records show that ‘Argo’ (I) was used for the following voyages:

1876 – to Norway (its first pleasure voyage).

1877 – to the Mediterranean. Later in the year she was also chartered for a scientific expedition in natural history to the West Indies.

1878 – unknown

1879 – to Norway and Russia.

1880 – to the Orkney Islands, Iceland and Norway. An account of this voyage was privately printed in London in 1881: A Narrative of the Voyage of the Argonauts in 1880: compiled by the Bard from the most authentic Records, illustrated by the Photographer, And intended for the Amusement, Edification, and everlasting Glorification of the Argonauts themselves. Printed for the Argonauts. The ‘Bard’ was Dr. William Mitchell Banks and the photographer was Dr. Richard Caton. During this tour the ‘Argo’ once more paid a visit to the Stor Fjord. (References from the local Norwegian newspaper, Sykkylvsbladet, 19 Feb. 1958.)

Probably because it was too large for a private steam-yacht, ‘Argo’ (I) was put up for sale after the 1880 cruise, and to assist the sale a plan of the ship was executed which also includes two small pictures of the ship, evidently reproduced from photographs, quite likely taken during the last voyage in 1880. Both the plan and one of the original photographs still survive among Alfred’s papers (Liverpool R.O., 920 HOL 2/20A, 2/31). One of the pictures on the plan, and the surviving original photograph, are reproduced here (above and below respectively).

‘Argo’ (I) was then sold to French owners in 1881. Later a new steam-yacht, also called ‘Argo’ (II), was built in 1885. It was launched at Scotts, Greenock, on 13 July 1885. This yacht is known to have been used for the following voyages:

1885 – to Scotland and Norway.

1886 – around Ireland.

1887 – to the Mediterranean

1888 – to Scotland and Norway; and again to Scotland in September (AH not in the party). In December 1888 ‘Argo’ II was also chartered to the Liverpool shipping company T.F. Harrison, who traded to the West Indies and elsewhere.

1889 – to Norway.

1890 – around Ireland.

1891 – Norway and (separately, AH was not on board) to Scotland in September.

1892 – again to Scotland and Norway.

1893 – to Denmark, Norway, the Faroe Islands, and the west coast of Scotland.

I have not been able to find evidence that ‘Argo’ (II) was used after 1893. Alfred Holt kept some notes about the second ‘Argo’, recording its coal consumption, other technical statistics, and the places it had visited. These notes (LRO 920 HOL 2/27) show that for the trips to Norway in 1888, 1889, and 1891 Alfred employed Jens Pedersen of Bergen as pilot, and thought him very good. At Bergen in 1891 coal was bought from Engelsen & Sars. In 1892 ‘Argo’ (II) visited the North Cape and the Lofoten Islands, and also on 15 July called at Ålesund, and visited the Stor & Geiranger Fjords. In the next year 1893 the pilot was Peder Gröneng of Hangesund. Alfred wrote that Gröneng had ‘an excellent knowledge of all the leads along the coast, but he had never been up the fiords, however my experience tells me that a pilot when you are once in the fiords is unnecessary. P.G. is a nice, modest fellow, I would trust him more than any West of Norway pilot we have had. He speaks little English, but sufficient.’ On 22 July ‘Argo’ (II) visited Stadt and Ålesund, and during the night moored at Tusvik on the Stor Fjord. This was not the first time that Alfred had returned to that spot since the accident of 1876. He is known to re-visited in 1880 and in 1885 – see the travel diaries of his niece Emma Holt, also kept in the Liverpool R.O. (below). Next day the boat went on to visit the Jörund and Geiranger Fjords, and moored overnight at Hellesylt.

Working on board during the 1893 visit was Benjamin Dawson, the fourth steward, who kept some notes about the voyage. His son Charles Dawson used these notes to publish a short article, ‘A Voyage to Scandinavia in Alfred Holt’s Steam Yacht SS "Argo" ’, in Sea Breezes , 72 (1998). These notes show that when ‘Argo’ (II) reached Tusvik, Ben and the chief steward rowed ashore to buy provisions and flowers, and discovered that the rock which ‘Argo’ (I) had struck in 1876 was then known as ‘Holt’s Rock’. The article, not accurate in all respects, also includes a reproduction of a painting of ‘Argo’ (II) by Luigi Roberto, dated Naples 1887, which was doubtless executed during a cruise to the Mediterranean (the only clue in fact to where it went in that year).

Alfred Holt is known to have re-visited Tusvik again in 'Argo' (I) in 1880. On board on that occasion was his brother Robert Holt (my great-grandfather), and some other friends and relations from Liverpool. They included another brother of Alfred, George Holt (also a ship-owner), his wife Elizabeth (‘Bessie’), and their daughter Emma Holt (1862-1944). She kept a journal of this cruise, and also of another to Norway in 'Argo' (II) in 1885. From her journals the following details can be extracted:

In the 1880 cruise, 'Argo' (I) first visited Iceland where the party went ashore and visited on pony-back the famous geysers near Thingvalla, camping overnight. On their return to Reykjavik the whole party was photographed on their ponies outside the (Danish) Governor's house. Then the 'Argo' steamed across to Bergen in Norway, visiting the Faroes and the Shetland Islands on the way. At Bergen some of the party went in two carriages for a drive into the countryside near the city. The hire of the carriages was organized by Christian Larson, the pilot on the 'Argo' when it grounded on the Varfluda in 1876. He also accompanied the ladies, so Alfred Holt had presumably forgiven him. Later the 'Argo' steamed up the coast, and on 14 July again entered the Stor Fjord. Emma Holt wrote about this part of the visit in a travel journal as follows (LRO DUR 920 13/8/4):

'Wednesday July 14th [1880]. Started about breakfast time & steamed up the Storfiord. About 10 a.m. we came opposite the scene of the wreck & went ashore. We landed at Tusvig [Tusvik] & saw the house where Uncle Alfred, Mr. Norton & Mr. Scott lived for some time after the wreck. Then some of the gentlemen went fishing while the rest of us walked across to Narvig [Nordvik] where they landed after the wreck. It was a beautiful morning & the walk was lovely reminding me in many places very much of Scotland. After about ¾ of a mile's walk we got to Narvig & saw the famous barn where they all slept after they were wrecked. Then all but Mother and Mrs. Bateson [a Liverpool friend] went off in the boat to look for the fatal rock. After rowing about for a short time we found it. The water was beautifully clear & we saw it distinctly. We looked for a piece of the Argo's keel which is somewhere lying down there but we could not find it. Then we went back to the shore. Mr. Bateson had found a snake which he thought Dr. Cator [the ship's doctor] would like to have. It was caught & tied in a bottle & a handkerchief & a mackintosh bag & then we went back to the rock to show it to Mother & Mrs. B[ateson]. We found it [the Varfluda] again & we anchored a bit of wood to it. Then we went back to the shore again & all but mother, Mr. B[ateson] & Uncle A[lfred] landed. These 3 went back for Mother to sketch from the rock. Mary [Paget - another Liverpool friend], Florence [Long - a relation of Alfred Holt] & I went up a hill among fir trees & heather, very like Scotland. At the top we sat & rested & looked at the views which were lovely & then Mrs. P[aget], and Miss L[ong]. joined us. We all went down together & walked back to Tusvig & went on board again. Then we steamed up the Stor Fiord the scenery getting grander & grander every minute.'

They moored at Hellesylt and visited the Geiranger Fjord next day. Afterwards the 'Argo' came back and went round to Ålesund. Emma Holt wrote, 'About 3 o'clock in the afternoon we got to Aalesund & went ashore. This was the place where they rowed to the day after the wreck & caught the steamer to Bergen & where Uncle Alfred stayed a good deal.' They went ashore for about an hour and then sailed on for Veblungsnes. It is unfortunate that Emma Holt's journal does not say if Alfred made contact with any of the residents of Tusvik in 1880, but I suppose he probably did. Emma’s account also shows that a piece of wood was anchored to the Varfluda, presumably to mark its position.

As already mentioned 'Argo' (I) was sold in 1881, and a new 'Argo' (II) was built and launched in 1885. In that year on the yacht's first voyage Alfred Holt again took a party to Norway, and again Emma Holt travelled with him. On this occasion she recorded that on Saturday 5 September 1885 they again went to visit the Geiranger Fjord. On their return they steamed up the Stor Fjord and Emma wrote in her journal that: '. . . between 3.30 & 4 o'clock we reached Tusvig & went ashore & walked over the rough but very pretty bit of hill between there & Narvig, the scene of the wreck. We again searched for the rock in the boat, but this time could not find it, looked into the memorable barn & then went back on board. Coming out of the Stor Fiord we had a most wonderful sunset.' Clearly Alfred was fascinated by the traumatic experience of 1876, though not at all cowed by the memory of the accident. He seems to have gone back to Tusvik three more times after 1876 (in 1880, 1885, 1893, and he certainly sailed past the spot at least in 1892.) It is interesting to note in passing that when Alfred made another visit to Norway in 1891 (this time they did not go to the Stor Fjord), his Norwegian pilot was Captain Johnsen who came back to Liverpool in the ship. A few weeks later Johnsen, as the captain, was allowed to take another party (without Alfred) to Scotland in 'Argo' (II), although assisted by a British pilot.

Lying loose in Emma Holt's journal are a number of drawings, mainly of sailing vessels, drawn by Mr. W. Baden-Powell, one of the guests on board when 'Argo' (II) went to Scotland in 1888. They include a drawing of ‘Argo’ (II), reproduced below. The ship was in many respects very similar to ‘Argo’ (I) but at 140 x 23 x 14, some 68 feet smaller in length. Its hull was also painted black (though this is better shown on the 1887 painting mentioned above), whereas its predecessor had a white hull.

In May 2007 I went on holiday to Norway with Penny and we stayed for several days at the town of Ålesund where most of the party had gone after the accident of 1876. On the second day of our stay there (12 May) we took one of the well-known Hurtigruten ships which ply the waters between Bergen and the North Cape, and went for a day-cruise to the famous Geiranger Fjord – on a fine day every bit as spectacular as the tourist literature leads one to expect. On sailing down the Stor Fjord towards Geiranger, and with the help of a map and a pair of binoculars, it was easy enough to make out the settlement of Tusvik on the south side of the fjord, and even a rock marker located off-shore at about the place where the ‘Argo’ must have gone aground. We guessed that this marked the site of the rock on which ‘Argo’ (I) had nearly come to grief. Today cruise ships follow a route down the centre of the Stor Fjord which at this point is a few miles wide.

A few days later on 15 May we decided to take the ferry across the Storfjord in our hired car and explore the vicinity in more detail. But it was difficult to get to a suitable place on the shore where the rock-marker could be examined more closely without fear of trespassing. The next day it was quite rainy (though on the whole we had excellent weather during our time in Norway), and a simple enquiry at the Ålesund tourist information centre attracted the interest of the staff there. Soon we were being interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper, the Sunnmoresposten, and provided with introductions to some local historians in the Sykklylven area (close to Tusvik). As the weather was changeable we had no hesitation in deciding to go back across the Storfjord and investigate further.

After one or two false leads, but obtaining kind help from all we met, we finally made our way to the HQ of the Ekornes furniture group. There we met Jarle Tusvik, the Public Information Co-ordinator for the company, who sat us down in the reception area (marvellous sofas) and immediately put us at ease. Outside his work he takes a keen interest in local history, and during our conversation brought down from his office a book on the history of the Sykkylven area. He then phoned ahead and provided us with an introduction to Mr. Kjellbjørn Tusvik at the Cylindra Gallery in Tusvik which lies a mile away or so from the Ekornes HQ. Kjellbjørn, who as a young man lived in South London, is a specialist wood-worker, producing bespoke pieces designed by Peter Opsvik for the Cylindra furniture firm which was set up in Tusvik by Kjellbjørn’s grandfather in 1911. (During the 20th century Sykkylven developed as one of the leading manufacturing regions for designer furniture in Europe.) Kjellbjørn Tusvik showed us around the Cylindra Gallery, sat us down on a splendid ‘his-and-hers’ chair and then avidly consumed the information which we had brought along, including a picture of the ‘Argo’ and photo-copies of extracts from Alfred Holt’s narrative. Having had our photo taken in the gallery (below), we then shook hands, promised to exchange more information, and drove away, getting back to Ålesund a few hours later. It had been a most interesting day.

Putting together the information we obtained on our visit to Tusvik that day, together with further information sent to us after returning to England, a summary can be provided of the ‘Argo’ incident as recalled from the Norwegian side.

Argo’ (I) was one of the very first luxury yachts to visit the the fjordlands of Norway, and it is not surprising to learn that the sight of this shining white vessel, stuck on a rock in the Stor Fjord at a lurid angle, remained in local memory for decades afterwards. Even today the story is still recounted to local school-children. In the 1950s a number of articles in the local newspaper, the Sykkylvsbladet, drew on the memories of some older local residents, who had been boys in 1876, to describe the event in outline, and to publish some extracts from contemporary newspapers. Although the name of Alfred Holt appears in these accounts (and the fact, for example, that John Swire had helped to telegraph for help on arrival at Ålesund in the fishing boat), Alfred’s connection to Liverpool and to the Ocean Steam Ship Company had not been appreciated until our visit.

The rock on which ‘Argo’ (I) grounded is called the Varfluda, i.e. ‘Var Rock’. (The ‘d’ is the Norwegian silent ‘d’ and is not pronounced. ‘Varflua’, as the rock is indeed sometimes spelt, gives the idea.) Located off-shore, in much the same position as Alfred described, it is permanently submerged and presumably represents the top of an underwater pinnacle. There is a deep channel between the rock and the shore, so whatever the pilot’s culpability, it was unlucky that the ‘Argo’ hit it. Today the rock is of course prominently marked (see photo).

The ‘memorable’ barn (as Emma Holt described it in 1880), where most of the ‘Argo’ party slept on the night after the accident, was still standing until shortly after the Second War when it was taken down. However, in 1949 a number of aerial photographs were taken of the Tusvik/Nordvik area, and the barn appears on one of these (see below). In the picture it stands below and to the right of the white house.

For the salvage operation Alfred describes how he, John Scott, and Edward Norton found lodgings at Tusvik which lies on the other side of a small rocky hill from Nordvik (see the description by Emma Holt in 1880). Here their host was Captain C.L. Lied (d. 1881). Athough Captain Carl Ludvik Lied had gone to sea, he actually owed his titular rank to earlier service in the infantry. At the time of the grounding he was running a small shop. Alfred appears to have been partly incorrect with the names he gave to the daughters. Although one was indeed named Emte Lovise (‘Louisa’), the other was called Marte Sofie Susanne. Perhaps Alfred confused the latter with Lied’s wife whose name was Emte Marie (Tommesen). Lovise, about whom Alfred was so complementary, was to emigrate, like so many Norwegians at this date, to the United States a few years later. Today the Captain’s house, somewhat altered, is still owned by some of his lateral descendants. It lies a few yards above the shoreline, overlooking the Cylindra Gallery and the small rocky bay at Tusvik. Again an aerial photograph was taken of the location in 1949, though some of the buildings shown have either since disappeared or been altered.

Tusvik from the air in 1949. Captain Lied’s house, where Alfred Holt, John Scott and Edward Norton stayed in July 1876, is the white house (top centre) beneath the wooded headland. The Varfluda lies offshore of the headland.
(Se fotoalbum)

Perhaps not surprisingly, given the proximity of the Varfluda to the shore and local memory of the events of 1876, the rock has been an object of interest to local divers. The father of Kjellbjørn Tusvik, now 94, still recalls having seen the keel on the Varfluda many years ago – not implausibly given that at least nine feet of the keel was said to have been left behind on it (see Hester Emily Booth’s account). More recently divers have found fragments of crockery, including a dish plate, decorated with a pattern of interlinked chains (see picture below).

Did this fragment come from the ‘Argo’? There is no doubt that it did. Another similar shard, also found on the Varfluda, is marked with the legend ‘Ocean’ and the date ‘1866’ (see next picture). Both the pattern, as well as the mark and date, are found on crockery made at about this time for Alfred Holt’s Ocean Steam Ship Company (and, as it happens, John Swire’s China Navigation Company) by the firm of G.L. Ashworth of Hanley in the Potteries – see the excellent recent publication by Peter Laister, Mariner’s Memorabilia. A Guide to British Shipping Company China of the 19th & 20th Centuries (2 vols., 2006).

Compare the next three pictures, one showing the shard from the ‘Varfluda’, the other two a water jug now in the collection of Peter Laister, author of the above mentioned book, with details of the mark on the jug. The connection is quite clear. (I am grateful to Mr. Laister for the latter picture which is one of those reproduced in his study of British Shipping china. His personal collection also includes a meat dish decorated and marked in the same way, though not reproduced in his book. The pieces all have the mark of Ashworth’s, the makers.)

Also found on the Varfluda was an unusual bottle, with a rounded base, marked along its sides with the names of Cantrell & Cochrane of Dublin and Belfast (see picture below). This firm, which had its origins in Belfast in 1852, is still extant as the ‘C & C Group’, whose ‘pop’ products have been familiar to generations of youngsters growing up in Ireland. In the 19th century Cantrell & Cochrane pioneered the production of soda water, a term which the firm was in fact the first to use, and the Varfluda bottle was almost certainly a bottle containing that product.

Another item found on the rock was a cap from a pot of ‘Cherry Tooth Paste’, the maker’s name beginning with ‘Jo . . .’ (see next picture). The identity of the manufacturer is easy enough to establish – the English firm of John Gosnell and Co, Ltd. In the 19th century this firm was a luxury goods producer, patronized by the British monarchy. Although the company has passed through different ownership over the years, it still exists with its head office being based at present at Lewes in Sussex.

Part of a lid from a pot of ‘Cherry Tooth Paste’ found on the Varfluda.
(Se fotoalbum)

Similar lids can still be found on the antique market. The picture below is taken from a recent example advertized for sale on e-bay.

   Pot and lid of John Gosnell & Co’s ‘Cherry Tooth Paste’, similar to that found on the Varfluda.
(Se fotoalbum)

But the Varfluda has a still more exciting find, for embedded on it lies an anchor of the old ‘stock-anchor’ kind (see next picture). Although now covered by marine encrustations it still appears to be in relatively good condition. It is natural to wonder if this is the anchor that Emma Holt records as having being dropped – apparently from a rowing boat – onto the Varfluda to mark its position when ‘Argo’ (I) re-visited

the spot in 1880. However, when I first mentioned this to Kjellbjørn Tusvik he pointed out that the anchor is big, and certainly heavy, and thought it most unlikely

that it could have been manhandled and dropped from a small boat. I have been sent two short films on CD which might suggest as much. The underwater films, of good quality, show that the anchor must be about six feet in length (in one of them a rough scale is provided by the presence of a diver alongside).

Anchor on the Varfluda, thought to come from ‘Argo’ (I)
(Se fotoalbum)

However, I have since received some expert advice from Captain Terry Lilley, who started his career at sea with British India and subsequently became a master with Royal Mail. While confirming that the stock-anchor is of just the right type to have been used at that date, he has pointed out that there was in fact a detailed practical understanding of how to lower anchors from small boats. He thinks that the anchor on the Varfluda was either (1) lowered after the grounding in order to restrict motion which could have further damaged the hull; or (2) was indeed lowered in 1880 when Alfred Holt came back and sought to do his public duty by marking the spot.

Alfred Holt had little doubt about how lucky the ‘Argo’ party had been. And we can but ponder how different shipping and commercial history might have been if Alfred and Philip Holt, John Swire, and John Scott had all perished in a ship-wreck in the Stor Fjord in 1876. All four men were to meet up the following year when Alfred took the repaired ‘Argo’ on a cruise from April to June in the Mediterranean. At Genoa the party was met by Swire and Scott who laid on a multi-course dinner at the ‘Concordia’ café, followed by a visit to the opera (Verdi’s ‘Otello’). After a ‘monstrous’ multi-course meal, ending for dessert with a dolphin carved in ice being brought to the table, the prospect of an opera was too much for Philip, his niece Emma Holt and her mother Bessie. They slipped out into the little orange garden beside the restaurant, where a band was playing in the courtyard to those sitting out around the fountain, enjoying the evening cool. They then returned to the ‘Argo’ having first collected their day’s shopping at the Hotel d’Italia. John Swire came on board next day and stayed for much of the remainder of the voyage. He is recorded as chaperoning one of the Melly girls around the ruins of the Acropolis. Later, after the ‘Argo’ had visited the Albanian coast, he and Alfred left the yacht at Brindisi on the heel of Italy and returned home together, no doubt talking of business prospects as they went (Emma Holt’s travel journal, LRO 920 DUR 13/8/1).