D/S Hestmanden

About the museum

D/S Hestmanden was built in 1911 and is a so-called baklasterskip (aft-cargo ship), a type of North Sea freighter with the wheelhouse and engine aft. The ship sailed the coastal cargo route from Bergen to Northern Norway and also carried goods abroad during both World Wars. During the Second World War it became the only one left of the more than a thousand ships in the Nortraship fleet, which served under the Norwegian government in exile in London.

After the war the ship continued as a cargo ship, and later it was preserved as a protected vessel. Today it is Norway's official war seamen's museum and a sailing memorial to the more than 4,500 seafarers who lost their lives in service to the country.

On board, visitors can see exhibitions with film and text about the war seamen and the ship's own history. Among the things on display are the digital logbooks on the main deck, searches in the Krigsseilerregisteret (War Seamen's Register), the captain's cabin and saloon, the galley, and the stern saloon as it looked in 1911. The ship is operated by Vest-Agder-museet and lies at Bredalsholmen Dokk og Fartøyvernsenter when it is not sailing.

Highlights

• Built in 1911 and known as “det heldige skipet” (the lucky ship)
• The only surviving ship of the Nortraship fleet
• Norwegian war seamen's museum and national memorial
• Search the Krigsseilerregisteret on board
• Stern saloon recreated as it was in 1911

Permanent exhibition

• Norsk krigsseilermuseum – The exhibition on board tells the story of the war seamen and of the ship's own fate, with film, digital logbooks and searches in the Krigsseilerregisteret.

Operated by

Vest-Agder-museet IKS

Admission & discounts

The prices apply when the ship is in Kristiansand.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The ship is not universally designed. The forward shelter deck can be reached by wheelchair via a walkway, but the exhibitions lie behind high thresholds and steep stairs. Dogs are not allowed inside the ship. The café in the old messe building by the quay is universally accessible, with an accessible toilet.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

It is also possible to walk there from the town centre.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Café in the old messe building by the ship, run in cooperation with Bredalsholmen Dokk og Fartøyvernsenter.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit