The MS Nordstjernen spent decades ferrying passengers north through the Arctic Sea, and although the waters can be brought this far north, it always seemed to reach port unscathed. Some believe it may be Ernst, the ship's ghosts.
MS Nordstjernen was built in 1956 at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. The order came from Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab, which needed a up-to-date coastal steamer capable of carrying four hundred passengers. The ship was named after Stella Polaris, the North Star whom sailors had long trusted to guide them through darkness and storm.
During a test of the B Deck fire doors, designed to close automatically in an emergency, a juvenile German shipyard worker named Ernst became trapped between the steel doors. He was immediately crushed to death.
Despite the accident, the ship was completed as planned and on February 24, 1956, it set off on its maiden voyage from Hamburg to Bergen.
Ernst never appeared in person. However, many believe that he was never really left behind.
A whole life at sea
The MS Nordstjernen remained in service for over sixty years, making it the longest sailing ship in Hurtigruten's history, operating along the Norwegian coast until 1994. It crossed the Arctic Circle over three thousand times without a single major accident. The boat sailed a distance equivalent to 185 times around the Earth or 19 trips to the Moon.
Early in the ship's career, stories began to circulate that Ernst had become a regular passenger. It was said to travel from port to port, both in sunshine and winter storms, never setting foot on land. Even in the harshest conditions, with ice covering the bridge and waves crashing against the hull, Nordstjernen always made it home safely.
– He is here and takes care of us. We have complete certainty that He wants good for us. If he wanted us to do something bad, we would have figured it out, said captain Kåre Søllevold in a television report broadcast in 2006 on the program “Norwegia Rundt”.
Man in the halls
Many passengers claim to have encountered the ship's ghost. Ernst most often appears on the cabin deck. Some describe it as a shadow moving along the walls of a corridor. Others say they saw the outline of an adult male, dim but unmistakably human.
Captain Ole Johan Andreassen has been working on the ship for 1.5 years and is among those who believe he experienced the presence of a ghost. He himself is convinced that one evening, while eating in church, he met a restless German. Then suddenly the door closed on its own. He probably didn't want me to take part in the draft, laughs the captain.
Flight attendants sensed his presence while cleaning empty rooms. Crew members say it doesn't cause any problems. On the contrary, they say that he keeps them company in the smoking room. More than once, a noticeable indentation appeared on the sofa cushion next to them, as if an unseen body had positioned itself to listen. Like sailor Einar Antonsen, who also believes he encountered a ghost.
– When I smoke a cigarette in the smoking room, he often comes and keeps me company. Then I see the sofa cushion lowering as if someone was sitting on it, he says, pointing to the seat taken by Captain Andreassen.
There are also unusual meetings.
Passengers sometimes complained that someone was gently stroking their hair even though no one was nearby. One of the waiters woke up in the middle of the night and found Ernst sitting on the edge of the bed, wearing a green suit. There was only white mist where his face should have been.
Today, MS Nordstjernen completed its long career of transporting cruise ship passengers to Arctic waters. The engines are still humming. The decks still creak under careful steps. And some believe that somewhere on board, the juvenile shipbuilder remains at his post, faithful to the ship that claimed his life. After all, a ship named after the North Star should never sail without a guide.
-
The ghostly guard MS Nordstjernen
The MS Nordstjernen spent decades ferrying passengers north through the Arctic Sea, and although the waters can be brought this far north, it always seemed to reach port unscathed. Some believe it may be Ernst, the ship's ghosts.
-
A cabin in the woods where the forest looks back
There are many strange stories associated with the DNT Flisberget cabin, deep in the mysterious Finnskogen forest, on the border of Norway and Sweden. So much so that it was considered the scariest cabin in the country.
-
Devonshire Park Haunted Theater: The Ghostly Fiddler of Eastbourne
Do any of the musicians from Titanic haunt the Devonshire Park Theater in Eastbourne, England? Who is the person behind the ghost who is said to still play the violin?
-
Mrs. Soria Moria Haunted Villa Fridheim
Soria Moria: Villa Fridheim is often called Soria Moria Castle, the name comes from Norwegian folk tales about a hidden castle where the hero will find a princess. Nowadays, it has also become an expression of expectations towards a wonderful place.
-
Dun Dreach-Fhoula – A blood-soaked, stinking castle
The ruins of Dun Dreach-Fhoula Castle are said to be located deep in the MacGillycuddy's Reeks mountain range in Kerry, Ireland, and are home to the bloodthirsty fairies of the Underworld. The question is whether this is an age-old legend or a up-to-date hoax.
-
A woman waiting and haunting the Struten Lighthouse
After being stranded on their tiny island in the Struten Lighthouse during stormy weather and crashing waves, the woman died of the disease and has haunted her ever since, still waiting for aid that never came.
-
The womanizer from room 315 haunted the Sauda Fjordhotel
The once stately Sauda Fjordhotel is said to be haunted by a repentant colonel who took his own life when his womanhood lost the love of his life.
-
The ghost of Captain Smith from the Titanic
After the sinking of the Titanic in 1912, people began reporting seeing the ghost of Captain Smith all over the world. Even after all these years, his death and afterlife are shrouded in mystery, making him one of the most notable ghosts from the Titanic tragedy.
-
Haunted Legends from Wailua, Hawaii
How huge can a haunted area be? Could all of Wailua on the island of Kauai be haunted? The place certainly seems steeped in stories of Night Marches and the procession of the dead making their way down the river to the afterlife.
-
Amalanhig: Immortal hunters of Visayan folklore
Rising from their graves, the vampire Amalanhig of the Philippines pursue your flesh and blood. But where did these creatures come from?
-
Doyle's Pub: The Executioner's Shadow in Phibsborough
Said to be haunted by people from the funeral home that once stood next door, Doyle's Pub in Dublin has more than just live customers drinking drinks.
-
Fredriksten Fortress and the White Lady of Halden
The Swedish border town of Norway, Fredriksten Fortress, has seen more bloodshed than many other places. But who is the White Lady who is said to haunt it, gliding around the clock tower at night?
ETERNAL PASSENGER on the express ship MS Nordstjernen – Issuu
He will be hunting ghosts on the Hurtigruten – NRK Nordland route
I will sell the world's oldest expressway – NRK Nordland
Image Source: Pixabay.com
