European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 9, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Oslo keeps its ships see worthy by Warren Grinde staff writer Otway must be the world s Leader when it comes to preserving ships in Oslo for example Are Thesen House will in who Polar exploration ship. The Viking ship House with three ancient boats. The martime museum with vessels of different periods. The Kon Tiki museum with a raft which made an epic voyage in the South attractions on the pleasant pen insula of Byg Doey Are less than a Naif our from downtown Oslo by ferry boat or Highway big but frail appearing Kon Tiki raft with its thatched Cabin Square sail floats on a simulated Ocean in the building built around it in 1957.it was on this raft in 1947, that Thor Heyerdahl five companions drifted5,000 Miles from Peru to polynesia in a voyage that captured the imagination of the Kon Tiki named for a pre inca Sun god is a copy of the rafts used by ancients. The norwegian scientist sought to prove that South sea islanders Are descended from South americans who voyage hundreds of years ago in rafts borne by prevailing Ocean win currents. Steps Lead downward for. A Sharks Eye View of the raft s underside with its barnacles tangled sea vegetation rudders ropes. A 30-foot whale shark stuffed but realistic other fish float beneath the raft in the Blue dimly lighted undersea View. Besides its main attractions the museum has fragile Reed boats a spooky secret family Cave reconstructed from an original on easter Island other relics of South sea expeditions led by Heyerdahl in 1953 1955. Parking lot away is the much larger building housing the Fram which Means Forward in norwegian. This is the ship sailed by the legendary explorers Fridtjof Nansen Roald Amundsen the ship which first brought Man to the South pole. The massive wooden vessel is any thing but Graceful. In fact it looks downright pot bellied. Its length is about120 feet its Width a third As much. The bulbous shape of the Fram Wasno Accident. It was one of the first ships built specifically for Polar exploration. The fran s designers planned the vessel so it would be squeezed up Ward not crushed by the tremendous ice pressures it would encounter. Its Broad almost Flat bottomed shape would be hard to keel Over. It has a three skinned design the outer Shell was attached with nails not bolts. Thus if the skin was clawed of by be the inner Hull would be undamaged. On deck there s a push Button Coin operated recording which gives the visitor an account of the ship in eng Lish or other languages. A vessels open to inspection be Low decks too from the Galley with its i a Coo stove to the cramped Cabins to the cobweb of sturdy beams mip poits which wore among the unique precautions against Polar ice pressure. Nansen took the Fram on its Maiden voyage just about reaching the North of m 1893. He returned to Norway almost three years later. In 1898. Captain Otto Sverdrup be Gan a five year voyage in which he discovered named Many islands july 9, 1968 in the North american third final trip was led by Amundsen. He planted Norway s Flag at the South pole on dec. 14, 1911. After 20 years of conferences Lega snarls varying plans for its Loca Tion the Fram House was opened on May 20,1938. Along the Walls Are exhibits fro Mother expeditions. The most recent item is a frail two Man kayak. In it Kaare Andersen Bjoern Braaten both of Oslo made the first kayak Jour Ney across the North american continent from Portland ore., to new Orleans. The seven month trip began in May 1983. Next door to the Fram House is the new maritime museum with its still incomplete arrangement of ship models boats fishing equipment other Marine to the museums have a Fine across the fjord View of Oslo. A Short drive or a 15-minute walk from these attractions is the Viking ship House. The Vikings buried their influential dead in ships Well equipped for the last 70-foot-Long oseberg ship is one of the three found in burial Mounds near the Oslo fjord. The Graceful High proved vessel dates from about850 . It was a pleasure boat not in tended for the High seas. The Stern i decorated with carvings. The ship s grave chamber held the bodies of two women one of High birth the other a slave who was prob ably sacrificed to serve the Noble woman on the death replica of the Tokstad ship crossed the Atlantic in recent times proving the seaworthiness of the Viking Craft. Thi longer 76 feet ship was a fast sailing Ocean vessel. The tune ship is the third the smallest of the group. Objects found in the ship Graves Are the from the massive wooden vessel that first brought Man to the South pole. Displayed in a separate exhibits Are not the Only attractions for visitors to the others is the Folk museum which is a 20-minute walk from the ram Kon Tiki site. It is nor Way s largest museum gives a Pic Ture of norwegian culture from Early the outdoor portion of the museum Many grass roofed buildings from earlier centuries have been transplanted from Remote valleys of Norway. And there s one of Norway s unique stave churches erected during the Transi Tion from paganism to christianity retaining protective dragon figures projecting Here there just incas. This one was built in Hal Lingual More than 750 years ago an was removed from its original site late in the last Century it the voyage of the Kan-tiki5,000 Mil from Peru to polynesia captured the imagination of the world. Th1 stars stripes u
