Irving Johnson

Irving McClure Johnson ( born July 4, 1905 in Hadley, Massachusetts; † 2 January 1991) was an American author and sailors.

Life

Johnson was influenced by the novels of Jack London and Joseph Conrad's early on. A number of private film footage showing him train for a life at sea, for example, when climbing out of telephone poles or in wrestling.

After a first experience on smaller ships on the coast of his native Johnson came in 1926 in the American merchant marine and served in several steam ships and freighters. During his time as helmsman aboard the Wanderbird he met Electa " Exy ", whom he married in 1933. Together with her, and otherwise each new crew he sailed around the earth seven times in total. Johnson had over the years, three different boats, which he baptized all Yankee:

  • The first boat he bought in 1933, a Dutch, built for the North Sea pilot schooner. On one of the world races with the first Yankee sailed as First Officer of the former sailor and later Hollywood star Sterling Hayden.
  • 1947 Johnson acquired the second Yankee, in turn, a Dutch, built for the North Sea pilot schooner, but he riggte as Brigantine. The second Yankee led Johnson around the world; the crew was inter alia Christopher B. Sheldon, who later became the owner and skipper of the also converted to Brigantine Dutch pilot schooner Albatross, whose sinking with a group of young people on board made ​​headlines ( basis of the movie White Squall - Snapping flow, 1996).
  • The third Yankee left the Johnson 1958/59 in Zaandam Dutch build than steel ketch and sailed with it the inland waterways of Europe and Africa.

From their numerous sailing trips the Johnsons reported in articles, books and videos, among other things, published by National Geographic. With a crew of amateur sailors sailed through the Panama Canal, in the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, around the Cape of Good Hope and back to Gloucester.

At the urging of Bill Donovan, head of the OSS ( forerunner of the CIA), Johnson joined in 1941 shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy and saw this site. His extensive knowledge of the tides and wave conditions, currents and shoals of countless reefs and atolls of the South Pacific made ​​Johnson the first choice as a consultant for the American Pacific Fleet. He held the rank of Lieutenant Commander (Lieutenant Commander) and began his service on the USS Simnen. Irving created there five nautical charts and explored possible ports and landing sites for the U.S. Navy. He also appeared to be recently sunken Japanese ships in search of secret documents that could not be destroyed before the sinking of the Japanese. Here, a map with Japanese minefields could be ensured around various Japanese ports. Just as Alan Villiers, it was Johnson's life goal to inform the public of the majestic age of the Windjammer. His most famous document of this kind is his film (16 mm) "Around Cape Horn " (1929 ), which is located with the original comment he turned aboard the Beijing today as a museum ship at the South Street Seaport in New York City. He worked until his death in 1991 as curator of the Maritime Museum, Mystic Seaport (Connecticut ) and the Sea Education Association.

The Los Angeles Maritime Institute introduced in 2002, two brigantines for their sail training program in service and named it after Irving and Exy Johnson. During the construction of the ships Exy Johnson was able to bring their decades of experience and finally attend the christening. Exy Johnson died on 19 November 2004 in Holyoke, MA.

  • Irving Johnson: Round the Horn in a Square Rigger. Milton Bradley, 1932 (reprinted as The Peking Battles Cape Horn. Sea History Press, 1977, ISBN 0-930248-02-3 )
  • Irving Johnson: Shamrock V 's Wild Voyage Home. Milton Bradley, 1933
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Westward bound in the schooner Yankee. Norton, 1936
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Sailing to see. Picture cruise in the schooner Yankee. Norton, 1939
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Yankee 's migratory world; circling the globe in the brigantine Yankee. Norton, 1949
  • Irving Johnson, Electa Johnson and Lydia Edes: Yankee 's people and places. Norton, 1955
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Yankee sails across Europe. Norton, 1962
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Yankee sails the Nile. Norton, 1966

Article

  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Westward Bound in the Yankee. In: National Geographic Magazine. January 1942
  • Irving Johnson: Adventures with the Survey Navy. In: National Geographic Magazine. January 1947
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: The Yankee 's hiking world. In: National Geographic Magazine. January 1949
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: South Seas Incredible Country Divers. In: National Geographic Magazine. January 1955
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: The New Yankee. In: Yachts and Yachting. October 10, 1958
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: New Guinea to Bali in Yankee. National Geographic Magazine. December 1959
  • Irving Johnson: The Ketch Yankee. In: Yachting. August 1960
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Inside Europe Aboard Yankee. In: National Geographic Magazine. August 1964
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Yankee Cruises the Storied Nile. In: National Geographic Magazine. May 1965
  • Irving and Electa Johnson: Yankee Sails Turkey 's history Haunted Coast. In: National Geographic Magazine. December 1969
  • Electa Johnson: Yankee Cruises Inland Italy. Part I. In: Yachting. July 1973
  • Electa Johnson: Yankee Cruises Inland Italy. Part II In: Yachting. August 1973

Movies

  • Yankee Sails Across Europe. National Geographic Society, 1967
  • Voyage of the Brigantine Yankee. National Geographic Society, 1968
  • Irving Johnson: High Seas Adventurer. National Geographic Society, 1985
  • Around Cape Horn. Mystic Seaport, 1985; Material of 16mm amateur film by Irving Johnson, 1929

Swell

  • Parts of this article have been translated from the English version (as of 15 July 2008) this page.
Albatross (1920 schooner) Ketsch Office of Strategic Services Central Intelligence Agency Peking (ship)
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