Alfred "Centennial" Johnson
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4 December 1846
Alfred "Centennial" Johnson | |
|---|---|
 Alfred "Centennial" Johnson, in 1876 | |
| Born | Alfred Johnsen 4 December 1846 |
| Died | 1927, age 80 or 81 |
| Occupation | Fisherman |
| Known for | First recorded single-handed crossing of the Atlantic Ocean |
Alfred "Centennial" Johnson (1846–1927) was a Danish-born fisherman from Gloucester, Massachusetts. In 1876, in a 20-foot (6.1 m) sailing dory, he made the first recorded single-handed crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Abercastle in west Wales as a celebration of the first centennial of the United States.[1] Local author Rob Morris has written a book about the crossing called Alfred "Centennial" Johnson.[1]
Johnson's dory, Centennial, is now in the collection of the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It is frequently displayed alongside Howard Blackburn's sloop Great Republic, a vessel which was also used in a single-handed trans-Atlantic crossing.
Alfred Johnson (sometimes spelled Johnsen) was born in Denmark on December 4, 1846. He had run away to sea as a teenager, and after working on sailing ships eventually ended up as a fisherman in Gloucester, Massachusetts. One day in 1874, he and some friends were playing cards and discussing the possibility of a single-handed Atlantic crossing, when Johnson declared that not only would such a crossing be possible, but that it could be carried out in an open dory — and that he could do it. When his friends scoffed, Johnson set out to prove them wrong.
Johnson planned to carry out his voyage as a celebration of the first centennial of the United States; his aim was to sail to Liverpool, hoping to make the 3,000-mile journey in under 90 days. He bought a 20-foot (6.1 m) dory, named her Centennial, and prepared and provisioned her for sea. She was fitted out with a centreboard, to improve her sailing qualities, and three watertight compartments which would help her float if capsized, until she could be righted.
The Gloucester (as it was also known in England) with Mr. Johnson at the helm, from the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News of 1876
The sailing dory Centennial with Johnson at helm in Gloucester harbor
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