The Legendary Rescue Ship

Music & culture

Dec 15

Who: Bergen Seilskøyteklubb

What: Finishing restoration of the veteran rescue ship FS4 Feie

Where: Bergen

Project period: 2019 – 2024

Web: RS4 Feie

RS4 Feie, a gaff-rigged cutter of slightly less than 12 meters length on deck, was built in the shipyard of the legendary Norwegian naval architect Colin Archer, who had only just completed the polar ship “Fram” for Fridtjof Nansen. Feie is special among the rescue ships in that it was built as a single-masted pilot cutter, while the later rescue ships were all two-masted ketches. Over the 12 years it was in active duty on the West coast of Norway, Feie carried out its missions by sail power alone (engines were not reliable enough for small ships at that time), most famously rescuing as many as 26 vessels during a single storm north of Haugesund in 1900. In total, RS4 has saved 75 lives on the west coast.

After a century of different owners, ending in severe neglect over the last decade, RS4 Feie has now returned home to Bergen under the auspices of the Bergen Sail Ship Club (bssk.no). Having been awarded recognition by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage as a historic ship, Feie is currently being restored to its former glory, following the old drawings and craftsmanship as close as possible in cooperation with Hardanger Fartøyvernsenter.

Members of BSSK has by the end of 2020 contributed with more than 4,000 man-hours and have got widespread support by public and private institutions, the first kick-start we got from Grieg Foundation which enabled procurement of necessary good dry wood material for the hull.