Morten Wilhelm
Wilhelmsen ( 22 ) from Tønsberg established the firm in 1861.
Mathilde, acquired in 1865, was the first in what became Tønsberg`s
largest
fleet of sailing ships.
Wilhelmsen started as a shipbroker, but in 1865 he became 2/7 owner
and
manager for Mathilde,a 337-ton barque, built in 1840 and mainly
employed
in the lumber trade to England and France.
From a relatively small beginning, with three people ashore and ten
on board,
Wilh. Wilhelmsen`s firm expanded rapidly. Brokering was still
essential,
but ship owning was obviously the firm`s future core business.
During the next two decades, Wilhelmsen`s fleet increased with an
average of one ship a year,
all sailing vessels and mostly second - hand. In 1886, Wilh.
Wilhelmsenwas Tønsberg`s largest shipowner.
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