Ivar Peter Bagger Knudsen (1 April 1861 – 23 March 1920) was a Danish engineer. As the director of Burmeister & Wain (B&W), Knudsen led the development of the , the biggest, most advanced diesel-powered vessel of its time.

Early life

Knudsen was born to Jens Elsbert Knudsen (1826–1901), a manager of a grocery firm, and Julie Vilhelmine Rønberg (1828–88). He was the brother of military physician Morten Knudsen and the women's rights activist Olga Knudsen. He trained to be a mechanic in Aarhus and worked in this profession until 1882 when he went to Copenhagen to study at the

Technical University of Denmark The Technical University of Denmark (), often simply referred to as DTU, is a polytechnic university and school of engineering. It was founded in 1829 at the initiative of Hans Christian Ørsted as Denmark's first polytechnic, and it is today ran ...

. After finishing his studies in 1887 he was involved in the design of the

fortifications of Copenhagen The fortifications of Copenhagen is the broad name for the rings of fortifications surrounding the city of Copenhagen. They can be classified historically as follows: * The medieval fortifications dating from the 12th century * The bastioned for ...

. He then worked as a mechanical engineer for the electric utility of Copenhagen.

Engineering career

In 1895 he joined B&W as chief mechanical engineer. He was promoted to Director of the engine department in 1897 where he started a comprehensive modernization. Knudsen realised the potential of the diesel engine as ship propulsion and traveled to Germany to meet

Rudolf Diesel Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (, ; 18 March 1858 – 29 September 1913) was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who invented the Diesel engine, which burns Diesel fuel; both are named after him. Early life and education Diesel was born on 1 ...

who was testing the new engines at MAN AG in Augsburg. Consequently B&W obtained the patent rights on the Diesel engine for Denmark. The following years saw numerous tests and improvements, eventually resulting in an efficient and reliable machine. In 1908 Knudsen became the head of both the machine factory in

Christianshavn Christianshavn () is a neighbourhood in Copenhagen, Denmark. Part of the Indre By District, it is located on several artificial islands between the islands of Zealand and Amager and separated from the rest of the city centre by the Inner Harbour, ...

and the shipyard in Refshaleøen. Hans Niels Andersen, founder of the East Asiatic Company, saw that diesel powered ships would mean a leap forward for the

shipping industry Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it provi ...

, and in December 1910 placed an order with B&W for a large oceangoing motor ship, the . The first voyage in February 1912, with Andersen and Knudsen on board, was from Copenhagen to Bangkok via London and Antwerp. The ship was received with great interest and many people visited the Selandia including the

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

, and other high ranking naval officers. MS Fionia VIPs

''Selandia'' had two sister ships, the and the ; finishing their sea trials in June 1912, and July 1912, respectively. The ''Fionia'' was met with similar interest in Germany during

Kiel Week The Kiel Week () or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is considered to be one of the largest sailing events globally, and also the largest summer festivals in Northern Europe, ...

, where visitors included German Emperor

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

and Albert Ballin, director of the

Hamburg America Line The Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), known in English as the Hamburg America Line, was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, in 1847. Among those involved in its development were prominent Germ ...

. Knudsen resigned from the yard's daily management in April 1919, joining the company's board as an advisor.

Personal life

Knudsen lived at Svanemøllevej 56 in the affluent Ruvangen neighbourhood of Copenhagen. The house was completed for Knudsen in 1904 to designs by the architect Carl Brummer. Knudsen is one of the men seen in Peder Severin Krøyer's monumental 1904 oil-on-canvas group portrait painting '' Men of Industry''. He died "mysteriously" from food poisoning while on a trip to India on 23 March 1920. He is buried in Hellerup Cemetery. His grave has been removed. A large memorial stone was unveiled in Følle in 1932.

Awards

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

(1900) * Medal of Merit (1912)

References

External links

"Knudsen, Ivar"

Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon ''Salmonsens Konversationsleksikon'' is a Danish encyclopedia An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided i ...