Carl Johan Korsman (14 June 182924 May 1907) was a Finnish

shipowner A shipowner, ship owner or ship-owner is the owner of a ship. They can be merchant vessels involved in the shipping industry or non commercially owned. In the commercial sense of the term, a shipowner is someone who equips and exploits a ship, us ...

and

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

. Korsman joined in the military in 1846; he served in

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

and resigned in 1868 as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. In 1869 Korsman started

shipping Freight transport, also referred to as freight forwarding, is the physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo. The term shipping originally referred to transport by sea but in American English, it has been ...

business first in coastal shipping, later in liner shipping operating from

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

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. He became a significant operator in 1878 when he started winter season shipping between Hanko and Stockholm. Korsman laid the basis to the Finnish winter season shipping together with

August Alexander Granroth. Korsman founded also Vätti techno-chemical factory and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

company ''Åbo Mekaniska Verkstads Ab''. He developed the Hanko

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and hot springs goes back to pre ...

the most prominent in

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Korsman retired in 1895 and moved to

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

, where he died in 1907.

Early years

Korsman was born in

Pyhämaa Pyhämaa is a village and a former municipality of Finland in the former Turku and Pori Province, now in the Finland Proper region. It was consolidated with the town of Uusikaupunki in 1974. Geography The territory of Pyhämaa mainly consist ...

, Finland Proper. His parents were

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Merikarvia Merikarvia (; ) is a municipality in Finland. It is located in the Satakunta region. The neighboring municipalities are Isojoki, Kristinestad, Pomarkku, Pori and Siikainen. The municipality has a population of 3,169 (2024) and it covers an are ...

Johan Jacob Korsman and Amalia Carolina

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Achander. Korsman studied six years in

Pori Pori (; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Satakunta. It is located on the west coast of the country, on the Gulf of Bothnia. The population of Pori is approximately , while the Pori sub-region, sub-region has a population of a ...

trivial school Trivial schools (, ; from Latin ''trivium'') were schools in Sweden and its integrated part Finland from the early 17th century, in Sweden to 1905. Trivial schools were the second grade of education in the 1649 school reform of Queen Christina. F ...

, after which he went to

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

Military career

Korsman started his military career in Finnish Rifle Battalion in which he served as junior

non-commissioned officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...

in 1846–1849, Fähnrich with Portepee in 1849–1851 and

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in 1851–1852. After this he was relocated to Finnish Grenadier Rifle battalion; he became sub-lieutenant in 1853 and in 1855 he was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. In 1856 Korsman became company commander in Turku Rifle Battalion. He became first

staff captain Staff captain is the English translation of a number of military ranks: Historical use of the rank Czechoslovakia In the Czechoslovak Army, until 1953, staff captain (, ) was a senior captain rank, ranking between captain and major. Estonia T ...

and in 1868 he became

. Korsman left the military in the same year.

Shipping

In 1868 Korsman started trading

firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not heavily processed, and is in some sort of firelog, recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellet fuel, pellets. ...

, but already in the following year he moved to a new line of business: Korsman bought a screw-propeller steamer named ''Ahkera'' and started liner shipping between Turku and

Salo Salo or Salò may refer to: Places Finland *Salo, Finland, a town in Western Finland **Salo sub-region, a subdivision of Finland Proper and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009 *An old name of Saloinen, a former municipality in Ostroboth ...

. In the 1870s he expanded from coastal shipping to liner shipping between Turku and

, and cargo shipping in the

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. Korsman aimed to use the latest technology and to increase the capacity. In 1874 Korsman founded shipping company ''Ångfartygsaktiebolaget Åbo'' to operate between Stockholm and

by steamship ''Åbo'', which was the largest steamship built in Finland until then. A company called ''Finska Transito-ångbåtsaktiebolaget'' had started winter season operation between Hanko and Stockholm in 1876 by 298-tonne ''S/S Express''. Due to unprofitable summer season operation the company

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in 1878. The state regarded a year-round operation to

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highly important, and sought for successor for the operation. Korsman saw the potential of steam shipping for wintertime operation, and rented the ship from the state which had confiscated it due to outstanding payments. He moved to Hanko and recruited

August Alexander Granroth to master the ship. ''Express'' sailed weekly between Stockholm and Hanko between 15 November and 15 May. Out of total 303 journeys planned during 1878–1889, 242 were successful despite difficult ice conditions at times. Korsman played with a high risk, because no a

marine insurance Marine insurance covers the physical loss or damage of ships, cargo, terminals, and any transport by which the property is transferred, acquired, or held between the points of origin and the final destination. Cargo insurance a sub-branch of mari ...

company agreed giving an insurance to a such operation; on the other hand, the

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and city of Stockholm supported him financially. During the 1880s the number of passengers grew and in addition to

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

delivery, Korsman exported Finnish

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of Churning (butter), churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 81% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread (food ...

and

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to the Swedish and

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market. Korsman and captain Granroth created the basis for the Finnish winter shipping, and Hanko became the centre of it. In 1889 the state organised a Danish

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

to ease manoeuvring in ice and in the following year the first state-owned icebreaker started in service. Korsman planned to grow his business and buy another ship alongside the ''Express'' which he had earlier purchased from the state, but gave up with the plan for health reasons. He built a four-floor house in Helsinki, close to South Harbour in 1895.

Other businesses

Korsman was founder and manager of Vätti techno-chemical factory started in 1872. In 1874 he took part at founding

company ''Åbo Mekaniska Verkstads Ab'' and became its manager. During 1880–1890 Korsman was the manager of Hanko

, which developed the most significant spa of Finland during his leadership.

Positions of trust

Korsman took part in many municipal positions of trust both in Turku and Hanko. He was chairman of Hanko

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

in 1890–1891. During 1885–1889 Korsman participated in three committees which aimed developing the Finnish seafaring.

Personal life

In 1854 Korsman married Isabella Charlotta née Ramsell (1832–1907). The couple got 12 children in 1855–1875; ten of them lived until adulthood.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Korsman, Carl Finnish businesspeople Finnish chief executives 1829 births 1907 deaths 19th-century Finnish businesspeople 19th-century businesspeople from the Russian Empire