Robert Louis Asp (February 13, 1923 – December 27, 1980) was an American educator from

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. He is known principally for his involvement building the replica ship ''Hjemkomst'' which sailed from

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

Bergen, Norway Bergen (, ) is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 2025 the population is 294 029 according to Statistics Norway. The municipali ...

in 1982.

Biography

Robert Louis Asp was born in Minnesota, the son of Charles Otto Olofsson Asp (1868-1941) and Inga Josephine (Iverson) Asp (1886-1960). The idea for building ''Hjemkomst'' originated with Robert Asp during the early 1970s when he was employed as a guidance counselor at Moorhead Junior High School. ''Hjemkomst'', which means "Homecoming" in Norwegian, is a replica Viking ship that is permanently housed in The Heritage Hjemkomst Interpretive Center. The ship is a full-scale replica of the Gokstad Viking ship that was discovered in Norway in 1881. Construction on ''Hjemkomst'' began in 1974 at the Leslie Welter Potato Warehouse in Hawley, Minnesota. The warehouse site was then transformed into the Hawley Shipyard during the construction. That same year, Asp became diagnosed with leukemia; however he still continued to build the ship; he had help from other volunteers. . In July 1980 the Hawley Shipyard was torn down for the removal and christening of the completed ship. ''Hjemkomst'' was shipped overnight to

, on August 5, 1980. Asp held the rank as captain during the ship's maiden voyage throughout

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

until his death four months later on December 27, 1980. In May 1982, Asp's three sons and daughter along with eight members of ''Hjemkomst''s crew decided to sail ''Hjemkomst'' to Norway, which was Asp's original dream. The ship departed

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on June 8, 1982 and arrived in Bergen, Norway on July 19, 1982. The ship subsequently sailed to

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, Norway arriving on August 9, 1982. The ship stayed in Oslo for a year until it was transported back to Minnesota on board the Bulk Carrier ''M/V Brunto''. The story of Robert Asp's adventure was documented in an 11-minute short documentary called "The Hjemkomst: Thirty Years Later". He was inducted posthumously into the

Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame The Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame (SAHF) was established in 1984 in Minot, North Dakota, by the Norsk Høstfest Association. The Scandinavian-American Hall of Fame is "an enduring means of honoring the persons of Scandinavian descent in North ...

in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asp, Robert 1923 births 1980 deaths Educators from Minnesota 20th-century American educators American people of Norwegian descent American people of Swedish descent Norwegian-American culture in Minnesota

Biography

See also

References