The Slave Ship "Fredensborg": And the 18th Century Danish-Norwegian Slave Trade

This richly illustrated story of a typical slave ship and its last voyage from Denmark-Norway to Africa's Gold Coast to the Caribbean recreates, day-by-day, what life was like for captain, crew, and the newly enslaved; The sad and horrific triangular trade in human lives is made specific and personal through records and artefacts salvaged from the Fredensborg, the most meticulously documented slave vessel yet discovered; This is the story of a journey on the triangular trade between Denmark-Norway, the Gold coast in Africa, and the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. The wreck of the Fredensborg was discovered off the coast of Norway in 1874. By examining the wreckage and written sources, diver and author Leif Svalensen has reconstructed the Fredensborg's last journey. The book places the Fredensborg in the context of the European slave trade focusing particularly on living conditions of the slaves on board and the economic forces that determined their destinies. Svalensen provides a detailed description of the marine archaeological excavations at the wreck site and takes readers on a journey following the route of the ship from the ruins of slave trading forts in Africa to the plantations and slave quarters in the former Danish Virgin Islands. This is one of the best documented slave vessel ever discovered, and the "Fredensborg project" has turned out to be the main contribution to the UNESCO Slave Route Project. A permanent exhibition is now available in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. The Slave Ship Fredensborg is an excellent case study of the triangular trade and the book provides a valuable historical document which should be of interest to historians, students and the general reader.