Exhibitions

With a guide, you are warmly welcome inside the historic industrial buildings. Here you can experience the site, see and touch the machines and equipment, and learn about proud craft traditions. The shipyard was established during a period of great technological progress. The craftsmen’s solid understanding of the properties of materials enabled them to make effective use of simple tools, while also adopting equipment that came with industrialization.

The museum is constantly evolving, and our newest additions are the Digital Tour, the Ship’s Smithy, and Whaling.

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Shipping history

The history of the Bratteklev family mirrors that of many others who engaged in shipping and shipbuilding during the age of sail. Their ventures required entrepreneurship, which at times brought profit and at other times loss. The willingness to invest anew laid the foundation for continued operations.

Steam-powered sawmill

The first vessels were built from materials purchased elsewhere, but in 1874 O. B. Sørensen established his own sawmill at Bratteklev. This made shipbuilding more efficient. The sawmill provided jobs for several workers and was less dependent on economic cycles than the shipping business.

The Shipyard Slip

The slipway was the construction site for ship hulls. At Bratteklev, 14 ships were built – both sailing ships and steamships. Outdoors along the slipway, you can see photographs showing hulls under construction. The launching marked the transition from building to outfitting.

Craft-built ships

Earlier, ships were built using the clinker method. Timber exports and other international trade required stronger vessels with greater cargo capacity. From the 18th and 19th centuries onward, merchant ships were carvel-built – meaning the strength of the construction lay in the keel, stems, and frames.

The Ship’s Smithy

The collaboration between the shipbuilder and the ship’s smith was crucial in traditional shipbuilding. The shipbuilder was responsible for the design and woodwork, while the smith supplied the metal components that gave the vessel strength.

Skipssmia

Transport of Natural Ice

The production of ice from freshwater became an industry during the 19th century. Britain was the largest importer of ice. In the peak year of 1898, the value of Norway’s ice exports reached nearly one-third of the income from the timber trade.

Whaling

In the 1880s, O. B. Sørensen embarked on a new oil venture. As one of eight, he entered into an agreement with Svend Foyn to conduct whaling from land stations in Finnmark using Foyn’s patented hunting method. With this new technique, whaling became a profitable business.

Hvalfangst

Open traditional boats

Before Tromøy was connected by bridge in 1961, all transport went by sea. At Bratteklev there is a collection of open traditional boats, used both in shipping operations and daily life. These are mainly clinker-built, and some were built at the shipyard itself.

Digital tour

This is a simpler, self-guided outdoor experience. You walk around the shipyard and receive much of the information digitally, accompanied by images. There is a version adapted for children aged 10–12, and one for adults. The adult version is also available in English.

Digital omvisning

Please contact us to book a private tour, or use the link below to purchase tickets for tours during ordinary opening hours.

Buy ticket here