Olaus Jørgensen Abelseth was a Third Class passenger of the Titanic that survived the sinking of this famous liner.
Titanic[]
He boarded the Titanic at Southampton with a party of 5 fellow Norwegians: Adolf Humblen, Anna Salkjelsvik, Peter Søholt (a cousin), Sigurd Hansen Moen (married to Olaus' sister Inge) and Karen Marie Abelseth (no relation, but a family friend who had asked Olaus to look after the 16 year old girl).
Olaus and Humblen shared a cabin toward the bow on from where, on the night of the disaster, he made his way aft along the working alleyway Scotland Road on E-Deck to meet Karen. He finally found her near the main Third Class staircase towards the stern and then she, Olaus and the rest of their group made their way to the aft well deck.
They waited on the Poop Deck for instructions. At about 1:30 A.M, Third Class women were finally allowed onto the Boat Deck, followed by the men at 2:00 A.M. While many decided to remain on the poop Olaus and his relatives made for the Boat Deck. Olaus together with Moen and Søholt placed Karen Abelseth into a boat.
With the last boat pulling away they heard a call for sailors, some of the crew were trying to free a collapsible and Olaus who had six years of sailing experience as a fisherman was tempted to assist but his cousin and brother in law urged him to stay with them.
| "I was standing there, and I asked my brother-in-law if he could swim and he said no. I asked my cousin if he could swim and he said no. So we could see the water coming up, the bow of the ship was going down, and there was kind of an explosion. We could hear the popping and cracking, and the deck raised up and got so steep that the people could not stand on their feet on the deck. So they fell down and slid on the deck into the water right on the ship." |
When all the boats had gone, Olaus and his relatives found themselves near the fourth funnel, as the Titanic sank deeper they clung to the falls of a lifeboat davit. His brother in law urged him to jump for it but Olaus waited. When the water was only five feet away they plunged in. As he surfaced, Olaus became entangled in a line but somehow managed to break free, when he looked around him his brother in law and cousin were nowhere to be seen, they had been washed away.
Olaus swam for twenty minutes in the icy water before finally reaching Collapsible A. Surrounded by dead and dying he tried to pull himself into the waterlogged boat but someone inside shouted 'don't capsize the boat', so Olaus clung to the side for a while before eventually dragging himself aboard.
As they rowed through the night the survivors in Collapsible A prayed, and, although nearly waist deep in water Olaus tried to revive a fellow passenger who lay freezing in the bottom of the boat, he lifted him up and discovered that it was a man from New Jersey with whom Olaus had shared a carriage on the boat train to Southampton. When the Carpathia was sighted he urged the man to look up, but as dawn broke the man slipped away. Another man put his arms around Abelseth to relieve cramps caused by the cold but eventually he too died, and Olaus had to pry the man's arm off him.
They were finally rescued by another lifeboat and brought to the Carpathia at 7:00 AM. Olaus was given a warm blanket he then headed for the dining room for some brandy and a hot coffee. With cabin space at a premium, Olaus found he had to sleep on deck and lay down to sleep in the same clothes that he had worn all night in the flooded boat.
He later testified before the US Inquiry.
Portrayals[]
S.O.S Titanic (1979)[]
Nick Brimble as Olaus Abelseth in S.O.S. Titanic
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For all who is willing to work hard. Ja, I say so. What you find naturally depends what you're looking for. |
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—Olaus Abelseth to James Farrell | ||
Olaus Abelseth was portrayed by actor Nick Brimble in S.O.S. Titanic. He first appeared in the Third Class General Room on the night of April 13, where he befriended several Irishmen, namely James Farrell, David Charters, Martin Gallagher, and Daniel Buckley. He was called "Oli", by Farrell.
When the Titanic sank, steward John Hart and stewardess Violet Jessop led a large group of women and children to the boat deck, while the men were forced to stay. Therefore, Farrell and his own small group, including Karen Abelseth, Olaus Abelseth and his cousins and in-laws, looked for another way to get to the boat deck.
When the group was confronted by the gate, Farrell asked Oli, who was a man of stature, to break the gate. The gate was successfully broken down, then Oli found a life belt and he immediately attached it to Karen.
Right to left: Olaus Abelseth. Karen Abelseth, Peter Søholt, Sigurd Hansen Moen
The group then got lost in the First Class Dining Saloon, where they were intercepted by Master at-arms Thomas King. King thinks they are going to steal something, and orders them to return to where they came. The men denied King's accusations and said they were only looking for a way to the lifeboat, and Farrell begged King to let the women through at least. Finally King only allowed the women through.
Oli was not seen again during the Titanic's last moments, but he survived. He was later seen on the Carpathia, distributing a hot coffee to the women.
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