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The story
The gift that became a national cultural treasure
The Ship Sørlandet is a unique cultural heritage from maritime Norway under sail. Previously, she was a school ship for seamanship training for school ship boys. Now she is available for higher education and adventure sailing for "youth" of all ages.
A hundred years ago, more precisely on February 25, 1918, Marie and Oluf Andreas T. Skjelbred established a bequest: The funds were to be used to build The Ship Sørlandet The operation of the ship and the school activities were organized through the Southern Norwegian Sailing School Ship Institution. The Ship was built in Kristiansand and launched in May 1927. The purpose of the training ship operation was to give young people the best possible education in practical and theoretical skills. The economic framework conditions for operating The Ship Sørlandet has been demanding both from a historical perspective and in the present. From the very beginning, the ship type was outdated. However, it was realized that a traditionally rigged sailing ship was well suited to introducing young people to maritime skills and thus opening up opportunities for a professional career.
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Can a sailing cultural treasure be relevant in our time?
Never has humanity experienced faster technological and economic development than in the last century. Technological developments led to the ship being decommissioned as a training ship in the late 1960s. By then, over 7,500 school ship boys had completed their basic maritime education on The Ship Sørlandet In the early 1970s, the ship was sold to a shipowner and used as a sales room for maritime equipment.
The great-grandson of the original donor bought the ship back from a bankrupt estate in 1977 and gifted it to Kristiansand Municipality the same year. In the following years, new programs were introduced: Cadet program for the military. Sørlandet became the first sailing ship in the world to give women the opportunity to get a maritime education. Tall Ships Races for youth. voyage at home and abroad during the summer months. In the period from 1980 to 2010, approximately 12,000 people have participated as trainees .
During the summer months, participated Sørlandet in a number of port festivals at home and abroad, which has contributed to millions of visitors experiencing the region's unique sailing cultural heritage. In addition, the ship has had significant press and media coverage. The ship has been extensively used by Norwegian foreign missions and export companies along the worldwide sailing route. It can therefore be stated that the ship has been a good and important ambassador for Norway for over 90 years.
When establishing A+ World Academy in 2014, the Foundation invested significant resources in developing a unique and competitive school program designed for Norwegian and international students at the upper secondary school level. After a challenging start-up phase, the development shows that the investment was right. This is best demonstrated by the fact that the number of Norwegian applicants is greater than the available capacity and that the proportion of international students is increasing from year to year. While the school contributes with a recognized international curriculum, the ship ensures that the students are introduced to practical skills, coping experiences, social training and knowledge of different cultures during the many port calls. By combining the best of two worlds, we have succeeded in establishing a high school program that holds its own in a fiercely competitive international environment. A+ World Academy prepares and encourages all students to take on global responsibility and leadership. By adapting the product content through changing times, The Ship Sørlandet able to offer socially beneficial and relevant assignments right from its inception in 1927.
Recent times
In 2020, the school year 2020/2021 had to be canceled due to the extensive pandemic - Covid-19. The period up to the spring of 2021 was used for extensive maintenance and upgrading of the ship. The funding came mainly from the state, Agder county municipality and Kristiansand municipality. In the autumn of 2020, the hull was repaired and the engine room emptied to make room for e.g. new engines, sewage treatment plants and ventilation that came into place in the spring of 2021. The school staff used the situation to plan for a better school.
Summer 2021 was "Summer on Sørlandet " launched. Guests enjoyed themselves on board the newly renovated The Ship Sørlandet with good food and drink, and not least; a packed concert menu with some of the country's leading artists. The majestic cultural institution began an offensive effort to get more Norwegians on board.
In the fall of 2021, the school ship Sørlandet sailed out again with 60 students. The pandemic was still active and there was great uncertainty about whether the government would allow vaccination of young people under the age of 18. Kristiansand municipality came to the rescue and vaccinated everyone. The Norwegians were exchange students from the second year of high school, while the international students were mainly of the same age. During the voyage, the ship was infected with tuberculosis on board and 5 of the crew were infected and treated for latent tuberculosis. The source of the infection brought active tuberculosis with him from his home country and was hospitalized for 3 months in Portugal. For much of the school year, The Ship avoided contracting Covid-19 on board, but after "parentport" in Puerto Rico, the infection spread to 35 people during the Atlantic crossing. The young population on board suffered only mild symptoms due to the vaccine and their young age.
