Olaf Torgersen was born in 1885 in Larvik, Norway. He left Norway in 1914 to work as a sea captain in China and Hong Kong, where he captained a number of ships until returning to Oslo, Norway, with his wife in 1951. The collection contains the personal and professional papers of Torgensen, including identification cards and passports, his master's certificates and records related to his service on various ships, and personal correspondence, ephemera, and articles.

Olaf Torgersen was born in 1885 in Larvik, Norway. He left Norway in 1914 to work as a sea captain in China, where he captained a number of ships to various destinations around Southeast Asia. He also met and married Mary Fischer while in China, who had four children from a previous marriage, including Elsa Shelton Miller. On December 8, 1941, his ship was captured by the Japanese Naval Forces in the waters near Shanghai. He was imprisoned for a month in Shanghai before being sent to Sasebo, Japan, for questioning. He was eventually released in June of 1942, but did not find work again for 3 and a half years. In 1951, he and his wife returned to Norway and settled in Lillehammer.

0.23 linear feet

Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge. Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

The collection is open for research use.