Colin Archer

Who was Colin Archer?

Colin Archer was a Norwegian naval architect and shipbuilder from Larvik, Norway. His parents had immigrated to Norway from Scotland in 1825.

Prior to his career as a naval architect in Norway, he spent time in Queensland, Australia, with several of his brothers, including Thomas. While there, he sailed with a cargo up the Fitzroy River, Queensland "when it was almost if not quite unknown".

He and his shipyard were known for building durable and safe ships. The most notable single ship built by Colin Archer was the Fram, which participated in Fridtjof Nansen's expeditions to the North Pole and, later, in Roald Amundsen's historic first expedition to the South Pole; Fram is now preserved in the Fram Museum on Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway. Archer also designed a sturdy sailing vessel class for the Redningsselskapet, which was used for many years and now is referred to as a Colin Archer; the prototype rescue lifeboat, "Colin Archer RS 1", is still afloat and in use as a floating museum. Several other original vessels Redningsselskapet are still sailing including the Frithjof Wiese RS40.

Archer spent much time calculating how an efficient hull should be designed. To this day, people consult his work when designing new ships. He is credited with the design of more than two hundred vessels, including Fram.