Are you a person who loves ghost stories and romantic legends? Did you know that the “Norwegian Lady,” a statue on 37th Street, has her own terribly sad story? This statue memorializes a crazy shipwreck that happened in 1891, in plain view of people on the beach of Virginia Beach.
The Norwegian barque “Dictator” encountered gale force winds, as she was heading north. The Dictator had a crew of 15 and the Captain and his family aboard. The ship was driven aground on a sandbar, just a mere 300 yards offshore (near present-day 37th street). Her only two lifeboats were destroyed as the main mast and other rigging fell onto the deck. As the horrified vacationing guests of the Princess Anne Hotel watched, rescue efforts began. Several methods of rescue were used, including a breeches buoy – then it was just too dark to continue. The Captain washed ashore semi-conscious, but still alive, and 8 of the other 17 persons aboard were saved. The legend became so very famous because of those lives that were lost, the most tragic were the Captain’s pregnant wife, Johanne Jørgensen, and their 4-year old son.
The tragic shipwreck and the loss of life was not an unusual event for the “Graveyard” because of the treacherous waters in the area. The sea and coast had claimed many hundreds of vessels. But, in this situation, these rescue efforts were seen, up close and personal. The guests of the Princess Anne Hotel watched for hours as members from Seatack and Cape Henry Lifesaving Stations of the United States Lifesaving Service (a predecessor agency of the United States Coast Guard) worked in the high winds and seas.
The sad, sad story of the loss of lives (and especially those of the Captain’s wife, Johanne), became a legend of the area. Shortly after the shipwreck, the female figurehead from the front of the Dictator was found, washed ashore. Sadly, she was placed in a standing position, on the beach of 37th Street. When the figurehead was moved and lost, the story of the lost lives and lost memorial grew. Community interest spread across the ocean to Moss, Norway. A drive began at both ends to replace the memorial. With a substantial contribution of the Norwegian Shipping Association, enough funds were raised to pay for not just a replacement for Virginia Beach, but two new statues.
Norwegian sculptor Ørnulf Bast was commissioned to create two nine-foot bronze replicas of the original figurehead. The Norwegian Lady statues were unveiled in 1962; one was presented as a gift to Virginia Beach and an exact duplicate was erected in Moss, Norway. This, forever, united the two cities. Each statue gives the appearance of facing the other across the Atlantic Ocean.
Every year on the anniversary of the wreck, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Virginia Beach Volunteer Fire Department places a wreath at the base of the Norwegian Lady statue. In 1995, the Queen of Norway visited the Norwegian Lady statue and placed memorial flowers.
On the pedestal of the Virginia Beach statue, these words are inscribed: "I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home."
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