Andreas Schifter

Vice-Admiral Andreas Schifter (25 August 1779 – 31 October 1852) was a Danish naval officer and shipbuilder. He oversaw the transition of the Danish navy from sail to early steam power.

Personal He was the son of Christian Schifter (1741–1785), a captain in the Danish Asiatic Company, and Karen Ibsen (1740–96). His father captained the ChinamanDronning Juliana Maria on her expedition to Canton in 178182. He died on 28 January 1785, probably during another DAC expedition. Andreas Schifter had two elder brothers and two younger sisters. He lived with his widowed mother and four siblings in Hyskenstræde (Strand Quarter No. 38, now Hyskenstræde 10) at the time of the 1787 census.

He married, in 1803 in the Danish naval church at Holmen, Christiane Dorthea Bech – the daughter of a senior highcourt official. His younger sister Christine was married to the wealthy merchant, ship-owner and ship builder Jacob Holm.

Career As a cadet from 1794 he won the Gerner Medal for mathematics in 1797. He was held captive for three months whilst the Danes and the Bey of Tunis were negotiating release of prisoners. Christian den Ottende (1840) Dannebrog (1850) - later converted to an ironclad Dronning Marie (1824) Frederik den Sjette (1831) Skjold (1833) Waldemar (1828) It was also Schifter who designed the type of lightship that was used even many decades after his death. Holger Danske (1849) Maagen (1837) Skirner (1847)

Later career

With the retirement of admiral Ulrich Anton Schønheyder from the admiralty college in 1846, Schifter took over as a deputy head – a post he served for two years. He was newly advanced to second in command of the navy but left shortly afterwards to become chief of the naval dockyards (overekvipagemester ). In this position he found himself leading the naval mobilisation for the war of 1848 -50 (Schleswig Holstein Question) which involved much of the fleet that he had built. After the first Schleswig war, the now vice admiral Schifter was recalled to active duty with the fleet, but was not involved in any notable actions. He died in service on 31 October 1852. .

Honours and memorials

Schifter was created a Knight in the Order of the Dannebrog in 1822, with increasing rank in 1826 and 1836 until he was awarded the Grand Cross (Storkorset) in 1849.

In 1903, H. Grandjean instigated the publication of Schifter's autobiography in Personalhistorisk Tidsskrift.

A housing estate on Holmen from 2002 is named Schifters Kvarter (Schifter's Quarter) in his honour. In 2004, a bronze bust of him by Joseph Salamon was unveiled at the site.

A portrait of Andreas Schifter, painted by C A Jensen in 1845, was lost in a fire at Frederiksborg Castle in 1859. A copy of the painting was luckily produced as a lithograph in 1846 by Em. Bærentzen & Co. There is also a sketch by Quenedey from 1811 and a silhouette.