Poul Løvenørn

Counter-Admiral Poul de Løvenørn (11 August 1751 – 16 March 1826) was a Danish naval officer, cartographer, scientist and diplomat.

Personal life Poul de Løvenørn was the grandson of Poul Vendelbo Løvenørn and the son of Frederik de Løvenørn. His mother was Frederikke née Holsten and there were ten siblings. His was one of the old noble families of Denmark. He was born 11 August 1751 in Antvorskov Kloster near Slagelse and died 16 March 1826 in Copenhagen. He married twice, first on 12 December 1792 to Anna Marie Philippine née Dumreicher (died 1795), secondly on 25 April 1797 to Caroline Henriette née Gæde (died 1842).

He second wife bore him two children: son Frederik Ernst Vendelbo de Løvenørn (1793–1849) and daughter Frederikke Sophie Elisabeth Løvenørn (1804–1889), who married , Count of Conradsborg (1787–1851), district governor of Præstø and Frederiksborg counties.

Early career Nautical chart by Løvenørn of the waters off Baijin, Algier, 1769.

From 1760 as a volunteer cadet, Løvenørn was particularly industrious and was commissioned junior lieutenant in 1770. (best English translation: the Experiment), a vessel owned by The Royal Greenland Trading Department (Danish: Den Kongelige Grønlandske Handel, KGH), Many of these are held in the M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark (Danish: M/S Museet for Søfart) at Helsingør. These charts proved of exceptional quality and were used for a great many years.

With similar exercises he so produced easier navigation of the Norwegian and Danish sea routes so he came into close contact with the General Customs collegiate which had responsibilities for harbours and lighthouses at that time. In December 1796 the leadership of the Pilot Service fell to Løvenørn which he reformed and improved, supervising and standardising pilots and recruiting officers round the whole of Denmark and Norway, and later in 1797 he was investigating the best options for ferry ports to link Femern and Lolland.

A portrait (pastel) of Poul Løvenørn is in the private possession of the Count Holstein-Løvenørn, with a copy (by C A Jensen from 1834) in the museum at Frederiksborg. The same museum also holds a marble bust (by August Saabye) and another pastel by Christian Horneman. There is another bust at Copenhagen Observatory.

Three later ships of the Danish navy were named Løvenørn - in 1844, 1877, and 1910 but it is not clear to which member of the family Løvenørn the honour applies. Safe navigation of Danish waters is today promoted by the Danish Maritime Authority. The buoy tender Poul Løwenørn (note spelling), was launched in 2002 and continues his work today.