Sea Captains of Lithuania. Bronius Krikštopaitis

3. A STEP ONTO THE CAPTAIN’S BRIDGE

In 1933, Bronius Krikštopaitis started his seafaring career on seagoing steamships. He was sailing for more than two years as a navigator on “'Friesland” and “Rimfrost” and, in January 1936, he became the captain of the Lithuanian merchant steamship “Maistas”.

…a bottle of champagne was smashed against the ship’s bow. Against the grey winter background, our tricolour flag was being slowly hoisted. ... Among the many ocean liners docked in Hamburg, our “Maistas” looked modest, but to us, a few Lithuanians, it seemed large, as large as the event today. ... On 29 January 1936, at around 9:00 a.m., “Maistas”, decorated with all available flags and having greeted Klaipėda with long, wailing blasts, moored at the quay of Klaipėda Winter Port. (B. Krikštopaitis By Sea Routes, 1979, Chicago)

PHOTOGRAPHS:

  1. The refrigerated steamship Barfrost or Rimfrost at the Maistas company quay in the Port of Klaipėda, 1936–1939.

  2. Bronius Krikštopaitis, captain of the steamship Maistas, in the wheelhouse, 1936.

  3. The steamship Friesland in the Port of Klaipėda, on the Danė River, 1933.

  4. Identity document of a resident of the Klaipėda Region, belonging to Bronius Krikštopaitis, 26 September 1933.

  5. The steamship Maistas in the Port of Klaipėda, 1936–1938.

  6. B. Krikštopaitis served as captain of the steamship Kaunas from 1938 to 1939.

  7. The steamship Marijampolė of the Lithuanian Baltic Lloyd shipping company, captained by Bronius Krikštopaitis from 1937 to 1938. Port of Klaipėda, 1937.

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