Kurt Carlsen

(Henrik) Kurt Carlsen (20 February 1914 – 7 October 1989) was a Danish-born sea-captain who became world-famous in January 1952 when he stayed on his sinking freighter, the Flying Enterprise, for 13 days.

[1] It eventually sank less than 60 kilometres (37 mi) from safe harbour at Falmouth, Cornwall in England, minutes after the Captain was forced to abandon ship.

[3] Carlsen became a seaman at age 14 and master of his first ship at 22, in the service of the Danish-American company American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines.

[4] Carlsen, and his ordeal aboard the Flying Enterprise, is the subject of the book Simple Courage: a True Story of Peril on the Sea by Frank Delaney.

Carlsen received the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Award, authorized by a special act of Congress.