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Paper short abstract

In 1816 a mutiny rose in the middle of the Atlantic on the schooner "Plattsburg" from Baltimore. The ship ended up in a little harbour on the southern coast of Norway. In the paper the mutiny will be discussed from the perspective om liminality and the narrative as an example of local sealore.

Paper long abstract

In 1816 a motley crew set sail with the schooner "Plattsburg" from Baltimore. The ship was bound for Turkey to buy opium. For this purpose, the ship carried a huge amount of silver and gold coins, as well as a valuable load of coffee. In the middle of the Atlantic, a mutiny rose. The captain and two of the ship’s officers were thrown into the ocean. The ship ended up in the little harbour Kleven outside the town of Mandal in southern Norway. Wild rumours began to spread, as the merry sailors turned out to be big spenders. When an American consul arrived to check what was going on, most of the mutineers had already fled. The locals thought the pirates had hidden some of their silver booty, and in the tradition the ship was called «The Silver Schooner». In this paper I will discuss the mutiny on the "Plattsburg" from the perspective of liminality and the narrative as an example of local sealore.