Tribute to Captain Henry F. Tschudi

We received the sad news on 2nd December that Captain Henry F. Tschudi had passed away. At an age of 95 years, he enjoyed amazingly good health up until he was suddenly taken ill. We send our deepest condolences to the Tschudi family.

As third generation part-owner of Tschudi & Eitzen, Captain Tschudi was engaged in shipping from 1945 – 1992, starting as a deckhand working his way up to become captain and from 1959 in the main office in Oslo.  

He once quoted “My father and grandfather both pursued maritime careers whether afloat or ashore in our family ship-owning company Tschudi & Eitzen and it was therefore natural for me to follow family traditions.”

After retiring,Captain Tschudi continued as a central figure in the Tschudi Group and was a regular visitor to “his office” at Lysaker. He was always keen to hear the latest about our activities and tell stories of his sea-life and career in our company.  

Every year up until Covid-19 regulations, he also hosted an annual Christmas lunch for retired employees at Lysaker. This was always a well-attended and popular event – the highlight being the book lottery with the winning ticket being carefully chosen from his hat, worn specially for the occasion!

Captain Tschudi’s long maritime career has often been referred to in our Tschudi Tribune. However, there is one article in particular “Daring to be different” which we would like to share. This is based on an interview from 2011 where Captain Tschudi summarized highlights from his maritime career.

The article Captain Henry F. Tschudi - Daring to be Different can be read here.

Another comment Captain Tschudi made on the 125th Anniversary of Tschudi was: “In the course of 125 years, it is fascinating to look back and think of all the people who have contributed to the company and all those who have passed into history.”

One thing is for sure, Captain Henry F. Tschudi will not sink into oblivion in the Tschudi history – he will always stand out as one of the great contributors to the company. He will be greatly missed.