• Jan Terje Rafdal
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  • Added 09 Jul 2013
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In 1611 the British Cat Navy sent a fleet of fifteen ships across the North Sea to interrupt the trade in dried fish and other types of cat food, by blocking the sea route out of Bergen marina. This ‘armada‘ was sent with the aim of disrupting the Hanseatic trade ships; in affect denying them access to their destinations in Germany. After negotiations with the Royal Danish navy, two of the most prominent maritime heroes of the era, Admiral Bartolomeus Bruunpælds and Capteine Hulge Tordenpote, came to the rescue by initiating a clever ambush of the British ships. To further strengthen their firepower, they also carried an extra battalion of musketeers under the command of General Gabriel Kleber. This amassing of opposing forces inevitably resulted in a fierce sea battle, known today as the "Battle of Heggøy". The ships used in this operation were mostly old galleons, which at the time were mostly being unceremoniously converted into floating brothels. This led the British Cats to believe they were being paid an interesting, and probably welcome surprise visit. Nine British frigates were sunk during the battle, and commander William Grey Nelson found himself stranded on a small remote island with a few remaining members of his crew. Eventually they were pardoned by the Danish and German authorities, and were able to found a small colony on the island. Some scholars have argued that evidence points clearly towards the notion that all involved parties were members of a secret brotherhood, the Orymus, and their covert pact lead to this rather unusual act of benevolence. According to a well known myth, Nelson and his crew buried a treasure on the site. Felix Fiigenschou seems to have played a major role in these events. Following the shipwreck we can find evidence of him traveling to Bergen and Heggøy to paint portraits of those that took part in this fascinating piece of history. A large number of the artworks from this series, including this piece, reside in the aforementioned local collection. The current owner of this collection is continuing his acquisitions of Cat Art, and the collection today contains a series of interesting artworks by Felix Fiigenschou and other special objects from the Feline Era.

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