He completed his examinations at the age of 50, and in 1886 he bought his first steamship – LAURA – and set up the Steamship Company Laura at the family home in Svendborg.Īt a time when steam was not yet widely used in Danish merchant fleets, Peter Mærsk Møller set about educating his sons to be part of this new venture. It was then that he made the decision to study engineering at Bogø Navigation School, with the aim of becoming a steamship master. He returned home to find that his father-in-law had passed and the family business was to be closed, leaving him with no means of providing for his family. In December 1883, on a journey from Newport, USA to Glasgow, VALKYRIEN wrecked in rough weather off the Scottish coast. One was the barque VALKYRIEN which he took command of in 1876. Peter Mærsk Møller captained several schooners and barques owned by his father-in-law.
Møller’s father – who came from a long line of seafarers. The story begins with Peter Mærsk Møller – A.P. Moller - Maersk was officially founded in 1904, the history of the company goes back even further.
