Oltmann Johann Dietrich Ahlers

Oltmann Johann Dietrich Ahlers (born October 24, 1848 in Elsfleth , † 1910 in Bremen ) was a German shipping company director of the German steam shipping company "Hansa" .

biography

Family, education and work

Ahlers was the son of Heinrich Ahlers, co-owner of the Ahlers shipyard in Elsfleth, who died seven years after his birth. The grandfather and great-grandfather of the same name Oltmann Dietrich Ahlers also owned the Ahlers shipyard on the Weser. The unusual Frisian first name Oltmann had been a tradition in the family since the 16th century and was previously used as a surname. The mother Louise Johanna Becker came from a shipowner's family. Ahlers learned his trade with a ship agent and was therefore in New York when he was young . When his grandfather died in an accident, Ahlers returned to Elsfleth to head the shipyard for a short time. In 1877 he married Anna Elise Schmedes and the two moved to Bremen. They had six children. His sons Heinrich and Herwig set up an important shipping agency in Antwerp , which later worked for the North German Lloyd .

Shipping company director

Hansa flag

In 1881, with his help, the German steamship company "Hansa" was founded in Bremen . Ahlers was the shipping company's first director from 1881 to 1910 . His very good contacts with English traders favored the development of the young shipping company. With seven ships he set up a regular service to India , the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea in 1882 and steadily expanded the route network. DDG Hansa became the third largest shipping company in Germany. In 1914 the shipping company had 68 ships. In 1911 the company’s largest ship, the OJD Ahlers of over 11,000 tdw, received its name.
A magazine founded by Ahlers in 1901 should be "a serious paper, free from socialism and Byzantinism ...", as he wrote. After his death, Hermann Helms succeeded him as director of DDG Hansa .

Source, individual references

1. ^ Christian Leysen and Olivier Boehme: 100 years Ahlers in Antwerp. A family business in a world port . University Press Antwerp, Antwerp 2009. [1]