Uræd
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The boat ”Uræd” was made by Ole Martin Brude from Ålesund, born February 12th, 1880. His family lived in the USA for a while when Ole was a child. He became a sailor at the age of 16, and this is where he got the idea of a covered lifeboat. In 1902, he attended the Haugesund School of Seamanship, before he joined the navy. He prepared drawings and a model of a capsule-shaped lifeboat. He signed a contract with Aalesunds Mecanical Garage to build a boat. Ole Brude named the lifeboat he created ”Uræd”, but due to the shape and the name of the constructor, the boat was normally called ”Brudeegget” (the Brude egg). Ole Brude wanted to sail the lifeboat from Ålesund to New York. He expected to arrive in time to exhibit it on the World Fair in St. Louis. Delayed launch and leakage led to the trip being postponed. Together with three others, he started from Ålesund on August 7, 1904. They arrived at Petty Harbour in New Foundland November 15th. They wanted to finish the trip in Boston, but on the journey there, ”Uræd” was thrown ashore at Gloucester in a storm. The lifeboat functioned as Brude had planned. They survived the accident, but he did not make the World Fair in time. Ole Brude returned to Ålesund, where he was met with honour and glory. When he died in 1949, his urn was buried in Ålesund. Brude did not live to see his lifeboat construction become a success. Only in 1977, did covered lifeboats become mandatory.