North Virginia Beach , Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

The Wreck of the Dictator and The Norwegian Lady Statue

Wreck of the Dictator Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, September 12, 2017

1. Wreck of the Dictator Marker

Inscription. On March 27, 1891, the stormy Atlantic Ocean caused the Norwegian bark Dictator to seek haven and repairs in Hampton Roads. Heavily loaded with yellow pine, on a voyage from Pensacola, Florida to England, the Dictator had been damaged by a series of storms. Adverse winds and bad weather prevented the ship from rounding Cape Henry, forcing her to run aground off Virginia Beach, a short distance from where you are now standing.

The grounding destroyed the Dictator. Members of the Seatack Life Saving Station saved Captain Jorgenson and nine crew members but seven people, including the captain's wife and son, died in the shipwreck.

For 62 years the ship's wooden figurehead was preserved on a site on the beach as a reminder of the Dictator’s loss.

Thomas Goode Baptiste who owned a summer cottage in Virginia Beach, championed the erection of a new memorial. The people of Moss, Norway, homeport of the Dictator, raised funds for the monument, The Norwegian Lady, a bronze statue created by Norwegian sculptor, Ørnulf Bast.

On September 21. 1962, identical Norwegian Lady statutes were erected, one in Virginia Beach, the

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

other in Moss. They face each other across the Atlantic Ocean, wishing all men and women of the sea safe return home.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lost at Sea series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 27, 1891.

Location. 36° 51.209′ N, 75° 58.55′ W. Marker is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is in North Virginia Beach. It can be reached from Atlantic Avenue near 25th Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Virginia Beach VA 23451, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

Wreck of the Dictator image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Paul Saunier, Sr., November 21, 2017

2. Wreck of the Dictator

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sister Cities (a few steps from this marker); Naval Aviation Monument Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Naval Air Station Oceana (within shouting distance of this marker); City of Virginia Beach Beach Erosion Control & Hurricane Protection Project (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 24th Street Park (about 400 feet away); U-boats Off the Mid-Atlantic Coast (about 400 feet away); Who's in the neighborhood? (about 400 feet away); Neighborhood Alert! (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Virginia Beach.

Also see . . . Norwegian Lady Statue. This iconic Virginia Beach statue was made in Norway and donated to the city of Virginia Beach following the destruction of the original statue that had been made from a figurehead that washed ashore after the fatal wreckage of the Norwegian ship Dictator on March 28, 1891. Hurricane Barbara destroyed the statue in 1953, leading to its

Norwegian Lady Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, September 12, 2017

3. Norwegian Lady Statue

removal from its faithful post, but in 1962 two replicas were created: one placed in Virginia Beach and the other placed on the other side of the ocean on the shores of Moss, Norway. The Norwegian Lady Statue stands proud to this day, on either side of the Atlantic, and on her base is the inscription: "I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home." (Submitted on May 28, 2025, by Luci j Baker Johnson of Seattle, Washington.)

Norwegian Lady Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

4. Norwegian Lady Memorial

I am
The Norwegian Lady
I stand here
as my sister before me
to wish all men of the sea
safe return home

In Memoriam
To the souls the sea did call to peace eternally
and in appreciation to all who braved its perils
in freedom's cause

Dedicated to the citizens of Norway on this twenty-fifth
Liberation Day in May 1970
by the citizens of Virginia Beach, Virginia

Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 24, 2018, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,856 times since then and 160 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 24, 2018, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. 4. submitted on February 23, 2018, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.