Mr Fridtjof Arne Madsen

Mr Fridtjof Arne Madsen, 24, was born 17 March 1888, in Norway, the son of Fridtjof Madsen and Anna Larsen. Fridtjof was one of 8 children, of whom three died of tuberculosis. Fridtjof lived from around 1898 with Karl Olsen's parents and family. The Madsen family was most likely split up because of the very poor living conditions they lived under in the city of Trondheim.

Fridtjof Madsen jr. was a sailor, living in Trøndelag, Trondheim, Norway. He was travelling from Trondheim to Brooklyn, New York to sign on as second mate on a Norwegian ship although his stated destination was the home of his half-brother Louis Larsen, 112 Summit Street, Brooklyn, New York.

Karl Olsen and his son Artur travelled with him via Newcastle. He boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a third class passenger (ticket number C 17369, £7 2s 10d).

After the collision he reached the boat deck together with the Olsens and he had Charlie place Artur into an lifeboat. According to Artur, Fridtjof Madsen was later picked up from the water by his boat, but boat 13 is known not to have picked up any swimmers.

In America Fridtjof changed his name to Fred Matson. He later worked as a carpenter at Brooklyn harbour. He married Louise Stokke and they had one child George who was born in 1915.

In 1952 Fred visited Trondheim for the first time since the Titanic disaster. The main paper in Trondheim, Adresseavisen, wrote about the visit, but Fred wouldn't talk much about the Titanic, neither with his family, nor the press.

Fred and Louise lived the rest of their lives in Brooklyn, but spent most summers in Florida.

Fred Matson (Fridtjof Arne Madsen) died on 23 January 1972. Three days later he was buried at Greenwood Cemetery Brooklyn, New York. Louise Stokke Matson, died in Brooklyn, New York in December of 1980, shortly after her 91st birthday.

Notes
On some lists his name is spelled Frithiof.

Documents
City of New York Certificate of Death

References
Per Kristian Sebak (1998) Titanic: 31 Norske Skjebner, Genesis Publishers
List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States Immigration Officer At Port Of Arrival (Date: 18th-19th June 1912, Ship: Carpathia) - National Archives, NWCTB 85 T715 Vol 4183
Claes-Göran Wetterholm (1988, 1996, 1999) Titanic. Prisma, Stockholm. ISBN 91 518 3644 0

Acknowledgements
Claes-Göran Wetterholm, Sweden

Contributors
Phillip Gowan, USA
Per Kristian Sebak, Norway
Hermann Söldner, Germany
Oyvind Sollie, Norway
Leif Snellman, Finland