Captain Gustav Goransson

Adventures on the High Seas & Great Lakes

A real-life, Old World, professional seafarer in the 20th Century

You can read a little background on Capt. Goransson by clicking here or on any of the titles above. It’s a pdf file containing an awesome interview by James Marshall with photographs by Tom Jesperson. James Marshall was founder of “Lake Superior Port Cities Magazine” in Duluth, MN (now Lake Superior Magazine) and it is with his kind permission that this interview is made available.

Often known as a modern-day Viking, owing to his Swedish origins, he sailed the world far and wide, participating in many historical events during WWII and Viet Nam. Known as an expert on navigating the North Atlantic, his life story is an adventure you won’t want to miss!

While no one interview could cover every facet of an adventurer’s career, this one, in my opinion, gives the best overview of Captain Gus’ seafaring beginning in Sweden from 1930 through 1983 when this interview appeared.

One of many news press stories about Capt. Goransson piloting the McNamara, a Ford Motor Co. fleet ship, on the icy Great Lakes during one of the hardest winter seasons.

There is also a mention in .pdf above about the M/S Benson Ford swapping names with the S/S John Dykstra, both among the many ships of which Capt. Goransson was master.

Circa. 1963, family member in state room aboard the M/S Benson Ford. This is the same ship-on-dry-land tourist attraction at Put-in-Bay, OH. Read about her fascinating history HERE.

Many of Captain Goransson’s Great Lakes memorabilia was donated to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit during his lifetime and after his passing.

It has recently come to my attention that there are records under his name by Bowling Green State University Library’s Historical Collections of the Great Lakes. Great Lakes ships he sailed and Shipmasters involvement.