Ananias Dekke

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Ananias Christopher Hansen Dekke (22 July 1832 – 22 May 1892) was a Norwegian ship designer, ship owner, art collector and politician. He was the leading designer of wooden sailing ships in Norway during the second half of the 19th century.

Born in Bergen to Johan Mungaard Dekke and Christine Marie Hansen, he grew up in his father’s bakery on Strandgaten. He attended Bergen Cathedral School from 1844 and began an apprenticeship at Georgernes Verft in 1848. In 1852 he traveled to the United States to study shipbuilding, working at the East Boston yard of Donald McKay. After returning home, he bought half of Georgernes Verft (the other half belonged to Herman Brunchorst) and, from 1854, the yard operated as Brunchorst & Dekke, with Jens Gran joining. Dekke and Gran helped revolutionize shipbuilding in Bergen. The yard built 41 schooners and 14 steamships. Dekke became the sole owner from 1857, except during the periods 1871–1874 and 1874–1882 when Adolf Tidemand and Georg Smitt were co-owners.

He served on Bergen’s City Council (1859–1872, 1877–1892) and was council president (1865–1869). He was an alternate member of the Norwegian Parliament (1880–1882). In 1889 he helped found the West Norway Museum of Decorative Art, which opened in Bergen that year.

Dekke married twice: first to Engel Marie Rubach (1837–1863) in 1859, and then to Rebekah Arloug Stoltz (1843–1930) in 1864; they had eight children. He was the grandfather of Arne Dekke Eide Næss and Erling Dekke Næss. He received several honors, including Knight of the Order of St. Olav (1868), Commander, Second Class (1891), and he was also a Knight of the Danish order and of the French Legion of Honour.